The Orfila family is still the owner of the original winery. However, today the brand belongs to the Warsteiner Group, which owns Isenbeck beer. Orfila winery explained what has happened with the brand and described the company`s activities.José Orfila, one of the family members told WineSur about the winery`s history: “The winery`s origin was in 1904. That year, mi grandfather, José Orfila, acquired an old flour mill and land founded and worked until 1849 by Gen. San Martín,” he explained.
Some time later, after a great development, the company was finally born: “Mi grandfather continued with the mill activity and he also started planting vineyards, so shortly afterwards he started building the winery. The quality of the products was soon recognized in the market. As times goes by, the wines were quite well known and they were also pioneers in conquering foreign markets,” added Orfila.
The ancient winery belongs 100% to the Orfila family, which keeps making high quality varietal wines. However, the commercial brands used by the winery do not belong to the family anymore. “Now they are marketed by an important economic group, which also owns the well known beer brand Isenbeck”, highlighted José Orfila.
Javier Joison, Business Manager of Orfila, explained the winery´s situation after being acquired by foreign capitals. On the one hand, there is the original winery of the family, the old building, that still belongs to the Orfila family. On the other hand, there is a building that today belongs to the German company Warsteiner International KG, which also bought the brand Orfila.
As regards wines, currently the winery makes medium and high quality wines, including European-style blends and varietals with and without oak: Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, among others. The medium-quality wine lines are “Varietales Orfila” (AR$14-16) and “Varietales Orfila Roble” (AR$ 20-23). Among the more expensive oak aged wines, the lines are “Solar de Orfila” (AR$30-35) and “Cautivo de Orfila” (AR$45-50). Currently, the winery is lauching the line “Orfila Clásico” with the aim of offering an affordable blend for every-day consumption. This line is available in its red and white varieties (AR$10-12) and it has been well received by consumers and the marketing network.
Concerning export destinations, wines are most frequently exported to United States, Mexico, Japan, Uruguay and Paraguay. In the last years, the winery has also exported wines to Canada, England, Brazil, Cuba, Malaysia, Panama and some other countries.
Finally, as regards the company`s short and long-term goals, Joison pointed out: “Since some time ago, we have been consolidating our position in the wine world. Thanks to the volume we market, in all our brands, we are one of the leaders of the industry. Concerning the short-term, we would like that whenever someone buys or recommends wines, consumers think about Orfila as one of their favorite brands. This is exactly what we should develop and this is the goal towards we target our expectations this year.”
“Moreover, in the mid-term, we aim to consolidate our position in the international market, promoting the global integration. This goal together with the winery`s investment plan will be the pillars of our strategy in order to achieve our devised objectives,” ended Joison.
Written by Mariano Zalazar for Winesur.com
Translation: Ana Tagua
Source: http://www.winesur.com/top-news-2/constant-development-of-its-own-recognizable-and-sophisticated-style
