Hillebrand and Accolade sign major deal

JF Hillebrand has confirmed a five-year freight services deal with Accolade Wines, one of the world’s largest wine producers.

Tristan Beckett (left) and Tim Hobbs (right) of Accolade Wines with Tom Yusef, chairman of JF Hillebrand (centre)

The contract will see Hillebrand take responsibility for Accolade’s entire logistics requirements, covering both bottled and bulk wine, for brands including Hardys and Banrock Station from Australia, Flagstone and Kumala from South Africa and Geyser Peak in Napa Valley, California.

The service will use a combination of sea, rail and road services to transport wines from their various sources of origin to the group’s Accolade Park facility in Bristol, UK.

Commenting on the deal, Tom Yusef, chairman of JF Hillebrand UK, said:  “We are delighted to build on the partnership we have with Accolade Wines. Our relationship continues to grow, and their commitment to this five year deal is a testament to the service quality provided by the specialist JF Hillebrand team.”

Richard Anning, global planning & logistics director for Accolade Wines, outlined the scale and challenge of the contract, saying: “With wine production centres in Australia, South Africa and California and distribution across the globe, Accolade Wines has a very complex logistics task combined with challenging scheduling to meet customer demands.

“We’re confident JF Hillebrand will be able to partner with us in providing the level of service our customers expect.”