‘E-commerce is the future’ for Luis Felipe Edwards Wines amid hopes of ‘record year’

In a recent interview with Christian Smith, Luis Felipe Edwards Jr. of Luis Felipe Edwards Wines maps out why “e-commerce is the future” for the winery, amid hopes it can achieve a record year as it prioritises green energy to reduce its carbon footprint.

A quick reaction to unseasonable rains early this year mitigated any negative impact on LFE’s white wines, and water will remain front and centre as a key issue for the winery as it monitors the impact of climate change and works to use the water it has as effectively as possible.

And sustainability is clearly on the mind of Luis Felipe Edwards Jr., who told db in an exclusive interview that new energy contracts will be required to provide only green energy, a move he says will reduce the winery’s carbon footprint by some 7.2%.

“Every day people are becoming more aware of sustainability,” Edwards told db. For the winery, sustainability encompasses everything from using software-operated irrigation systems to preserve water, to “protecting the people that work” for them, by sharing resources and improving workers’ salaries.

And, as so many have witnessed during the last 18 months, LFE has found that its e-commerce division has boomed in ways it might not have imagined before the coronavirus pandemic.

Buying habits have clearly shifted over the last year-and-a-half, and Luis Felipe Edwards is emphatic in his view that e-commerce will continue to grow, even as we move out of pandemic restrictions.

“I think e-commerce is the future,” he tells db, though points out that while e-commerce has presented an opportunity, it also presents problems that need to be solved.

Space on ships to Europe and North America are at a premium, he says, while there is also a shortage of packaging due to unprecedented demand.

These should be short term issues, and Luis Felipe Edwards is banking on e-commerce being a long-term winner.

“If we are able to deliver it will be a record year for us” he says.