| Henriquez: People believe that a brand is about marketing, but the first value of a brand is quality |
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| jueves, 11 diciembre 2008 | ||||||||
 Margareth Henriquez She looks happy and sad at a time. Her answers are barely audible as she had a Chandon party the night before and lost her voice. But she does not seem to care much about it. Energetic and optimistic as usual, Margareth Henríquez talks about her plans for the future -she will become the most important woman at Maison Krug, a champagne company opened in 1843. Even though she is excited, she knows she will be missing Argentina’s “Sun, friends, and people’s recognition." “I’m going to be the president of Krug, a prestigious champagne company for connoisseurs. If you go to the best restaurants in the United States, England and Paris and talk to their sommeliers, they will tell you that Krug is the best champagne in the world. It is an art expression, currently acclaimed by amateurs too. Part of my job is to become deeply familiar with the Maison and to let the world know the value of its wines,” Henríquez comments about her new position within the LVMH group. “It is a nice job, in a small place. For me, it means an acknowledgement. As a Latin American woman, it is a historical event as no other Latin American has led a French champagne maison,” she adds. - What memories will you collect from this time of your life when you leave? What has changed in the Argentinian industry since 2001? There was a transformation of the industry. Crises are moments of change and you need to update in order to survive. Facing the transformation of the industry, we had to go faster; crisis are breaking points, but you always come away from them. Those who find a way out faster can take advantage of the opportunity, and I believe that is what we at Chandon were able to do. - How did you find the way out? We started out in 1988 with the development of varietal wines because it was the only way out for Argentina, as it needed to re-enter the wine world in its global transformation, using the profile of New World wines. We settled in Argentina 50 years ago, coming from a leading maison which envisioned the need to find another place in the world to make good sparkling wines and hence chose Mendoza, Argentina. At Möet Chandon, we have the world’s largest champagne portfolio, with brands that are 280 years old. The company’s experience adds up to 900 years. Argentina joined this history and the company’s unique knowledge. That was how we started our experience here, at the same time as Catena, with still wines, but ours were for export. It took a lot of efforts to convince the Group about our ability to make these still wines. When we finally did, Terrazas was born. The explosion of still wines is quite new. I lived it here and when I talk about this I mean that history changed. It is a good example of how crises can bear something as special as the transformation of the wine industry, which improved in all regards, and raised the value of wine, hence favoring consumers. - How did you contribute to this transformation? I contributed with an external perspective, much more sensitive to competition. When I arrived in 2001 I began envisioning the industry’s transformation. I believe that my contribution was about paying more attention to the impact of competition and the need to transform at a faster pace because the leader needs always be at the forefront of changes. When I arrived, Chandon was already very strong in the market; it had such a relevant leadership that it was almost alone in the market, it then entered a competitive market with many heavy-weight players but today it still holds a relevant position. That is why I am leaving with so much pride, joy, I believe that I have done a good job. Moreover, I’m very proud of belonging to an industry that achieved such a significant transformation. I am very satisfied to see the wines that are currently made did not even exist some three years ago. Human beings pass through, companies and brands remain -our job is to take them up and then hand them in stronger. - This perspective about time is the result of working for such an old company… I love the brand. People believe that a brand is about marketing, but the first value of a brand is quality. When we talk about wines, we have to remember that wine experiences are only reckoned once a year, so every year counts. In 50 years, I have 50 experiences in the terroir. If you analyze them, cycles are never identical, but they have a rather similar behavior throughout 8-year periods. In 50 years, there are 7 or 8 cycles, that is why in France decisions about a variety are made based on periods not shorter than 60 years. For this reason, I always say that our industry is just starting. If Argentina has been able to do so much in such a short time, can you imagine what it will be able to do in 60 years? In the wine industry, perspectives need to be long-term. When we work in the vineyards today, we worked on the basis of figures projected for 2015. The results in the long run will depend on wineries’ perspectives in a cyclical country. Currently, we must do some reordering, as credit is lacking, but that’s it. - What will you miss about Argentina? I will miss many things, specially the Sun, the light, the faces of customers, my friends, the way everyone here has treated me. It is like a child being taken away from me, transfers are painful. Besides, it is the first time I stay this long in one place. I know that when I arrive in France I will find my space again, and I am thankful for the opportunities I have had. I seek to live intensely right here, right now. - Are you saying we should not worry about the crisis as much as we do? There is no reason to be fatalistic about it. Seven years ago, we lost a Christmas. We should not allow another one to be lost, we should not let ourselves be carried in by a crisis that does is very distant from what we have experienced. We have good reasons to celebrate this end-of-year, the circumstances are good, everything is on our heads. Even though the slowdown of the economy is a reality, we are not facing the same situation as in 2001. We are way beyond, and those of us who are able to make transformations and take a thankful look at life should not see things under such a negative light.
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