Tikves – The cradle of fine wine

On December 6, 2016 (Tuesday), UACS School of Business Economics and Management (SBEM) welcomed a guest lecturer on the topic: “Need for innovation in Products and importance of Placement in the wine industry”. The event was organized by the Head of Marketing Department, Assoc. Prof. Ilijana Petrovska, PhD.

The guest lecture was delivered to the Marketing undergraduate students at UACS SBEM.

The Communication Manager of “VV Tikves AD Skopje”, Mrs. Elena Mladenovska Jelenkovic presented the company’s two important marketing mix elements for its wines: place and product. Furthermore, she mentioned that Tikves valley is to Macedonia as “Bordeaux” is to France.

In terms of the wine production, Mrs. Mladenovska Jelenkovic informed the audience that “VV Tikves AD Skopje” produces more than 50 different types of wine, as well as other products, which add up to the 12 million bottles they produce each year. The reason for the large variety of wines is that Tikves Winery has the aim to target numerous customer segments. With this goal, they focus on production of different quality wines, so their prices can vary. The starting price of their wines is MKD 300, and they can reach up to the price of MKD 1100. The price difference is due to the diversity in the process of selection, as well as the different methods of production.

Another fact which caught the students’ attention is that Tikves wines can be found in three-star, Michelin restaurants all over the world. Regarding the company’s distribution methods, Ms. Mladenovska Jelenovic said that it is different on the basis of the location the wine is exported to. In the international markets, Tikves has its own agents who are focused solely on this target market, while on the domestic market, they use a different system for each reseller. The main key accounts, i.e. the biggest supermarkets, are the most significant ones and the company has its own distributors who deliver their wine. On the other hand, the lounge bars, restaurants and local markets are supplied with wine by a wholesaler.

Last but not least, the guest lecturer, Ms. Elena Mladenovska Jelenkovic said that Tikves Winery strongly believes and focusses on the education of their employees (sommeliers) in terms of the products produced by the Winery. The waiters, who serve the Tikves wines, are required to know the composition of the wine, and also possess the knowledge to suggest which meals are recommendable to be consumed with each type of wine, which makes them skillful for selling their products easily.

At the end, all students were welcomed to visit the Tikves Winery in springtime.