Fresh The Good Food Market’s Post

Marie Guyotjeannin, Private Client Manager, selling fine wine and luxury spirits to MMI’s private clients and helping VIP clients source their dream products via our available retail channels. Marie also gives our private clients opportunities to buy in-bond and En Primeur in Europe and the UK. With such an interesting role, we had to know more about Marie! What's your proudest accomplishment since joining MMI & ELR? Last year, together with my manager Oliver Dixon, we achieved a very successful En Primeur campaign. It was my first time selling En Primeur directly to clients, I'd only sold to businesses, traders, and importers previously. It was fun getting into the specific details, finding out about their purchasing goals and preferences, and taking the time to get to know them and understand their needs. What skills have you strengthened since joining MMI & ELR? I learned very quickly to be more organised and structured. I’m responsible for so many daily orders from across our retail channels that I must keep up to speed to provide the exceptional customer experiences MMI is known for. What's one thing you wish people knew about your job? My role isn't just about the commercials, it’s about the human contact. I build relationships and trust with my clients. This sometimes leads to friendship which is an added perk. I'm passionate about wine, so I have something in common with most of our clients. We love to talk about wines, vineyards, travels, and gastronomy. What attracted you to join MMI & ELR? Before the pandemic, I moved back to Amsterdam from China with my family. I saw the role and I was immediately attracted by the name MMI because it's renowned in the wine industry. What motivates you in your job? The connections I build with clients. I meet amazing people from different countries, with different backgrounds and wine knowledge. Wine has been my passion for a long time, and I'm grateful to work in my dream industry. What don't people know about you that would surprise them? I left France when I was 20 to live in China. I planned to stay for 6 months but I stayed 12 years! I worked in Beijing for a Chinese wine importer as a Wine Adviser in Chinese supermarkets. I’m now fluent in Mandarin after studying at Peking University, which is where I met my husband. I went on to work in Shanghai for a Bordeaux negociant, Yvon Mau, part of Freixenet Group, then for 3 classified Chateaux as a Brand Ambassador in China and Hong Kong. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be? California. I’m hoping to go next year on holiday, and visit as many vineyards as possible! What's your go-to karaoke song? You mean KTV! For a Chinese person, it is a place for happiness, celebration, and business. I would sing One Night in Beijing. If you were a superhero, what would your name and powers be? I'm already a superhero - Super-Maman, and my power is being a super mummy to my children at home and a super working woman at MMI!

Say hi to Naveen! He joined the Riyadh team as Junior Chef de Rang in November 2022. Having developed an interest in wines during his career, Naveen was given the opportunity to become Sommelier, working with non-alcoholic wines in Riyadh. How did you develop an interest in wine and decide to transition from server to sommelier? Welcoming guests and confidently recommending food and beverages as a Chef de Rang got me thinking about wine one day. I developed a strong interest in becoming a sommelier, driven by my passion for selling wine and my curiosity about the wine and champagne production processes. My goal is to excel as a skilled sommelier in the future. What specific skills are necessary to work with non-alcoholic wines? It is necessary to be confident in one's product knowledge and to have the most appropriate sales pitch. At first, this challenge was new and important for the team and myself. It is essential to be patient to demonstrate your skills, offer tastings, and discuss the history of wine to best advise our guests. In your opinion, why is it interesting to offer a selection of non-alcoholic wines, particularly in Riyadh? We have ensured to offer a selection of wines by the glass and bottle that is similar to the wine lists of other LPMs. Since we are in Riyadh, selling non-alcoholic wine is a novel idea. How is this received by the clientele in Riyadh? Having an offering like non-alcoholic wines generates a lot of curiosity. We often have guests asking to try our products. Selling to people who are knowledgeable about wine is more challenging, but some of them are open to exploring this unusual option. What are the main challenges you have encountered while working with non-alcoholic wines? The majority of our guests are initially skeptical about the idea of drinking non-alcoholic wine. Our role is to educate and inform them about our products. We also offer them the opportunity to taste our products and then discuss their thoughts. This entire process first requires training the team on the knowledge and sales methods. #LPMRiyadh #Sommelier #Wine

How your sommelier skills and experience can transfer into other wine roles, plus what to expect in terms of starting level

How your sommelier skills and experience can transfer into other wine roles, plus what to expect in terms of starting level

“You are a #Sommelier , easy enjoyable duties.” - What a delusional idea about Sommeliers!. 🤷🏻 In this post I will mention one of many important duties other than just tasting and serving wine a Sommelier must maintain: 💰Managing #Money💰 Everyone knows that wine is a fancy beverage that can be very expensive. From this point, I would say that a Sommelier has a very important duty of taking care of this product by maintaining and managing a successful inventory of wine stocks. - This requires: 1️⃣ weekly inventory and reports. 2️⃣ daily spot check on wines by glass. 3️⃣ availability from the supplier. 4️⃣ collaboration with the wine team. 5️⃣ a structured plan for a precise count. The previous steps are very general and can be organized differently according to everyone’s own perspective. However, most importantly is to be very precise. #winelovers 🍷 how do you maintain your inventory? Share your ideas and thoughts 🍷❤️. The journey of learning is unlimited. #hospitality #dubai #careerdevelopment #business #passion #wineenthusaists

Type of Beverage: Select glasses specifically designed for the type of beverage you'll be serving, such as wine, whiskey, cocktails, or beer.See which types of glasses for drinks you should own. #networking #nowhiring #recruiting #career #vacancies #recruitment #urgenthiring #openTowork #JoinOurTeam #AppIyNow #hiring

In today’s chapter from Culinary Approach to Wine In Restaurants: The one part of restaurant wine program management that takes as much guts as gall. #restaurantwine #hospitalitymanagement #foodandbeverageindustry #foodandbeveragemanagement #Sommeliers

Oliver Dixon has worked with MMI since 2002. He leads the Fine Wine and Private Client teams, developing the exclusive portfolio offered through various channels, including our award-winning Le Clos fine wines retailer. Also responsible for the Emirates Airline wine programme since 2010, with the purchasing of MMI and the airline together - the Emirates Group has become one of the world’s most significant fine wine buyers. Oliver has also headed the wine programmes for Cathay Pacific and Etihad, which MMI continues to manage. We wanted to find out more.   What is your proudest accomplishment working for MMI?  The fine wine selection at MMI is I'm told world-class. It takes a lot of work to manage over 300 different supply relationships. I also manage relationships for airlines we don’t have in the MMI portfolio.   I'm also very proud of my time heading up new markets from 2007 to 2011. Opening both Maldives and Zanzibar in the same year was great - they were our first markets beyond the Gulf. Winning the wine category management for Etihad and Cathey Pacific with our Travel Retail team was also a great achievement! What do you wish people knew about your job?  Sourcing fine wine can be harder than selling it. Most vineyards can easily sell their wines as the customer base is there. Persuading wineries to sell to us is much more involved work. We must continue to get better at leveraging our portfolio with customers.   What attracted you to join MMI?  The combination of living in Dubai and working in wine was alluring. It was clear we were at the start of a long wine journey and I could play an important role in shaping the market. I didn’t know much about fine wine before taking on the role. I thought it would take a few years, but it's turned out to be a long journey and the learning never stops. It's a peculiar industry, and often counter-intuitive.   What motivates you in your job?  Working with talented people all driving in the same direction is motivational. And, working with people in wine is great, they are serious, passionate, and fun.    What's one thing people don't know about you? Before working in wine, I went to France to learn French. I worked as a waiter for 6 months in Lyon. It was tough training and long hours. As a waiter, I went from being pretty useless to almost helpful but my French significantly improved!   If you were a superhero what would your name and powers be?  Recently dubbed 'Le Super Sommelier' by Le Monde is very flattering, but Sommeliers work the restaurant floor - I left this behind in 1995. In my role, the ability to read people's minds would be a very useful power. I wouldn't want to know everything everyone is thinking all the time though, it would take the challenge out of what I do!   Read Oliver’s profile feature in Le Monde here - https://lnkd.in/d8seU_eZ

We have collated information regarding Champagne Telmont and where you can find it in Dubai and the UAE. In France, the homeland of Gault&Millau, a restaurant’s wine offering is as integral to its success as its food. Traditionally, however, that hasn’t been the case in the UAE, where drinks lists have generally been viewed as second to produce and service. When we launched the Gault&Millau UAE Champagne Index in 2022, our mission was to change that. During our extensive research, which has been ongoing for over a year, some eateries said it was company policy not to share their wine lists. Others exclude vintages from their menus. More publish their lists without prices, and they vary significantly where those prices are available. https://lnkd.in/d84q8Uhs

Failing to plan, is planning to fail. Luckily, I'm a decent planner and the world of wine still moves at a predictably slow pace. With most great wines being released once a year, it makes it easy to ensure that everyone gets what they want. Part of my cellar management onboarding process involves creating a wish list of "can't live without" wines for each client (and their partner). I then work behind the scenes to ensure I can cross everything off their wish list. Sometimes it's a regional category they want to invest in, and other times it's a favourite producer. Many times, it will be a late night text + blurry bottle shot with a "can you get this" caption. Sending the "guess what I have for you" text, is always a highlight of my day. Whether it's a special birth vintage bottle for an upcoming celebration or a restock of a favourite house wine. Huge thanks to Sean Sydney for helping me spread joy, 750mL at a time!