Racke USA Expands Its U.S. Sales Force

Five New Ambassadors Represent Key Wine Markets Throughout Country

Racke USA, a subsidiary of Racke GmbH + Co. KG, announced it is expanding the company's U.S. sales team with the hiring of five new sales ambassadors. The new hires are part of the company's ongoing commitment to growing its International wine brands in the U.S. market. Racke USA, in partnership with Golden Kaan LLC, has a presence in the U.S. that is now a total of twelve strong, with eight of those positions in key markets.

"We are thrilled to grow our wine business and presence in the U.S. and are poised to expand even more," says Marian Kopp, President of Racke USA. "Our team's representation in key wine markets provides significant benefits for the brands as well, and having a strong local sales force doing the ground work enhances our business relationships all around."

New sales representatives include: Natalie Fields, Georgia Sales Ambassador; Bailey Griffin, Virginia Sales Ambassador; Dan Huffman, Northern California Sales Ambassador; Kim Rogers, Southern California Sales Ambassador; and Larry Tirrell, Florida Sales Ambassador.

The team is charged with expanding Racke's brands, which currently include Golden Kaan, Espiritu de Chile and Vitae, and establishing the company's presence in the following key markets: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Texas, Virginia and the Northwest.

Racke's growth in the world markets over the past five years has created a need for a larger sales force. Since launching Golden Kaan in 2003, the brand has become a leading South African wine brand with distribution in over 30 countries selling over 1.5 million cases to date. Golden Kaan's internationally acclaimed and award winning wines are crafted from select wine growers in the Western Cape of South Africa. Similarly, Espiritu de Chile, Racke's Chilean brand, is also performing well. Since its launch in March 2006, Espiritu de Chile has sold over 350,000 cases in over 25 countries worldwide. And finally, Racke's Italian brand Vitae, has gained outstanding consumer acceptance and extensive listings in numerous countries worldwide since its introduction in 2000. The company has plans to launch Espiritu de Argentina brand in 2009.