Start A Wine Importing Business - Business Ideas

Updated: September 15th, 2022
Start A Wine Importing Business

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

Wine importers procure barrels of wine from the top wine-producing countries and repackage and sell them locally. Starting a wine importing business may seem overwhelming because of the licensing issues, import stamps, and raising capital to finance the business.

However, importing wine and reselling it locally can be profitable. Your target customers can be wine bars and shops across the country. You do not need a brick-and-mortar presence, as you can ship directly to the customers.

Starting a wine importing business requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell wine importing , or selling wine importing online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key Stats

market size
$1.7T
starting costs
$11.7K
gross margin
90%
time to build
210 days

Startup Costs

Min Startup Costs Max Startup Costs

Office Space Expenses

$0

$7,000

Employee & Freelancer Expenses

$150

$250

Website Costs

$223

$7,015

Business Formation Fees

$600

$4,700

Software Expenses

$162

$2,894

Advertising & Marketing Costs

$0

$1,400

Total Startup Costs

$1,135

$23,259

Successful Businesses

Business URL Rank

Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant

kermitlynch.com

390,447

New Zealand Wine

nzwine.com

1,060,598

DEUTSCH FAMILY

deutschfamily.com

1,621,691

Bacchus Capital Management

bacchuswinefund.com

2,301,451

Vintage Imports, Inc.

vintageimportswines.com

4,586,178

Savorian

savorian.com

5,015,111

Serendipity Wines

serendipitywines.com

5,754,295

8th Annual North Coast Wine Industry Expo

wineindustryexpo.com

5,777,346

ANW Distributors, offices in Seattle, Portland and Spokane

anwdistributors.com

5,798,793

Winesellers, Ltd

winesellersltd.com

7,688,087

Masciarelli Wine Company

masciarelliwine.com

7,708,449

Pros & Cons

Pros Description

Flexibility

You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.

Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

Little startup costs required

The cost to start a wine importing business costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 62 to 23,259.

Rewarding work

Starting a wine importing business can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

Scalable

With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers.

No overhead costs

To get your wine importing business started, there are no costs associated with overhead, storage, packaging, etc. This will save you a lot of time and money!

Cons Description

Crowded Space

Competition is high when it comes to your wine importing business, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.

Longer Sales Process

A wine importing business can be a big time and money investment for your customer, so it's important you plan and predict a longer conversion funnel and stay in communication with potential customers.

Work can be inconsistent

As a wine importing business, the amount of work assigned to you and schedule tends to be more inconsistent, which may make your income less stable. It's important to set boundaries and budget accordingly based on the amount of work you plan to have.

Lack of benefits

With a wine importing business, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming.

Isolation

Often times, as a wine importing business, you typically work alone and do not have much face-to-face interaction with other team members.

Taxes

As a wine importing business, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.