Working Dogs....relaxing 

after another strenuous 

day at the office

 

In addition to being great pets and amazing companions, Portuguese Water Dogs have been categorized for centuries as a working dog. Referred to as the Cao de Agua ("dog of water") along Portugal's coast, Porties were bred to accompany fisherman on their boats - to retrieve broken nets, dive for fish, carry messages between boats and to shore, as well as guard the boat in foreign ports.     

 

Here in America, Porties have evolved beyond their status as mere 'working dogs.'   Some are training to sing: http://bit.ly/rTVEL.  A few have even been known as great skateboarders: http://bit.ly/13032j. And, of course, many of them still channel their European ancestors and prefer water sports like pool relay races: http://bit.ly/GGDdo, diving for rocks: http://bit.ly/u1HMd or just the backyard pool: http://bit.ly/pOrIaQ.         Portuguese Water Dog puppies are insanely cute: http://bit.ly/ZCRpW and  http://bit.ly/1aSeOf.     

 

Ours?      

 

Like the others, Ripley and Romie love the water (especially the beach) and are also accomplished ballplayers. More than anything, though, they enjoy hanging out with family, taking up most of the available space on a king-sized bed, lobbying for pizza crust ... and of course, each other.

 

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Both quotes below are from the 2004 film Sideways, written and directed by Alexander Payne, and starring Paul Giamatti (Miles) and Thomas Hayden Church (Jack):

 

 

Miles (trying to explain to Maya why he is so into pinot noirs): "It's a hard grape to grow. As you know. Right? It's, uh, it's thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It's, you know, it's not a survivor like cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and thrive even when it's neglected. No, pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And, in fact, it can only grow in these really specific, little tucked-away corners of the world. And only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression."

 

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Stephanie (at Kalyra Winery, to Miles, who has just sampled the estate chardonnay she poured for him): "So what do you think?"
 

Miles: "Mmm. Quaffable. But, uh, far from transcendent."
 

Jack: "I like it. Tastes great."

 

A recent nationwide study from Wine Opinions tells us that approximately 60% of American consumers now drink wine without meals.

 

"Generation Y, " also known as the Millennial Generation (having birth dates beginning in the late 1970's to the mid-1990's) have been credited with driving much of the wine consumption growth in the US over the past decade or so.

 

And, for marketers, a holy grail in creating and selling products into this wine product boom has been to learn what constitutes a "Wine Occasion" for sales purposes - defined as the place and time in which wine is consumed. Until recently, wine was predominantly consumed with meals and for religious reasons.

 

Today, the emphasis has flowered to a multitude of new Wine Occasion scenarios which have spawned new brands, new packaging and new venues for sale.

 

While more traditional consumption events such as "Special Occasions" and "Meals at Formal Restaurants" still show increased consumption/dollar sales in recent years, the data also introduces new regular/high volume Wine Occasions such as "Sporting Events," "Music Concerts / Theatre Performances," "Poolside/Beach/Boating," and "Socializing with Friends."

 

Vendors such as hotels, theaters, sports venues, convention centers and hotels have already taken note of these high volume sales opportunities. And so have the big box retail chains, supermarkets, convenience stores and other retailers throughout the United States that sell wine as an important, growing product category.

 

The unique, new Vino Solo wine brand (www.VinoSolo.com) is ideally positioned to address all of these recent consumer trends. Vino Solo is a 187ml (single serve) PET plastic wine bottle with its own attached drinking flute.

 

 

 

 

Proprietary to Singlz KDM North America, Vino Solo (and the accompanying packaging) is gaining acclaim as a 'go to' product for wine retailers everywhere. Many are also exploring their own custom label versions of this versatile product. http://bit.ly/rqlWAK.

 

Vino Solo is now also sold in handy 3-Packs and is effectively merchandised with its own retail floor displays.

 

 

Customers love the wine inside the compelling Vino Solo package and also appreciate the convenience and 'on-the-go' aspect - for the various "Wine Occasions" that present themselves!

 

This season, fans at Citi Field (home of the New York Mets), Safeco Field (Seattle Mariners) and Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Rays) have been served quality wines in 187ml (single serve) PET plastic bottles with their own attached drinking flutes ... private label versions of the innovative, new Vino Solo product.

 

 

Increased wine sales has not been limited to professional sporting events.

 

Single-serve wines have become important staple items for vendors at conventions, corporate meetings and events, hotels (poolside, catering, mini-bars, room service), theaters and performing arts centers. In addition, major food service organizations doing contract Food & Beverage service at universities, national parks, corporate dining rooms, airlines, trains, cruise lines and museums are taking advantage of this increased demand, coupled with the compelling (and unprecedented) service efficiencies of Vino Solo to earn higher margins.  

 

Whereas beer has always been offered as a turnkey single-serve item for institutional on-premise beverage service, wine has not - until now.

 

The unique Vino Solo product offers unprecedented and compelling beverage service advantages - improved cash control, improved inventory control and much quicker, more profitable beverage service. The wine bottle, the glass and the 'juice' - all in one "cool" and convenient package! 

 

 

Savvy consumers are purchasing more private label (store brand) products. More than three-quarters of respondents (75.3%) purchased lower-priced products and nearly two in five respondents (39.6%) added more private label products to their grocery baskets.

 

The proliferation of smartphones and a much savvier base of shoppers has also  spurred consumers to use mobile phones to assist with several aspects of their shopping routines, according to this survey. More than one-third (34%) of smartphone users research food prices or product information while in a store. More than two-fifths (43%) of smartphone users have managed a food shopping list on their device while not in a store.

 

Coupled with the rest of the recession's effect on business, retail chains and their category buyers are also taking note of these consumer trends by (i) offering more store brands (Private Label), which offer their customers lower prices and the store higher profit margins, while cultivating customer loyalty since the store's brand cannot be purchased elsewhere; and (ii) going with smaller package sizes, including single-serve.