CAPREO

What CAPREO does

CAPREO GmbH is a German-headquartered specialty wine e-commerce retailer and direct importer founded in 2007 and rebranded under the CAPREO name in 2014. The company focuses exclusively on premium South African wines, sourcing from more than 50 partner estates across Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Constantia, Paarl, and Swartland, and offering over 500 SKUs spanning red, white, rosé, sparkling, dessert, and alcohol-free wines, plus curated wine packages, olive oils, brandy, and wine accessories. It ships to 27 European countries with taxes and duties included and insured delivery.

The underlying technology is a standard direct-to-consumer e-commerce stack built on the Shopware CMS, integrated with multi-provider payments (PayPal, Klarna, Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, iDEAL via Mollie), live chat (Tawk, Zendesk), and a heavy marketing automation and analytics layer (Google Analytics, Hotjar, Matomo, Emarsys, Criteo, Trbo, Google Ads, Facebook Pixel). Personal wine advisors build individual taste profiles to drive recommendations, supplementing a content library covering South African wine regions, grape varieties, terroir, and awards.

The business model is direct-to-consumer retail with sales-led overlay: revenue comes from unit-priced bottle sales and curated packages ranging from €9.50 to €600+ per bottle and €49.95 to €750 per package, all-inclusive of German VAT. Customer acquisition is driven by content marketing, email/newsletter with a €5 welcome voucher, paid social and search, affiliate programs, and experiential events including CAPREO Campus, mobile wine bars, the South Africa Wine Festival, and online tastings. The company is owner-managed, privately held, and has cumulatively served over 100,000 European customers.

Name

CAPREO

Legal name

CAPREO GmbH

Website

https://capreo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CAPREO is a German online specialty retailer and direct importer of premium South African wines, selling 500+ wines from 50+ partner estates to consumers across 27 European countries via a Shopware storefront with personal wine advisory and experiential events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Wine Retail

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants) (CRANABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alcohol Importers & Brand Owners (Wholesale) (CRAOAIAB), Beverage Import/Export & Cross-Border Wholesale (AFAIAGAL)

Keywords

• South African wines
• Premium wine retail
• Online wine shop
• Wine import services
• Specialty wine e-commerce

Headquarters

HQ city

Voerde

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Wine Sales: CAPREO generates revenue through direct retail sales of South African wines to European consumers via their e-commerce platform. The company imports wines directly from South African wineries and sells them with markup to end customers. Prices include German VAT and cover taxes, with separate shipping costs. They offer over 500 wines from more than 50 partner wineries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CAPREO is an online specialty wine retailer and importer that sources premium wines directly from more than 50 South African partner wineries and resells them to consumers across 27 European countries through its own e-commerce storefront. The offering spans red, white, rosé, sparkling, dessert, and alcohol-free wines, complemented by curated multi-bottle wine packages, South African olive oils, spirits, and gift accessories, plus paid personal wine consultation and experiential tasting events.

Product overview

CAPREO is an online specialty wine retailer and importer focused exclusively on premium South African wines. The company operates as a unified e-commerce platform offering over 500 wines from more than 50 partner estates across South Africa's major wine regions including Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, Constantia, and Swartland. The product portfolio centers on wine sales across six categories (red, white, rosé, sparkling, dessert, and alcohol-free wines) complemented by curated wine packages, South African olive oils, spirits, and wine accessories. Additional services include a personal wine consultation program, customer support, newsletter subscription, and participation in wine events and tastings. The company ships to customers across 27 European countries with taxes and duties included in pricing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• South African Red Wines Premium red wines from South African estates including Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Pinotage, Merlot, and Cape Blends sourced from over 50 partner wineries. Sold via CAPREO's own e-commerce storefront to European consumers.
• South African White Wines Premium white wines including Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and white blends from South African wine regions, sold online to European consumers.
• South African Rosé Wines Premium rosé wines from South Africa featuring fruity notes of red berries with fresh, fine acidity, retailed to European customers.
• South African Sparkling Wines Fine sparkling wines (Schaumwein) from South African estates including MCC (Methode Cap Classique) bottles, sold online.
• South African Dessert Wines Premium dessert wines from South Africa including fortified wines and sweet late harvest wines.
• Alcohol-Free South African Wines Dealcoholized premium wines from South Africa for alcohol-free consumption, retailed online.
• Wine Packages (Weinpakete) Curated multi-bottle packages combining South African wines by varietal, region, or theme including Discovery, Red, White, and Rosé packages and themed gift packages, priced from €49.95 to €750.
• South African Olive Oils Premium olive oils sourced from South African producers, often included in gift packages such as the Braai Enjoyment Package.
• South African Spirits Premium spirits including South African Brandy, available alongside wine selections.
• Wine Gift Sets & Accessories Wine gift sets and packaging options including wooden boxes and gift boxes, often paired with premium wine selections.
• Events & Tastings Experiential services including CAPREO Campus events, mobile wine bars, the South Africa Wine Festival, food and wine fairs (Genussmessen), and online wine tasting sessions for consumers.
• Personal Wine Consultation One-on-one wine advisory service where dedicated wine consultants create individual taste profiles and recommend wines tailored to customer preferences and occasions.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration25 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lay & Wheeler: UK specialist wine merchant selling premium international wines DTC with personal advisory service. Comparable to CAPREO in combining personal consultation, premium curation, and multi-country DTC delivery to wine enthusiasts.
• The Wine Society: UK member-owned wine club offering curated international wines sourced directly from producers. Directly comparable to CAPREO's curated, multi-origin sourcing model and DTC delivery, though with a UK member base and broader geographic mix.
• Berry Bros. & Rudd: Historic UK specialist wine merchant with a curated selection of premium international wines sold DTC and through trade. Comparable to CAPREO in deploying personal advisory service and educational content to differentiate on quality and curation rather than discount.
• Yapp Brothers: UK specialist importer-retailer focused on Rhône and Loire wines with deep producer relationships and curated DTC sales. Comparable to CAPREO as a single-region specialist that leverages direct producer import access and personal advisory service.
• Vinello: Germany-based online wine retailer offering a broad international portfolio with curated selection and advisory content. Comparable to CAPREO as a German specialty wine e-commerce competitor targeting premium European consumers.
• Wein & Co (Riedel): Austrian wine retailer with stores and online operation offering curated international wines. Comparable to CAPREO as a European specialty wine omni-channel retailer focused on premium international portfolios, including some South African exposure.
• Italian Wine Merchant (formerly Italian Wine Company): UK specialist importer-retailer focused exclusively on Italian wines via DTC and trade. Directly comparable to CAPREO as a single-origin specialist that built a European DTC brand around a country-of-origin portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Wine.com: Largest US online wine retailer offering tens of thousands of SKUs across origins with curated selections and educational content. Comparable to CAPREO as a specialist DTC wine e-commerce leader, though at materially larger scale and broader origin mix.
• Hawesko Holding: Germany's largest mail-order and online wine retailer, offering a broad portfolio across multiple origins. Comparable to CAPREO in serving German wine drinkers via DTC e-commerce, but Hawesko is a publicly traded broad incumbent whereas CAPREO is a focused specialist.

Others

• Cape Legends / Wines of South Africa (WOSA) trade exporters: Industry body and export channel promoting South African wine in international markets. Compares as a South African wine sector counterpart relevant to CAPREO's supplier base, though structured as a trade promotion body rather than a commercial retailer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Capreowine
• Facebookfacebook.com/CAPREOWINE
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/capreo
• Instagraminstagram.com/capreo_wine
• Xx.com/capreowine

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CAPREO