August Imports
August Imports is a privately held, Seattle-based B2B wine importer curating ~30+ estate and cooperative producer brands across seven countries and selling exclusively to licensed U.S. trade accounts (distributors, retailers, restaurants) via a dedicated trade portal, supplemented by proprietary private-label lines and recent expansion into spirits.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What August Imports does
August Imports is a privately held U.S. wine importer founded approximately 2005 (originally operating as 'Small Vineyards') and based in Seattle. The company curates and represents ~30+ estate and cooperative producer brands across seven countries — Italy (dominant), France, Spain, Austria, Slovenia, New Zealand, and the United States — and sells exclusively into the U.S. trade channel (licensed importers, regional distributors, retailers, and restaurants) via a dedicated 'For The Trade' B2B portal. Its portfolio mixes represented third-party estates (Plaimont, Fabre en Provence, Weingut Frank, Ca du Ferra, Curto, Marchetti) with proprietary/private-label lines including Luchi (affordable Italian), Scarlet Vineyards (low-alcohol sparkling in aluminum), Small Vineyards Brand (Gold and Platinum Seal curation tiers), PEEL (Italian sparkling wine cocktails), BRIK Wine Co. (Tetra Pak format), and the 2025-launched True Trait American whiskey.
The company's technology footprint is light: a standard CMS-based website presenting per-producer brand pages, country pages, and downloadable technical sheets, supplemented by an 'AI Brand Lab' navigation reference suggesting AI-assisted content/storytelling tooling. No proprietary platform, consumer e-commerce storefront, public API, or documented software system is disclosed. Business operations are anchored in long-tenured producer relationships (notably Antonio Sanguineti, a 20-year partner) and producer-hosted U.S. tasting events.
Revenue is generated through wholesale margin on imported wine sold to trade accounts, with exclusive U.S. import representation functioning as a de facto licensing arrangement for individual estates. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; wine-level pricing is quote-based and accessible only to licensed accounts, though third-party critic recognition (Wine Enthusiast Best Buys, James Suckling 90–94 pts, Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchiere, Decanter 95 pts) indicates accessible everyday positioning across much of the portfolio. The company maintains no consumer e-commerce storefront, no public-market listing, no disclosed external investors, and no M&A history — consistent with a bootstrapped, founder-led specialty importer.
August Imports firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- August Imports
- Legal name
- August Imports
- Website
- https://augustimports.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- August Imports is a privately held, Seattle-based B2B wine importer curating ~30+ estate and cooperative producer brands across seven countries and selling exclusively to licensed U.S. trade accounts (distributors, retailers, restaurants) via a dedicated trade portal, supplemented by proprietary private-label lines and recent expansion into spirits.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
August Imports industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wine Import and Distribution
- NAICS
- Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alcohol Importers & Brand Owners (Wholesale) (CRAOAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- International Specialty Ingredients & Import Markets (CRAHAFAL)
Keywords
Where August Imports is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
August Imports business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Wine wholesale & import distribution: Core revenue stream: August Imports imports wines from a portfolio of ~30+ European and U.S. estate producers and resells them to the U.S. wine trade (specialty wholesalers, distributors, retailers, restaurants) through its 'For The Trade' channel. Revenue is generated on per-bottle / per-case margin between landed cost and trade/wholesale pricing. The model is transactional / one-time per shipment, with repeat purchase driven by ongoing trade relationships.
- Brand licensing / exclusive import representation: August Imports secures exclusive U.S. import rights for individual estate brands (e.g., Weingut Frank, Podere Ciona, Tenuta Ponte) — effectively functioning as the exclusive national distributor/licensee for each producer in the U.S. market, generating per-bottle margin on the imported volume.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
August Imports product offering
Product offeringCore offering
August Imports imports a curated portfolio of approximately 30+ artisanal, small-estate wines and spirits from producers in Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Slovenia, New Zealand, and the United States, and resells them to licensed U.S. trade accounts (restaurants, regional distributors, and specialty retailers) through its 'For The Trade' portal. The company holds exclusive U.S. import representation for many of these producers and offers proprietary house brands (Luchi, PEEL, True Trait, Scarlet Vineyards, Small Vineyards Brand) alongside third-party represented estates.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Small Vineyards Brand: The company's original brand identity, now functioning as a portfolio label with Gold Seal (certified low-yield, hand-harvested, artisanal estate wines) and Platinum Seal (premium wines from independent growers with high cost-to-quality ratio) tiers.
- Luchi
- PEEL
- Scarlet Vineyards
Products and services
- Curated European and international wine portfolio
Quantifiable outcome
- 20+ years of continuous U.S. import operations, originally under the 'Small Vineyards' brand
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use August Imports
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
August Imports technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
August Imports partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
August Imports competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Vias Imports: U.S. importer specializing in Italian wines with a curated portfolio of family estates; directly comparable on geographic focus and trade-channel go-to-market.
- Skurnik Wines: Family-owned U.S. importer specializing in artisanal, small-production European wines with deep producer storytelling; directly comparable as a relationship-driven specialty importer of estate-level wines to the U.S. trade.
- Polaner Selections: Family-run U.S. importer of artisanal wines from France, Italy, Germany, and Austria with curated, low-volume producer portfolios and exclusive U.S. representations; closely mirrors August Imports' specialty, estate-only positioning.
- Kermode Lynch: Specialty importer of grower-producer French and Italian wines with strong producer relationships and a curated portfolio model; comparable on sourcing philosophy, producer storytelling, and U.S. trade channel.
Broad incumbents
- Frederick Wildman & Sons: Long-established U.S. importer of premium European wines (Italian and French focus) with broad national distribution; comparable on category but operates at significantly larger scale and broader portfolio.
- Vintus Wines: Established U.S. importer of premium Italian, French, and other Old World wines with broader scale and deeper on-premise penetration; overlapping portfolio but at meaningfully larger scale.
- Terlato Wine Group: Large U.S. wine importer and producer with premium Italian and international portfolio; comparable category positioning but operates at much larger scale and brand-investment level.
- Kobrand Corporation: Established U.S. wine and spirits importer with broad Italian and European portfolio and national distribution; comparable on category and trade channel at larger scale.
- Banfi Vintners: Major U.S. Italian-wine importer and producer with national distribution; directly comparable category focus but with vertically integrated production and much larger scale.
- Winebow / The Winebow Group: Large U.S. wine importer and distributor with a portfolio that includes artisanal Italian estates alongside broader offerings; comparable channel and customer base, but with materially greater scale and portfolio breadth.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
August Imports social profiles
Digital presenceAugust Imports compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
August Imports financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
August Imports leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
August Imports funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
August Imports M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about August Imports
What does August Imports do?
August Imports imports a curated portfolio of approximately 30+ artisanal, small-estate wines and spirits from producers in Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Slovenia, New Zealand, and the United States, and resells them to licensed U.S. trade accounts (restaurants, regional distributors, and specialty retailers) through its 'For The Trade' portal. The company holds exclusive U.S. import representation for many of these producers and offers proprietary house brands (Luchi, PEEL, True Trait, Scarlet Vineyards, Small Vineyards Brand) alongside third-party represented estates.
Is August Imports a public or private company?
August Imports is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was August Imports founded?
August Imports was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is August Imports based?
August Imports is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does August Imports make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Wine wholesale & import distribution is the primary driver. The others are brand licensing / exclusive import representation.
Who are August Imports's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Vias Imports, Skurnik Wines, Polaner Selections and Kermode Lynch. Broad incumbents are Frederick Wildman & Sons, Vintus Wines, Terlato Wine Group, Kobrand Corporation, Banfi Vintners and Winebow / The Winebow Group.
Does August Imports have an API?
No public API is recorded for August Imports.
What industry is August Imports in?
August Imports's product category is Wine Import and Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAOAIAB, Alcohol Importers & Brand Owners (Wholesale), with a secondary code of CRAHAFAL, International Specialty Ingredients & Import Markets. Its NAICS code is 424820 and its SIC code is 5180.