Sustainable Wine Solutions (Borough Wines)

What Sustainable Wine Solutions (Borough Wines) does

Sustainable Wine Solutions (trading historically as Borough Wines) is a London-based B2B wine wholesale and packaging service provider, founded in 2002 by Muriel Chatel at Borough Market around a "Straight from the Barrel" refill concept. The company supplies sustainably sourced wines to UK on-trade hospitality venues (hotels, restaurants, bars, theatres, festivals) and off-trade retailers through three core zero-waste packaging formats: Wine-on-Tap using 25L EcoFass and 20.5L stainless steel reusable kegs, a Bottle Return scheme in which bottles are reused at least 30 times with a 50p deposit, and Vinotap, a 10L reusable bag-in-box format.

The operational backbone is an in-house urban winery at Walthamstow where bulk wine imported in 1000L IBCs is bottled, kegged and lab-tested, giving the company end-to-end quality control. Distribution runs on company-owned electric vans (within the M25) executing same-route delivery and keg/bottle collection, and the company also sells bottling and kegging services to other wine importers under the ReuseReady Charter. Revenue is generated through wholesale wine sales, recurring keg rental and installation/maintenance services, 50p bottle deposits, and trade bottling/kegging fees. Headcount is 11, with leadership comprising founder/CEO Muriel Chatel, Marketing & Partnerships Director Corinna Pyke, Director Amy Roberts, and Head of Wine Calvin Pearson.

Name

Sustainable Wine Solutions (Borough Wines)

Legal name

Sustainable Wine Solutions Ltd.

Website

https://sustainablewinesolutions.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sustainable Wine Solutions, the B2B wholesale arm of Borough Wines, supplies sustainably sourced wines to UK on-trade and off-trade venues via reusable Wine-on-Tap kegs, a 30-use Bottle Return scheme and Vinotap bag-in-box, bottled and kegged in-house at its Walthamstow winery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Wine Wholesale

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Wine wholesale distribution
• Sustainable wine packaging
• Keg wine dispensing
• Returnable bottle scheme
• Wine bottling services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wine Sales - Wholesale to Trade: Wholesale supply of zero waste wines to on-trade and off-trade hospitality venues. Wines available in Wine-on-Tap, Bottle Return, and Vinotap formats. Revenue generated from wine product sales at competitive pricing.
2. Bottle Return Deposits: 50p refundable deposit per bottle encourages continuous cycle of return. Customers pay for wine content, not the bottle itself.
3. Keg Rental and Services: Reusable keg systems provided to venues with installation, equipment and maintenance services managed by in-house cellar team.
4. Bottling and Kegging Services: Provides bottling and kegging services for the wider wine trade, combining quality control benefits with onsite lab and artisan approach for packaging bulk wines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sustainable Wine Solutions is a UK-based wine wholesale company that supplies sustainably sourced wines to on-trade and off-trade hospitality venues via three circular packaging formats: Wine-on-Tap (reusable 25L EcoFass and 20.5L stainless steel kegs with inert gas preservation), Vinotap (10L reusable bag-in-box), and a Bottle Return scheme (bottles reused 30+ times). Wine is imported in 1000L IBCs and bottled/kegged in-house at the Walthamstow winery, with direct delivery, installation and maintenance handled by an in-house cellar team.

Product overview

Sustainable Wine Solutions operates as a B2B wine wholesale service provider offering sustainable wine solutions to the trade. The core portfolio consists of three interconnected product lines: Wine-on-Tap (reusable 25L and 20.5L stainless steel kegs), Vinotap (10L reusable bag-in-box), and the Bottle Return Scheme (returnable bottles reused up to 30 times). All products deliver wines from their Zero Waste range sourced from sustainably minded producers. Supporting these are branded wine collections including Chalk & Lees (English sparkling), Artisan Range, Bistro Wines, Orange Wines, Special Parcels, and Sparkling Wines. The company ships wine in bulk from Europe in 1000L IBCs, saving 55% carbon emissions, then bottles and kegs on-site at their North Greenwich winery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chalk & Lees: Exclusive English sparkling wine brand made from Seyval Blanc grapes in Sussex by winemaker Gareth Davies, available on tap.
• 225 Range
• Bistro Wines
• Artisan Range
• WineAgain

Products and services

• Wine-on-Tap

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CollectEvecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 April 2024CollectEve is a collaboration of twelve female-founded wine importers. Founding member includes Sustainable Wine Solutions. Hosts inaugural tasting at 67 Pall Mall on April 22, 2024 showcasing wines from 150+ producers with sustainability focus.
• The Porto ProtocolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuinta de Santiago is a founding member of The Porto Protocol, a platform for sharing and learning sustainable practices in the wine sector.
• Defined WineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnglish wine producer Clive Barlow works with Defined Wine, a custom crush company near Canterbury for winemaking services.
• WineGBminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrenley Farm, supplier for Clive Barlow wines, follows WineGB sustainability programme introduced in the year referenced.
• AIAB GuaranteeminorOthersChiusa Grande pursuing AIAB Guarantee certification - an even stricter protocol of organic farming than European Organic certification.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Berkmann Wine Cellars: Family-owned UK wine importer established in 1964. Comparable to SWS as a long-established UK B2B wine supplier to the on-trade, with deeper portfolio and broader geographic reach.
• Enotria & Coe: UK wine and spirits distributor supplying hospitality and retail. Comparable to SWS as a wholesale B2B supplier to on-trade, with broader portfolio and significant scale.
• WineBow: US-based wine importer and distributor. Comparable to SWS as a portfolio-based wine wholesaler operating sustainable and premium producer relationships, though operating at larger scale and primarily in the US market.
• Bibendum Wine: Major UK wine importer and distributor supplying on-trade and off-trade. Comparable to SWS as a B2B wine wholesaler operating in the UK hospitality channel, though far larger and broader in portfolio.
• Hallgarten Druitt & Novum Wines: One of the UK's leading specialist wine importers serving on-trade and off-trade. Comparable to SWS as a UK wine trade supplier with curated sustainable producer relationships, though at materially larger scale.
• Liberty Wines: UK wine importer focused on family-owned and premium producers. Comparable to SWS in B2B wine distribution to UK hospitality with a curated portfolio of quality, often sustainably minded producers.

Direct peers

• Alliance Wine: UK-based wine importer and distributor with sustainability focus. Comparable to SWS as a similarly sized B2B importer operating in the UK specialty/on-trade wine segment.
• Flint Wines: Independent UK wine importer specializing in low-intervention, organic, and natural wines. Most directly comparable to SWS as a similarly sized sustainability-led wine importer serving the UK on-trade.
• Top Selection: Independent UK wine importer focused on artisan, often organic/biodynamic producers. Comparable to SWS as a similarly sized B2B importer with sustainability-led supplier curation serving UK hospitality.

Emerging players

• Uncharted Wines: UK-based independent wine importer focused on small, sustainable producers. Comparable to SWS as a similarly positioned niche B2B importer with low-intervention/sustainability focus, slightly smaller in scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sustainablewinesolutions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/borough-wines

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Sustainable Wine Solutions (Borough Wines)