Among the many positives of the beverage alcoholindustry is the ability for families to build a business. If you took a survey through the years and counted the number of small and large wineries and spirit manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers nationwide, you will find the most enduring and successful are family owned and operated.

He handles supplier relationships. taxes. administrative and all financial aspects: Jose and George came in as partners - Jose, in charge of sales and marketing and George on the account level by managing the sales staff and their key accounts, The trio then brought their father Jose ·Pombo" Fernandez (70), out of retirement to handle the logistics and all its legwork. Pombo" once owned a beverage alcohol importing company and supplied many accounts including airport duty free shops with product. For many years George learned business intricacies working along side his father while his brothers gained knowledge working the supplier side in the U,S.; Jose for Remy Cointreau and Javier for Ernest & Julio Gallo before moving onto Allied Domecq.

Stiff Competition

The brothers startedIWS by representing two Chilean wines: Vina Balduzzi Vineyards and Casas Del Bosque. "it wasn't easy starting this business: confesses Jose. ·Yes, it's easy to go out and get product because there's lots out there, but getting it into the market was hard. Competition is fierce, and there were many out there who were reluctant to work with the smaller guy and his unknown brand names,' Despite the obstacles. the brothers stayed with a five· year plan of adding new brands, revenue and structure in the company Being a family proved helpful. in their second year they began approaching other family businesses. it was easy to sit down and openly discuss product and profit since each side shared similar goals.

Today, ninety percent of the brands IWS represents and their customers are family owned. Their relationships are directly with first- and second-generation owners rather than huge multinationals. Principals Alberto Vollmer and Henrique Vollmer both of Venezuelan's Santa Teresa International, owners of Santa Teresa rum, liked the strategies the brothers brought to the table. "We like to work owner-to-owner as we speak the same business language: says Henrique Vollmer.

That is why IWS and the Fernandez brothers are a good match for Santa Teresa. Working with family owned companies is our business model not only in the u.s. but also in England, Spain, Italy, and Chile." IWS distributes products in South Florida, 1'ampa and Orlando. Pricing product is a key issue from how the brand's price fits competitively to how it affects an establishment's profit margin.

On an average, IWSsales reps call on clients weekly. "We are big on educating our sales team: says George. "Each salesman fully knows the product he represents, so hecan train the retailer·s staff or waitstaff the best way to sell that product to the customer. We also make sure when product is delivered the order is correct. and when we receive an order we tum it around quickly: Owner Arnie Diaz of Denny"s Liquors in Key Largo adds, "They are very professional people to work with. They are very responsive to retailers and go out of their way to sel"Vlce us

Talkin' Tech

The brothers are using the power of the web to promote the IWS name and its products. All supplier labels carry their web address. The advantage is when a customer wants to buy more, he can pull up their web address, contact IWS and they will direct him to a local retailer. One example was a tourist who after visiting the Keys returned home and liked a particular wine he had purchased. By noting the JWS web address on the bottle, he sent an email and IWS directed him to a retailer in his area. The brothers refer to this as virtual selling. and have developed a campaign to expand this idea with licensed beverage customers.

The Future

A new warehouse for IWS is slated to open in central Florida the end of summer. "Changes are an everyday part of our busi· ness.- recalls Jose. ·We are determined to work closer than ever with our customers: IWS projects continued growth for the wine and spirits industry. Their future plans are very much the same as the first five years but to make increases all around. "Now that we have less need for capital investment, we can concentrate on growing our existing brands rather than investing in new products and equipment,- says Javier. Through it all, it was a sense of family value that kept JWS going the first five years, and as George reminds everyone, "it was our  passion for this industry and our company. too. We look forward to the next five years: