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Company Name End Industry Health in the Next Year Based on your orders and knowledge of the wine industry, what do you expect the industry to do in the next 12 months? Retreat Slowly 5% Remain Unchanged 10% Expand Rapidly 12% SUPPLIER SURVEY 2012 SUPPLIER GUIDE One Napa, Calif., winery software firm told Wines & Vines, "We have added more than 50 new customers in the past 12 months." A cork supplier reported 10% volume growth and 11% profit growth year over year. Other respondents reported add- ing staff members since the 2011 survey. Conclusion The results of Wines & Vines' 2012 survey of wine industry suppliers are the most positive we've seen in years. From an economic boost during the Expand Slowly 73% past year to an 85% expectation of growth in the next 12 months, the wine industry seems at last to be bouncing back from the economic downturn that began in 2008. In the words of one San Francisco wine Ad 380-8 Half Pg Island BW 2_Layout 1 4/24/12 2:22 PM Page 1 buyer, seller and winery supplier, "The wine business will continue to have its ups and downs, but the public's desire for wine continues to increase. Opportunities exist for new and old wineries to create different images/ideas that will sell wine to those buyers." from 59% in 2011), and 12% anticipat- ing rapid expansion (up from 2%.) Suppliers predicted that this year's in- creased yields would be good for vineyards selling winegrapes, wineries selling more wine and even for the suppliers themselves. One Kentucky-based cooper told Wines & Vines that what's good for wineries is good for its suppliers, explaining, "Hopefully with a bigger, better harvest there will be more need for supplies." A wine-storage executive who asked not to be named said some wineries might get "more fruit than bargained for," threatening to "challenge their cash flow down the road." Champ said she hopes the coming year will bring more peace of mind to the own- ers of small wineries, which have been hit hardest in recent years. "The small wineries that produce less than 25,000 cases seem to have been struggling with their sales for the past couple of years. The volume of their business has been shrinking." One California-based wine shipper opined that growth in the wine industry will be driven by the health of the U.S. economy. "Premium wines will continue to grow, but they represent a fraction of the consumption," he said. Straight from the seller's mouth Vendors who service wineries and vine- yards also weighed in on how their own companies have fared during the past 12 months. The percentage of respondents whose businesses grew jumped to 80% this year and, for the first time, no wine industry suppliers reported seeing a de- cline in business. Fine Wine Begins With Mueller ® Established in 1940, Mueller® designs and manufactures stainless steel processing systems and equipment reflecting the superb craftsmanship and strict attention to detail that make our products the most desired among today's prominent winemakers. Paul Mueller Company fabricates and field installs equipment for all phases of wine- making, including: fermentation, storage, champagne, de-juicing, and pomace removal tanks; Porta-Tanks® steel wine barrels; Accu-Therm® exchangers; Temp-Plate® heat transfer surface; falling film chillers; process piping; modular systems; and integrated systems. In addition to our standard designs, we will custom design and build the specialized equipment your operation requires. Ask about our field fabrication capabilities. When your project is too big to ship in one piece or is located in tight quarters, Mueller Field Operations, Inc. is ready to go to work for you. Call us today at 1-800-MUELLER or visit www.paulmueller.com for all your winemaking needs! ® ©2012 Paul Mueller Company 380-8 WINES & VINES NOVEMBER 2012 53 ; all-stainless- plate heat