44 DRINKtech NEW ZEALAND AUGUST 2017 In announcing the investment - which includes the acquisition of Nelson’s Waimea Family Estate Wines - Awatere founder and winemaker Louis Vavasour says the deal is a tremendous vote of confidence in the buoyant New Zealand wine industry. “Booster has bought into my business plan and desires to push the boundaries, based on an alignment of values with its shareholders,” Vavasour says. “Its investment will help us achieve our goals of focusing on quality, while continuing the established momentum of Awatere River and Waimea Estates in New Zealand and export markets.” Under the terms of the investment, the Vavasour family retains principal ownership of Awatere, AWATERE DEAL A BOOSTER FOR KIWISAVER A significant capital investment in the Awatere River Wine Company from game-changing KiwiSaver fund Booster heralds a new era for the Marlborough producer. with the Booster Tahi Limited Partnership (Booster’s investment vehicle for its KiwiSaver funds) taking a significant minority stake. Booster Tahi will own 100% of Waimea Estates, with Louis Vavasour the chief executive of the overarching venture. Vavasour says the venture, Booster’s first foray into viticulture, came about as he was seeking a capital injection and Booster was looking for long-term investment opportunities. The Bolitho family, who founded Waimea Estates in 1993, have created a well-established, successful operation that has a number of synergies with Awatere, he DRINKtech NEW ZEALAND
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