Executive Interview
Executive Interviews
An Interview with
Alex Longman
Innert Pte Ltd
Founder and CEO
The company originally started back some 8 years ago as a cottage manufacturing business. As the business evolved and the market dynamic's changed, we relaunched the business under the parent company of Innert Pte Ltd in 2018. With just a single product business at the beginning it was decided to focus on getting a foothold with Winesave into the Australasia markets being manufactured and based there. Hence Winesave took off in a no better region other than Australia which is where winesave has become a known household name. Innert was started as the go to solution for managing food and beverage wastage and controlling oxidisation of items such as wine, whisky and produce to name just a few. Increasing longevity in your products and reducing wastage physically and monetary.
Publish Date:
18 September 2020
Singapore
Location:
Tell us about your background, and how you came to found your company?
Having spent my whole career in banking originally starting in the open outcry trading floor in London and then moving to Asia some 20+ years ago on the trading floor in Singapore. Moved to Tokyo as the business went computerised. Having spent some great years in Tokyo moved and set the desk up in Hong Kong and finally back to Singapore. I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset and willing to try my hand at most things with a passion to learn. From managing a restaurant to handling 3 bistro bars in Singapore. Learning about licensing, day to day operations, events, suppliers, PnL from FnB etc. vs running a successful Asian Banking brokerage business. After 30+ years it was time for a change and new challenge, knowing the previous owner, I bought over the drinks preservation operation with the intentions to grow and expand our platform to become a global supplier and manufacturer.
What is most important to you and your organization – mission, vision, or core values? Why?
We are currently a SME business so staffing is not a huge concern for us currently but hope it will be soon.
Our business core values are:
We are strong believers of over delivering. Customer service is key * Customer trust and loyalty is paramount.
Allowing people to access the management. If you need to talk to us we are here.
We are here to grow and for the duration so constructive criticism is welcomed. Let us know where we can improve.
Stay dynamic - welcome change when needed.
Can you explain briefly how your service(s)/product(s) works?
We are forever expanding our product base to fit the various niche markets for on trade and off trade customers. Our product is 100% natural argon gas. The properties of Argon make it the perfect solution for protecting any items that suffer from deterioration of Oxygen. For example with a release of Argon from winesave, it will create a perfect barrier between your wine and the air we breathe stopping any oxidisation allowing you to keep your opened wines perfectly for days even weeks without the worry of spoilage. Ever wanted a glass of white wine or Champagne before dinner, a red during dinner and maybe even a dessert wine or port with your cheese but never wanted to open 4 bottles a time knowing the chances of them spoiling was too high. Winesave solves this, simply, effectively and affordably.
How has the industry been changing in recent years?
The Industry continues to evolve. The newer generations like the By The Glass options and do not really want to be limited to having to have a full bottle of the same wine. By the Glass options are becoming increasingly popular in restaurants and especially hotels and bars.
Generally people now demand more choice , more variety over the cost. With the recent pandemic also drinking at home has become more acceptable whether it be on your own, with friends over social conferencing. This trend we do not foresee going away anytime soon.
What makes you different from what’s currently available in the market?
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This is a very good question and always one worth noting. Competition is both your friend and enemy. There are many levels to look at this. For us there are rubber wine stoppers that say they protect your wine by manually creating a vacuum in the wine bottle. This is impossible to manually create and all it does is suck out the aromas of your wine. Then there is device systems where you need to purchase a large desktop unit or contraption that fits to the top of your bottle. These of course come at a huge price. I like to relate all the products in terms of models of cars. Yes there are the Ferrari's of the market which come at a price point and servicing points and there are the everyday run around models. We like to think we are the M Sport BMW equivalent. As effective as the top of the league but with the affordability and simplicity for everyone to have.
What does the future hold for your company?
We now have a great suite of products that we are super happy with and spent a lot of time adjusting and finalising. Our biggest hurdle now is to work hard to get the products out to the global market place and to teach the public how the benefits of Argon can help everyone from your home use to your hotel use. Our aim to reduce wastage in food and beverages and of course grow the business on a global scale.