A drinks specialist co-founded by a Dundee-born champagne expert is cheering its first export deal to the United States.

Sip Champagnes, which is co-owned by Peter Crawford, who lives in Balmerino in Fife, has just started making its first shipment across the Atlantic. The firm is shipping to California, Florida, Illinois and Montana, with talks underway to expand its range of grower champagnes in other parts of the US.

Formed in 2021 by business partners Crawford and Daniel Blatchford, the venture sources and supplies small-batch, handcrafted champagne straight to consumers and the hospitality trade from France’s iconic wine region. The fledgling company now has its sights set on further global expansion.

Over the past year, Sip Champagnes has been working in partnership with Cage Imports to create the infrastructure needed to make its first shipment to the US. The firm plans to continue working in partnership with Cage to expand its range across the US in 2023 and beyond.

Crawford, who is credited as one of the UK’s leading champagne experts, said: “It was always part of our plan to export to the US. Grower champagne is underrepresented worldwide and our ambition was to create a model that would be global. The US is a huge market, with a great wine trade established and a growing appetite for the most interesting, artisan products. Brexit has complicated things for exporters in general. We had to create a French subsidiary as it was too difficult and costly to go via the UK, although this came with its own set of challenges.”

Dundee-born champagne expert celebrates US export milestone

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