Who we are
Frontier Direct – elevating Australian wineries with bespoke growth strategies.
30+ Years Mastering Wine Consumer Psychology
I’ve spent three decades learning one thing: how wine consumers make buying decisions at cellar doors.
1,000+ group sales presentations.
400+ wine dinners.
$13.5M in business development.
And since 2021, I’ve used all that expertise to build 6 successful wine clubs – every single one exceeded 1,000 members and $1M in annual revenue.
Now I help Australian wineries replace wholesale distribution with profitable, sustainable wine clubs they own 100%.
— Paul Hanratty, Founder
Most Wineries Give Away Too Much
Most Australian wineries lose 40-50% of their margin to wholesale distributors. Forever.
They never own the customer relationship.
They can’t control pricing.
They have no data or loyalty.
And when they try to build wine clubs themselves, they get stuck at 200-300 members because they don’t understand cellar door visitor psychology.
That’s where I come in.
Understanding Cellar Door Psychology
After 30+ years in the wine industry, here’s what I know that most wineries don’t:
1. Not All Visitors Are Equal Different psychological profiles require different approaches. Segmentation drives conversion, not volume.
2. Physical Environment Matters Tasting bar vs. seated tastings creates different psychology. Small setup changes = big conversion changes.
3. Experience Design Drives Sales Wine tasting is an EXPERIENCE, not a transaction. Food offerings support wine appreciation, they don’t distract.
4. Professional Training Is Essential Your cellar door team needs specific training in acquisition psychology and visitor segmentation.
5. It’s a System, Not Random Tactics Proven, repeatable processes at every touchpoint. Measurement and optimization at every stage.
From Wine Sales to Wine Clubs
I spent 30 years in various wine industry roles, delivering over 1,000 sales presentations and hosting 400+ wine dinners.
In 2021, I took everything I’d learned about wine consumer psychology and launched Frontier Direct.
The mission: Help Australian wineries replace wholesale distribution with direct customer relationships that they own.
The results:
- 6 wine clubs built from scratch
- All exceeded 1,000 members
- All generating $1M+ in annual revenue
- Millions in sales growth for partner wineries
Every client owns their wine club 100% after our 5-year partnership
THE TEAM
Paul Hanratty – Founder
30+ years wine industry expertise
1,000+ sales presentations
400+ wine dinners
$13.5M business development
6 successful wine club implementations
Specialties:
- Cellar door visitor psychology
- Wine club acquisition systems
- Team training and knowledge transfer
- Direct-to-consumer strategy
- Customer retention and loyalty
OUR VALUES
Results Over Promises We measure success in members gained and revenue generated, not in strategies presented.
Long-Term Partnership We invest 5 years because building a sustainable wine club takes time and expertise.
Knowledge Transfer We don’t keep you dependent. We train your team to run it themselves.
Aligned Incentives Commission-based model means we only win when you win.
READY TO WORK TOGETHER?
If you’re frustrated with wholesale economics and ready to build direct customer relationships, let’s talk.