MASTERING THE WHOLESALE CHANNEL COURSE

Have you ever felt like the three-tier system of wine distribution is a big secret that nobody’s explained to you? Mastering the Wholesale Channel is the course that addresses this head-on and provides winery owners, executives and future leaders the tools needed to succeed in the critical wholesale channel. Wine businesses of any size can be profitable in wholesale; the trick is understanding how distributors actually operate, mastering your competitive set, and having the proper tools for success.

This course contains five core chapters and eighteen focused lessons. Students engage in real-world exercise and receive a Tool Kit of advanced pricing calculators, goal planners, and comp set analyses that take the mystery out of distributed sales and lead to mastery.

Preview

M. ACADEMY DIFFERENCE

M. Academy courses are taught exclusively by current and former executives who have led wine and spirits businesses at the C-Suite or senior executive level. Built using proven instructional frameworks, such as PDSA and group learning systems that have been employed by both universities and corporations, M. Academy courses bring real-world lessons into frameworks and exercises that guarantee student success.

Mastering the Wholesale Channel contains lessons, activities, quizzes, and an advanced tool kit for use with distributors and your internal teams.

The proprietary Tool Kit for this course contains:

  • The Wholesale Pricing Calculator — An advanced pricing and margin calculator designed to bring transparency and structure to complex wholesale pricing.

  • The Competitive Set Template — A strategic positioning tool to define competitive context and sharpen distributor and trade messaging.

  • The Five Buyer Types — Structured decision-maker profiles to better understand buyer psychology and purchasing drivers.

  • The POD Goal Calculator — A market-based goal and accountability system aligned to depletion reality, not production assumptions.

And more! Start taking control of your wholesale business. Request information today.

MEET TO INSTRUCTORS

Peter Baedeker is the Owner & Principal of Baedeker Wine. He served as President of the $100M California distributor, The Henry Wine Group, which was acquired by Winebow in 2015. After graduating cum laude from Tulane University, Mr. Baedeker started in wine & spirits wholesale and quickly ascended the ranks in distribution to eventually manage a team of over 100 sales professionals.

Peter went on to work in the brand development side of the industry and was responsible for creating a European sparkling wine brand that was acquired by a private equity enterprise. He has also served as Managing Director of a California estate winery and now guides American and European family wine business to success in the U.S. market.

Amanda Wittstrom Higgins is a nationally-lauded wine industry leader and business strategist with an expertise in creating future-forward and foundational success. Mrs. Higgins first rose to prominence in the industry as a founder and leader of the Ancient Peaks brand. It was Amanda who led the company as Executive VP from a family vision into a leading U.S premium wine brand.

Amanda’s efforts have been recognized with accolades such as a Wine Enthusiast Top 40 Under 40 honoree award (2019), a Social Visionary of the Year nomination at the Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Awards (2019), Central Coast Wine Industry Person of the Year (2020), and inclusion on the SLO Tribune’s Top 20 Under 40 list.