As a mum of four living on the rural border of Victoria and NSW, the founder of Wine In A Glass (WIAG) Michelle Anderson-Sims never imagined she would end up running a wine company exporting to more than 20 countries.

However, she spotted an opportunity in 2012 when she saw an article in a discarded newspaper on a London Underground train about a British entrepreneur selling single servings of wine in pre-filled plastic glasses.

Anderson-Sims immediately saw a gap in the Australian market and, after an unsuccessful collaboration with the British entrepreneur, launched Wine In A Glass (WIAG).

“Long story short, I bought a filling line in-country and started producing Australian wine in a cup,” Anderson-Sims said. “The end product is 100% Australian-made.”

WIAG comes vacuum-sealed, with a replaceable lid. The plastic glasses are shatter-proof, reusable and recyclable. They’re even eligible for refunds under some container deposit schemes.

“Some people have a misconception that it’s a niche product,” Anderson-Sims said. “But we’ve found, purely through demand, that there are multiple channels to market.”

WIAG counts rail companies, ferries and airlines among its customers, plus offshore workplaces and mining sites. It’s on sale in cinemas and pool resorts; at sports clubs and music venues — anywhere where drinks are allowed, but glass is not.

It’s also popular in hospitals and aged care facilities, and is even certified as accessible for people with arthritis in their hands.

Growth in trying times

WIAG has been up and running since 2013, but Anderson-Sims recently told Austrade business ramped up during the COVID-19 pandemic — largely due to a sudden necessity to diversify.

Pre-2020, the business largely relied on a handful of overseas clients in South Korea, Japan and China. Things were “slow to pick up” domestically, but WIAG was sold at events and festivals throughout Australia.

Between the bushfires of 2019-20 and the COVID-19 lockdowns, most of those events were cancelled and the stock returned.

“The domestic market collapsed,” Anderson-Sims said. “But I have a great team — I love coming to work because I work with such good people — so I needed to look after them.”

She doubled down on marketing overseas and, with support from Austrade, started building relationships with stockists and brands globally. Soon, the orders started flowing in.

Today, exports make up about 95% of WIAG’s revenue. To keep up with demand, the business has moved to a larger space in Epping, Melbourne.

South Korea remains the biggest market — WIAG is on the shelves of Costco and Lotte Group supermarkets and is the number one single-serve wine in the country.

Throughout Southeast Asia, the glasses grace the shelves of some of the biggest retailers, including Aeon in Malaysia, Don Revi in the Philippines and 7/11 and Neo Group in Singapore.

WIAG also has a growing presence in India and Africa, and exports to Europe, South America and several Pacific nations, including New Zealand.

A toolkit for going global

However, importing requirements can be particularly strict for consumable (and alcoholic) products. Every market has unique labelling rules, and specific requirements around certification and documentation. There is no one-size-fits-all playbook.

Anderson-Sims said Austrade’s Go Global Toolkit has been particularly valuable.

“Tools like the Go Global Toolkit have been instrumental in helping us complete the initial processes and understand importing requirements for different countries,” she said.

“There’s nothing worse than getting a container of product to a country and realising you haven’t got the right mandatories in place.”

‘You really need to make sure customs are satisfied at the destination, or you risk having your container returned, at your expense.’

Throughout her exporting journey, Anderson-Sims has used the Go Global Toolkit’s Market Search tool to identify new opportunities; and the Export Rules Finder tool to understand regulations for specific markets, and access tailored advice and government resources.

“Rather than reinvent the wheel, I leveraged the templates, checklists, and market insights to fast-track decision-making and avoid costly trial-and-error,” she said.

“It wasn’t just about gathering information — it was about applying it into real, commercially viable moves. I treated the Toolkit as a business enabler, not just a research exercise. It’s helped us to operate more professionally, and lifted the level of competence within the business.”