Vino Joy News, the premier source for wine industry news on China, is thrilled to announce a significant investment from Don St Pierre, the co-founder of AdaptEdge, a global strategic advisory and investment firm. St. Pierre, who also co-founded ASC Fine Wines, China’s leading wine importer, will bring extensive experience to his new roles as an advisor and company director at Vino Joy News.
This new partnership is set to propel Vino Joy News into its next phase of expansion and innovation.
Natalie Wang, the Founder of Vino Joy News, expressed her excitement about the collaboration: “I am deeply grateful for this partnership with Don, whose expertise and passion for the wine industry are unparalleled. This investment not only validates my vision to create Vino Joy News five years ago as the most reliable and trustworthy platform for news, data and analysis on China’s wine market, it also energizes my mission to bring it to the next level.”
“With Don on board, we are poised to enhance our reach and enrich our content for wine trade professionals who have an interest to understand the complexity and nuances of the Chinese market.”
Aside from St Pierre’s crowning achievement with ASC Fine Wines, he has been instrumental in fostering strategic growth, innovation, and sustainability across markets at varying stages of development. His strategic contributions have been pivotal in the evolution of Vinfolio and Fine + Rare, culminating in a best in class global direct-to-consumer fine wine marketplace for which he serves as Non-Executive Vice Chairman of the Board.
As a pioneering entrepreneur, he has been at the forefront of the wine and spirits sector in China and beyond for over three decades, profoundly influencing its distribution and sales channels. His latest venture, AdaptEdge, via its investment and advisory services is focused on addressing the challenges and opportunities created by technological innovation and evolving consumer preferences on a global scale.
On his decision to invest in Vino Joy News, St. Pierre, says: “Our investment is based on two primary factors. First is the important and growing need for reliable, non-biased and timely insights and data regarding the greater China wine market. Second, my confidence and admiration for Natalie Wang, whose high-quality journalistic skills are matched by her passion and interest in the business of wine.”
He also highlighted the strategic importance of the investment: “AdaptEdge’s strategic vision is to both advise and where possible, invest in businesses that we add value to by leveraging our past experiences as successful entrepreneurs and innovators. We expect Vino Joy News to play an increasingly important role in helping wine industry professionals navigate a market that requires new and innovative strategies to achieve success.”
His dedication to industry progression is also evident from his roles as an advisory board member to Vinexposium, as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Harvard Innovation Labs, and as an advisor to the Harvard Data Science Review.
Acclaimed for his visionary leadership, St. Pierre has been knighted in the French Ordre du Merite Agricole, recognized by Decanter Magazine as one of the Top 50 Global Wine Industry Power Players, and honored by Wine Enthusiast as the “International Man of the Year” in 2011.
Building on the momentum, Vino Joy News will unveil its first intelligence report “China’s 50 Top Wine Importers” on May 23. The 73-page report is the culmination of extensive research and reporting over several months. It is meticulously compiled from publicly available data, industry insights, and numerous interviews.
