Henkell Freixenet and local distributor Motibhai Group stepped up their push into Fiji this week, staging a Henkell’s Sparkling showcase at Nanuku on Thursday as part of a wider promotional tour of Coral Coast and Denarau hotels. The event aimed to raise visibility of the global sparkling wine portfolio among both guests and local consumers, Motibhai business development manager Wines & Spirit Nitesh Chand said, adding the tour will cover more resort properties across the key tourism corridors over the coming days.
The visit marks the fifth year of the Motibhai–Henkell Freixenet partnership that brings the world’s largest sparkling wine producer into the Fijian market. Phil Wells, head of Henkell Freixenet Oceania, said the company has seen “phenomenal” growth in Fiji, particularly over the past year, and views the current tour as a way to translate that momentum into stronger on-premise listings across resorts and hotels. “When we started, we had very modest expectations as a new entrant, but the growth has been phenomenal, particularly over the past year,” Wells said.
Henkell Freixenet supplies three principal labels to Fiji — Henkell from Germany, Freixenet from Spain and Mionetto from Italy — offering roughly eight product styles and formats alongside a premium champagne from its French portfolio. Wells noted that sparkling wine has been the only wine segment to show steady growth worldwide over the last five years, and that trend is reflected locally. “It’s no longer just for celebrations — it’s become part of everyday occasions,” he said, highlighting the rising local appetite for Freixenet Prosecco as a key driver of market expansion.
The current promotional push is deliberately concentrated on Fiji’s tourism hubs — the Coral Coast and Denarau — where resort bars and restaurant menus can quickly lift consumer exposure. Nanuku, the venue for Thursday’s event, allowed the company to engage directly with guests and hotel F&B managers about stocking and service. Chand said the aim is to “promote availability and offering of the products under this brand to enhance guest experience,” signalling an emphasis on both supply and training.
Crucially, Henkell Freixenet and Motibhai are now turning their attention beyond resorts. Wells said the company plans to broaden distribution into urban markets such as Suva and increase shelf presence in everyday retail channels, not just elite hospitality outlets. That strategy reflects changing consumption patterns and the brand’s broader goal to make its sparkling range a regular-purchase category for Fijian shoppers, rather than solely a tourist-led offering.
For Motibhai, the continued collaboration with Henkell Freixenet is a platform to grow Fiji’s wine category as the domestic market recovers alongside tourism. With on-site promotions across the Coral Coast and Denarau this week and plans to enter supermarkets and bottle shops in towns and cities, the partnership appears to be shifting from awareness-building to routine market penetration — a move that could reshape how sparkling wine is positioned in Fiji’s retail and hospitality sectors.
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