40 Years of ‘Cheers!’
George Szigeti of Better Brands celebrates 40 years providing Hawaii with quality beverages. Joining the former top surfer and model in a New Year’s toast are Shanna Hulme (left) and Kanani Oury
Del.icio.usTHE BEST THING ABOUT WORKING IN THE BEVERAGE BUSINESS, SAYS BETTER BRANDS’ GEORGE SZIGETI, IS CUSTOMERS USUALLY BECOME FRIENDS
By CHAD PATA
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As Better Brands celebrates its 40th birthday this year, president George Szigeti knows that while sales is its business, it is the friendships they create that allowed it to keep its doors open all this time in the ultra-competitive world of alcohol wholesaling.
“I enjoy the camaraderie and relationships that you create with your customers. A lot of them are my friends,” says Szigeti, who took the helm at Better Brands in 1997. “I enjoy that when I tell people the business I am in, it puts a smile on their face. They say, ‘Oh, I love wine, I love Grey Goose martinis,‘and I really find that to be very satisfying.”
Szigeti’s introduction to the Islands came in the form of a different liquid for which we are world famous - waves. He spent three years here starting in 1969 as a professional surfer, spending his winters on the North Shore courtesy of sponsors and eventually rose to 10th in the world rankings.
He knew his career in the water would not last forever, so he returned to his Southern California roots to attend UCLA, where he worked nights as an assistant manager at Chuck’s Steakhouse in Marina del Rey. It was there that his life took the course that led him here today.
The Ernest and Julio Gallo reps who sold to his store saw the gift of sales in him and encouraged him to apply for a position with the company. After a lengthy interviewing process, they brought him on board in 1977.
“They are the Procter and Gamble of the liquor business; they really train you well,” says Szigeti, who was promoted to the first state manager position for Gallo in Hawaii in 1982. “Anybody who walks in this office with Gallo on their resume, they get an automatic interview. They hire the right people from the getgo, people who have the urgency, the burning in their belly.”
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The competitive attitude Szigeti had honed in the surf helped him rise in the business here until he took his current position more than a decade ago. He currently commands a staff of 160 people working with 200 suppliers that represent 860 brands, with offices on all the major islands.
(On the side, Szigeti has kept busy as a model, with his face being seen in ads for companies that include Reyn’s and First Hawaiian bank.)
The beverage business is ever-evolving, and the box wines of his youth will no longer do with the new, savvier drinking crowd.
“It has really changed from the low-end, everything-based-on-price, generic Burgundy and Chablis,” says Szigeti. “Now we are seeing the public wanting much more premium, cork-finished wines. People are drinking less, but they are drinking better, which really plays to us as we feature premium brands.”
To answer the public’s need for better wines, they formed the Grand Crew Wine Merchants division, in which all the reps are trained in fine wines that could speak to the specific needs of high-end consumers.
It is not just the wines that have grown. In the past 10 years they have seen steady growth in the premium brands of liquor. The new wave of mojitos and martinis has companies scrambling to keep up.
“It is important we put out a good product for the hotels - we (Hawaii) are competing against the Caribbean, Mexico and so many other places now,” says Szigeti, who sits on the board of both the Hawaii Restaurant Association and the Hawaii Hotel and Lodging Association. “So we have a full-time mixologist on staff as well as an Asian market specialist.”
The mixologist spends his time visiting customers and finding out what kind of new drinks they need, while the Asian specialist looks for what is hot with the sakes and shojus.
“You see it even with Roy’s and Alan Wong’s, where they used to rely on wine with dinner,” says Szigeti. “They understand the value of having a martini or a really good mixed drink prior to dinner now. Their revenue has gone up by doing that. Our mixologist goes in, finds out their needs and custom-tailors menus for them.”
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