“We benefit from discounts across Qantas’s extensive network”

With team members flying to vineyards, to meet customers and host events, Brown Brothers wines found a way to make its business travel more efficient.

A fourth-generation member of the Brown Brothers wine dynasty, Emma Brown is a strong believer in the power of face-to-face connections for that extra business edge, especially in an industry that’s based around social experiences. “We really value being able to sit and have a glass of wine with our customers,” says the group marketing manager. “For us, it’s all about building relationships – and doing that in person is just so powerful, as it allows our customers to meet the faces behind the family name.”

Emma’s great-grandfather, John Francis Brown, produced his first vintage at the family property in Milawa, Victoria, 133 years ago. Today, Brown Brothers has teams based in every state of Australia, as well as New Zealand, Thailand and the UK, and owns a list of labels, including Devil’s Corner in Tasmania and Innocent Bystander in the Yarra Valley.

The group’s senior marketing and sales teams typically travel at least once a week for meetings, customer events and tastings, jetting between their three wineries in Victoria and Tasmania or visiting customers from Perth to Sydney. Convenient access to flights and a large regional route network are essential. “We’re only an hour from Albury airport so getting on a quick QantasLink flight here and there tends to be easier and faster than driving,” says Emma. “As a Qantas Business Rewards member, we benefit from discounts across Qantas’s extensive network and can use points to redeem for flights.”

For overseas travel to customer events and trade shows, Qantas’s routes offer the Brown Brothers team direct flights into the US and Asia – their most important international markets. Full food and beverage service onboard and access to Qantas lounges in transit help them hit the ground running when they arrive. “We have to be fresh and ready to go when we land. Without the Qantas services, we’d be a step behind.”

“Look After Yourself” is more than a slogan for Emma & Tom’s co-founders Emma Welsh and Tom Griffith. It’s also a guiding principle for how the juice and health food company nurtures its team of 35-plus staff across Australia.

As well as using Qantas Points to book flights and hotel stays, Welsh says the Qantas Business Rewards program offers a cost-effective way to thank her employees. She often uses points the business earns to reward team members with upgrades or personal travel6 “to recognise the hard work our people do. We had a team member who needed to go back to America when her father wasn’t well and we gave her points to book the flight. It was a great way to support her.”

Since 2004, Welsh and Griffith have gone from handing out free juices at events to selling them in 7,500 Australian locations and exporting to China, Jordan, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The two names on the bottle are now joined by teams in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and

Perth. As the business grew, its leaders needed an efficient way to travel to visit new recruits, customers and suppliers around Australia. “It was so important to be physically present because our teams were new. Being there to mentor them helped build our team culture when things were getting off the ground.”

So they joined Qantas Business Rewards, unlocking flight savings and Qantas Club discounts, as well as earning Qantas Points on day-to-day business expenses – points they could put towards future travel. “We’ve always flown Qantas for the service and reliability – the points are just a bonus.”

Welsh says the business was clocking up 70 to 80 flights a year before the pandemic and these connections are just as important now as Emma & Tom’s continues to expand. “Online meetings don’t generate the same ideas. When you travel to see someone and sit down to chat or brainstorm, that’s when the really good stuff happens.”