JF Hillebrand launches bulk wine division

JF Hillebrand launches bulk wine division

JF Hillebrand, a forwarder that specializes in transporting beverages, has launched a new division dedicated to bulk transportation of wine.

   The decision follows the company’s acquisition earlier this year of Trans Ocean Distribution (TOD), a company that makes flexibag liners that allow liquid products to be carried in standard 20-foot freight containers.

   “JF Hillebrand’s unrivalled knowledge of beverage transport, coupled with TOD’s expertise in the design, construction and use of flexibags makes a formidable team,” said Brendan McKenna, a member of JF Hillebrand executive board. “Hillebrand Bulk will be able to provide customers the best possible service for the transport of wine in bulk, with technical expertise and customer service that is second to none.”

   Hillebrand notes that a container can move twice as much wine in bulk as it can when the wine is bottled, thus reducing transport costs as well as greenhouse gases.

   Hillebrand, headquartered in Mainz, Germany, is 40 percent owned by the European investment company COBEPA, 30 percent owned by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, and 30 percent by management and family. The head office in the United States is in Rahway, N.J.