Belmonte Beverage Group

From the press release 16th of June, 2023:

Nordic hotelier Petter Stordalen has gone on a hiring spree in the Norwegian wine industry.

«We have huge ambitions for Belmonte Beverage Group and have identified fantastic opportunities», says Stordalen.

Through his company Strawberry Equities, Petter Stordalen is the majority owner in Belmonte Beverage Group AS which imports, sells and distributes wine and spirits to Vinmonopolet (off-trade), hotels and restaurants (on-trade).

Strawberry Equities also co-owns Scandinavia’s biggest travel agency Ving, the cruise line Hurtigruten and the Swedish nightlife group Stureplansgruppen. The parent company of Strawberry Equities also owns the Nordic hotel group Strawberry with over 220 hotels and 120 restaurants.

Belmonte Beverage Group was established in the spring of 2022 but has since kept a low profile.

«It has been a deliberate strategy on our part to fly under the radar for a while. We spent a year mapping the key players in the industry, and now we have spent the last few months recruiting them. Things have moved faster than expected and we have an unparallelled team in place. This week we also announce five sales positions for our on-trade setup, and we will keep hiring the best talent in the industry. There will be more news from us in the upcoming months», says Jakob Stordalen, co-owner and board member of Belmonte Beverage Group.

Managing Director for Sales in Solera Beverage Group Norway and Sweden, Stein-Erik Treverket, has been headhunted to lead Belmonte Beverage Group. He starts as CEO on January 1st, 2024.

Petter Stordalen is full of praise for Belmonte Beverage Goup’s new managing director:

«Treverket is in a league of his own. He has broad experience from several levels in the import industry going all the way from bartender at Pers Hotel to managing one of the industry's largest companies in both Norway and Sweden. He is our Guardiola.»

Treverket is one of six people who have chosen to leave the import company Solera Beverage Group in favor of Stordalen's newest venture.

«That says a lot about how many seasoned talents they have managed to develop in Solera Beverage Group», says Jonas Forsang, co-owner in Belmonte Beverage Group, and interim CEO until Treverket is onboard.

Here are Belmonte Beverage Group’s new signings:

• Stein Erik Treverket. Former Managing Director for Solera Sales Norway & Sweden. Has a background as sales director and chain manager at Solera. CEO in Belmonte Beverage Group from January 1st, 2024.

• David Moir. Former manager of Stenberg og Blom, a subsidiary of Solera. Under Moir's management, Stenberg og Blom has become one of the leading and most profitable wine importers in Norway. Moir has been instrumental in building up brands such as Fontanafredda, Chateau de Berne and Louis Moreau in Norway. Moir will manage a separate subsidiary in Belmonte, called Belmonte Arcade AS.

• Morten Motrøen. Former senior brand manager at Stenberg og Blom with 27 years of experience. Has been instrumental in building up brands such as Masi, Allegrini, Borgogno, Ornellaia, Trimbach, Rabl and Graham's Port on the Norwegian market. In 2016, he was made a Knight of port wine. Takes up the position as portfolio manager in the subsidiary Belmonte Wine Co from September 1st, 2023.

• Elisabeth Barbosa Vig. Former senior brand manager in Multibev, a subsidiary of Solera. Has been instrumental in building up brands such as Peroni, Fever-Tree and SanPellegrino in Norway. Will lead a separate subsidiary, Belmonte Trade, from August 1st, which will focus on grocery chains.

• Simon Pizzoni. Former Head of KAM and Wine in Solera Uteliv. Has been instrumental in building up Solera's nightlife department, with extensive experience in sales to hotels, restaurants, groceries, Duty Free and nightclubs. Will start as Head of KAM and Sales in Belmonte Beverage Group.

• Alexander Sandli. Trained sommelier with over 15 years of experience in the hospitality business. Former junior KAM in Solera Uteliv. Currently working towards the hotel chains Scandic and Strawberry. Starts as Area Sales Manager at Belmonte Wine Co.

• Eirik Søreide. Former KAM at Signature Wines where he was working with producers such as M. Chapoutier and Maison Louis Jadot. Søreide currently works as sales manager for Belmonte Wine Co.

«We have recruited an absolute dream team, with a complete understanding of all sales channels in the Norwegian market. Together we will build a unique company focused on selected producers. The key to success is to do the best possible job for our producers», says Jakob Stordalen.

Belmonte Beverage Group has currently around 200 products that can be found at renowned restaurants like Maaemo (***), Renaa (**), Schlägergården (*), Elysèe (biggest wine list in Northern Europe), Kolonialen Bislett, Grand Café and Sommerro.

«The wine industry is built on relationships, it's all about rounding up the best team. We have enormous respect for the people we have hired and look forward to everything we will create together in the years ahead. In addition to wine, we will focus on premium products for the retail market. We will grow quickly by building the most professional organization in the Norwegian beverage industry. Strawberry is a Nordic company, and it will be natural to look at other markets in due course, but initially we are focusing on Norway», says Jakob Stordalen.

For more information, please contact:

CEO Jonas Forsang
jonas@belmonte.no / (+47) 936 25 739