The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc. (NYSE:NAPA) Q3 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

It’s been around since the Roman so I believe we will continue to excel within it. It’s going to have a couple of ups and downs a little bit and I don’t know if everyone is going to rise to the top, but we will certainly be there. The category is not going away. And we’re starting to see some younger consumers continue to increase their purchase levels. I think that’s the beginning of a new cycle of a new group of consumers. I guess, net-net, we are not changing our long-term algorithm, and we’re not changing how we’re looking at the business and we’re going to continue. We’re going to continue to invest and support taking share at the luxury level. New account opportunities are going to remain at the forefront of what we look at and we are poised to get them and strategically going after them and working at it, right?

There’s a lot of accounts out there we’re not in that we can go out and get over the next several years and we intend to do that. So I guess if you’re looking at some pessimism for me, you’re not going to get any.

Kevin Grundy: No, that’s great. That’s refreshing Alex. I appreciate the thought. So not that I’m asking you to guide for next fiscal year, but you guys have already provided guidance in the — at least you provided a very helpful slide in the past, and Sean, you and I have chatted on this in the past as well, it would seem that provided that velocity holds on a per customer basis, you have very good visibility that would imply at least high-single digit growth in line with your guidance just on distribution alone. Is that a fair assessment?

Sean Sullivan: Yes. Yeah, it does. That would be a fair. That’s right. You’re referring to materials that we had out last September that did assume flat velocities over the long term to — in analyzing the new account penetration. So that would be correct. And I think supports the positivity to which Alex spoke.

Kevin Grundy: Okay. That’s really helpful, guys. Thank you very much and Lori, of course, all the best. Thank you very much.

Lori Beaudoin: Thanks, Kevin.

Operator: Our next question is from Gerald Pascarelli with Wedbush Securities. Your line is now open.

Gerald Pascarelli: Great. Thanks very much. I just have one question on pricing, I guess, related to wholesale. I know measured channels are only — I think it’s a 30-year business and understanding that you’ve been taking rates, your relative price gaps in measured channels have narrowed fairly consistently to the category. And so, as we think about the longer-term margin opportunity, how do you think about managing your relative price gaps in terms of your decision to take incremental rate in any given year? Just any color you could provide there would be helpful. Thank you.

Lori Beaudoin: Yeah. So I think you’ve heard us talk before, Gerald about how we take a very methodical view on price and how we’re very guarded and cautious and we use a long-term approach to introducing price change. So our number one mantra, if you will is growth by accounts and by units, right? So we don’t plan to grow substantially off taking price. Our growth plan is increasing, selling our cases of wine and keeping those moving. So we will take price to the extent that we can, but we don’t want to interrupt our growth plan as well.

Gerald Pascarelli: Got it. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

Operator: Our next question is from Rob Ottenstein with Evercore. Your line is now open.