Wine Industry Veteran Scott Gerber Joins Quintessential

Wine importing, marketing and sales company Quintessential has announced the hiring of industry veteran Scott Gerber.

He will hold the newly created position of Vice President – Business Development.

Gerber has more than 40 years experience in nearly every channel of the wine and spirits industry. This includes his co-founding and running for more than 20 years the New York Tri-State wine and artisanal spirits distributor, Martin Scott Wines.

“Scott’s unparalleled network of valuable relationships, and expertise in brand-building, customer service and market knowledge, makes him a great asset to a growing company like Quintessential,” the company says in a release.

At Quintessential, Gerber will primarily work with the company’s New York area management to analyze competitive sets, review sales histories and needs, and provide input with proposed marketing suggestions for Quintessential distributors around the country. Additionally, he will assist in key account calls with Quintessential team members, distributor managers and their salespeople, to improve distribution and sales volume. Gerber will also be available to help educate distributor sales teams on the company’s portfolio of wines from around the world.

“Both my dad and I have known and worked closely with Scott for many years, and we couldn’t be happier, from both a professional and personal perspective, to have him on our team,” says Dennis Kreps, who owns Quintessential with his father Stephen D. Kreps. “He adds another level of trusted service and vast experience to our fine wine marketing and sales efforts, not only on the east coast but also around the country.”

Prior to co-founding Martin Scott Wines, Gerber worked in a variety of sales positions, handling a number of eastern and western states for a major U.S. winery and several other companies. Eventually he became Vice President, General Manager for the New York Wholesale Division of Frederick Wildman and Sons.

It was at Wildman that Gerber met Martin Gold, who was president at that time. In 1989 they struck out on their own, with the first case of wine shipped from Martin Scott Wines in January 1990. The distributor was known for their variety of top-rated wines and artisanal spirits from around the globe, and for the depth of wine knowledge their 40+ member salesforce. Altogether it made Martin Scott Wines a favorite among restaurants and retailers in the New York Tri-State area.

In 2013, twenty-three years after its founding, Gerber and Gold sold their company to The Vintner Group, which later merged Martin Scott with Winebow. Gerber continued to work with the new owners until he decided to leave at the end of 2018.

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