Singapore-based Chilean wine brand PengWine partners mobile app AuthenticateIT for its PengWine Ambassador Program, making it the first in the wine industry and first brand in Southeast Asia to adopt this anti-counterfeiting and consumer engagement technology.
With each PengWine wine bottle coming individually numbered and labeled with a unique data matrix code, all a user needs to do is to use the smartphone app to scan the barcode to make authenticity checks as well as access product safety and other kinds of useful information.
PengWine was first founded in 2004 by Chris Milliken in partnership with Max Eyzaguirre. Milliken, who first started as a chef and later trained as a sommelier, made his way to Maipo Valley in Chile in 1998 where he met with Eyzaguirre and conceived the idea for PengWine. Milliken later moved to Singapore in 2008, using the island city as a launchpad for PengWine into the rest of Asia.
Named after the penguins that inhabit the coastline of Chile, PengWine is a premium boutique wine brand that has its winery based in Chile’s Maipo Valley famous for Cabernet Sauvignon upon which many of its wines are based. Each of its wines are named after a different penguin native to South America.
“The launch of the PengWine Ambassador Program is in line with PengWine’s commitment to support our growing network of fans and business partners. It is a game-changer amidst our APAC expansion, and our customers will now be given a digital platform to verify the authenticity of our wines. This allows us to engage our partners and consumers effectively,” says Chris Milliken, co-founder and CEO of PengWine.
