Foley Wines squeezes bigger earnings from small harvest

Foley Wines squeezes bigger earnings from small harvest
Ella Somers
Foley Wines eked out a bigger first-half profit despite a smaller harvest as the winemaker’s attempts to move up the value chain bear fruit.Operating earnings climbed 35.8% to $4.8 million in the six months ended Dec 31 from a year earlier, squeezing a fatter margin from fewer sales. Revenue rose 8.5% to $28.5m, even as case sales slipped 1% to 278,000. Net profit, which includes unrealised movements in the value of the company’s vines, rose to $3.5m from $2.6m.“The past six months has been another period of uncertainty, suppl...