Producer Q&A: Tim Lightbourne, Invivo

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 03 January, 2023

As Invivo’s Graham Norton partnership delivers its 15 millionth bottle of wine, Andrew Catchpole taps into co-founder Tim Lightbourne’s MO.

How did you get into wine?

I worked in Burgundy in 2002 for a vintage after I finished university. I had no experience and didn’t speak French. I had a massive bucket on my back, collecting all the grapes from the grape pickers. My back got pretty sore, but it was a great time.

How did you meet (business partner) Rob Cameron?

Rob and I were old school friends at high school in New Zealand and we played in the same very social cricket team.

What was the inspiration for founding Invivo?

We both wanted to start our own business and the wine industry was interesting for us – with Rob’s background as a winemaker, and from my background in FMCG. I thought there were some ideas from categories outside wine that could be explored in the wine industry. New Zealand wine was also really starting to fire, so the timing was good.

How did you fund this?

We funded setting up Invivo through our own savings and one investor. A few years later, we went on to launch two equity crowdfunding campaigns, which at the time were the most successful in the southern hemisphere. We remain the only equity crowdfunded winery in New Zealand today, with 635 investors now on the journey with us.

How would you describe the company and its ethos?

We are disruptive, collaborative, and innovative. Our company ethos is about bringing people together so great things can happen – whether this is collaborating with the likes of Graham Norton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Eurovision, our growers or our customers.

Tell us about the ‘cheeky phone call’ that began the Graham Norton partnership?

We saw that Graham and his guests were enjoying wine every week on the set of his show, and that Graham was a Sauvignon Blanc fan. So we called up the production team and asked where they were getting the wine from. They were buying from the local store, so we sent Graham 12 bottles for the show. He enjoyed our wine and we struck up a partnership. Since 2011 all the guests on the show have been drinking our wines.

What input does Graham have?

We meet with Graham every year to taste, blend and sign off the latest vintage. We spend a few hours on this process and it’s a great way to talk to him about the recent harvest. We film the whole tasting and blending process and release this video with the launch of the wine. Graham also helps us out at events and on social media – Graham recently hosted The Great British Pub Quiz by Invivo, where we raised funds for the Drinks Trust.

Is the relationship similar with Sarah Jessica Parker?

It’s the same – we sit down annually with her to taste through the latest vintage and have her sign it off. This really helps with authenticity – having our partners involved in the process – and both Graham and Sarah Jessica are shareholders in Invivo. It’s important to note that they both have very different tastes, which is great.

What else is in the pipeline?

We are launching a 7% lower-alcohol range with fewer calories called Sevenly with SJP, which is exciting. It’s just launched in 800 stores across Australia. Watch this space, UK.

Invivo’s global revenues are up 131% since the pandemic alone and tenfold since 2015 – how have you stayed on top of this phenomenal growth?

We are excited about the growth, driven not just from Sauvignon Blanc but also our new projects – a new GN He-Devil Malbec from Argentina, and we are now also Ireland’s largest sparkling wine with our GN Frizzante. We have secured further vineyards in the past 12 months and expanded our international footprint – our wines are now available in 43 countries.

How would you respond to ‘old school’ critics that might accuse you of ‘cashing in on celebrity’ rather than exalting terroir and heritage?

Graham, Sarah Jessica and ourselves would not call these brands celebrity – we would like to think these wines stand out on their own. The partnerships have opened doors, but the wine quality and how we support our brands need to work as well. We wouldn’t have survived our tenth vintage with Graham next year if the wines didn’t stack up.

What aspects of the wine world most inspire you?

It’s hard work, but also we have a lot of fun. You are going to see the real insights to this in the upcoming documentary about Invivo which is being released in late 2023.

If you were to describe yourself as a grape variety, what would that be and why?

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc – zingy and a little punchy. I’m in training for a boxing fight!

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