Consultancy for the fine wine & spirits trade

Technology, data and change for merchants, marketplaces and collectors.

The Polar Frog helps fine wine and spirits businesses fix their operations, launch digital products and value what they hold. Led by Stéphane Rognon, with 35 years running technology in trading and fine wine.

Discuss a project See services

Most of the problem sits below the waterline. We work on both halves.

Above: what the board sees

Revenue targets, a new marketplace or subscription product, customer experience, expansion into new markets.

Below: what the business runs on

Ageing ERPs, manual workflows between teams, inconsistent stock and pricing data, and key-person risk in technology.

Services

Six ways we work with clients

Digital transformation and operating models

Target operating models, roadmaps and cloud-based workflows that replace manual hand-offs between sales, stock and finance.

Marketplaces and trading platforms

Scoping, launching and scaling B2B and B2C exchanges for wine, spirits and casks, from first specification to customer support.

Operational audits and automation

Cross-functional reviews of sales, procurement, operations and finance that find the gaps and risks, then a costed plan to fix them.

Cellar valuation and inventory

Valuation, digitisation and relocation of private and trade cellars, priced against current secondary-market data.

Market intelligence and pricing data

Secondary-market pricing, indices and data strategy for merchants, collectors and investors who need to know what stock is worth.

Interim technology leadership

Head of Technology or CIO cover at short notice: keep the business running, stabilise systems and hire the permanent replacement.

Selected work

Recent engagements

Client names withheld. References available on request.

6 months Whisky cask marketplace

Turned a founder’s vision into a business strategy, target operating model and product roadmap, ready to launch in six months.

€24m Négociant cellar valuation

Valued a 360,000-bottle négociant cellar with analysis of market dynamics, pricing trends and portfolio performance.

5 days Private cellar relocation

Digitised, valued and relocated a 12,000-bottle private cellar worth €4m, with a dedicated team of eight.

2 weeks Technology continuity

Led a crisis task force after a Head of Technology left suddenly. 20+ users kept working; a replacement was hired within two weeks.

Background

Built the platforms the trade runs on

Stéphane Rognon founded The Polar Frog after two decades leading technology on trading floors and exchanges in Paris and London, then moved into fine wine. He has sat on both sides: building marketplaces and running the operations behind them.

Working languages: English and French.

Full profile on LinkedIn

Vinum Fine Wines Group Head of Technology & Digital. Cloud operating model, workflow automation and eCommerce across London and Singapore.
Bordeaux Index Digital Transformation & Marketplace. Led the LiveTrade marketplace, which grew to 60% of company revenue.
Liv-ex Chief Information Officer. Led an 18-person team delivering the industry’s flagship B2B fine wine exchange.
Capital markets Euronext SmartPool, Bloomberg, Landsbanki. Exchange launches, electronic trading platforms and £1m in negotiated cost savings.
FIS / GL Trade Chief Information Officer. 24/7 client operations and 55 market-access gateways, with teams of up to 50.

How an engagement runs

Step 1

Diagnose

Interviews, process walk-throughs and a look at the data. You get a short written view of what is working, what is not and what it costs.

Step 2

Design

Operating model, roadmap and business case, sized to your team and budget. No 200-page decks.

Step 3

Deliver

Hands-on delivery alongside your people, with agreed measures of success and a clean hand-over at the end.

Tell us what sits below your waterline.

A first call is free and takes 30 minutes. Based in London, working across the UK, France and internationally.

stephane@thepolarfrog.com +44 7876 656457