Who We Are
Founded in 1999, Summergate is a leading player in the Greater China drinks market. Through 13 registered and licensed offices, including Hong Kong and Macau, Summergate works directly with several thousand contracted retail buyers, as well as hundreds of downstream distributors.
Summergate hand picks its best-in-class brands based on their reputation for and commitment to quality. We exclusively represent over 60 brands from 12 of the world’s leading wine producing countries as well as a growing number of premium spirits. Acting as sole distributor since 2007, Summergate has firmly established Perrier as the principal imported sparkling mineral water in China.
Ian FordGeneral Manager / Co-Founder
Ian was born and raised in New York City, one of the world’s most vibrant and dynamic cities. He attended Duke University, graduating with a BA in History, focused primarily on modern China, with a concentration in Mandarin Chinese. After an initial sojourn in China for one year in 1990, Ian moved permanently to China in 1995 to take up a career in the wines and spirits business with Seagram, based in Beijing. In 1999 Ian co-founded Summergate, an importer and national China distributor, focused on wine, with the goal in mind of leading the China market for imported wines and more over the coming decades.
Now also the marketer and sole distributor of the leading imported sparkling mineral water in China, Summergate, for many in the industry, is the leading company by reputation, quality, knowledge, and professionalism. Ian has traveled to and studied wine in virtually every fine wine making region worldwide, and for fifteen years has been working closely with leading wine makers developing their brands in China. When not focusing his time on Summergate, Ian is an avid sailor, golfer, and skier, and has a tireless passion for fine food and drink.
Brendan O’TooleCo-Founder
Brendan was born and raised in New Zealand but has spent more than 25 years working in the UK, Scandinavia, Northern Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and Mainland China.
Brendan initially attended the University of Canterbury in New Zealand where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering with First Class Honours and the top accolades of both the Engineering School Prize and the Canterbury University Prize. Brendan subsequently studied business at the University of Cambridge in England, graduating as a Master of Business Administration (MBA). More recently Brendan completed the UK Wine and Spirit Education Trust’s (WSET) Diploma in Wines & Spirits, for which he was awarded Wines of Australia’s WSET Scholarship for graduating as the top student in the Asia-Pacific region.
Brendan’s work experience has been rich and varied spanning many industries and job roles. Prior to starting Summergate with Ian Ford in 1999, Brendan had spent several years working as a management consultant for the internationally prominent Boston Consulting Group (BCG), including two years of strategy work based in China working in the wines and spirits sector.