GRAPE & GRAIN is an independent family owned company formed in late 2012 by Matt & Clair Holden. Matt & Clair met in 1993, both first year university students. Over the past 25 years they have travelled the world, renovated their family home and have had three beautiful yet crazy children. Grape & Grain brings Matt Holden’s 25 years of industry experience and knowledge in wholesaling into the new age of the hospitality, service and supply industries.

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We proudly represent 26 wineries and 6 breweries covering both 'Grape' and 'Grain' as our name suggests, with the '&' extending to spirits and cider. We have chosen our partners firstly for their quality but also for their family roots, their passion for their craft & in some cases their quirkiness

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We take pride in our diverse range of wines and beers. Within our varied range are a large selection of small batch & minimal intervention wines, in addition to organic, biodynamic and vegan wines,  beers & ciders. 

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Joining Matt & Clair are our Sales Team, made up of Pia, Chris, Paul & Amber, our Office Team of Kelly & Dee, our Warehouse Team, made up of Sam, Brandon & Campbell and last but not least, our drivers, Leon, Paul & Connor.

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Matt Holden

Director

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Matt’s passion for photography was overtaken by his passion for wine in his early twenties. After completing a Bachelor of Arts in Photo Media he hung up his camera to taste his way through many tasting panels. Matt has 15 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, managing top venues all around the world, eventually settling back in Perth he went on to work in the wine wholesale industry for 10 years deciding to go out on his own in 2013.

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Clair Chatel-Holden

Director

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Fresh from completing her Bachelor of Arts in Marketing & Media Clair took a sales role with Peters & Brownes, WA’s leading supplier of dairy and ice cream products. Over 13 years she excelled in many roles including Channel Management, Trade Marketing & Sales Management. In August 2013 Clair took the plunge and resigned from Brownes to join the Grape & Grain team. Clair now splits her time between running all marketing and sales support for Grape & Grain and looking after Matt & Clair's three kids, often both roles at the same time.

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Pia Poynton

Sales & Operations Manager / W.S.E.T. Level 2 / Certified Cicerone ® 

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From pubs to breweries, there aren’t too many times in Pia’s career that haven’t involved beer. Pia has been involved in the WA beer industry for over fifteen years, starting in hospitality before moving into sales and marketing, working for well known local breweries including Little Creatures, Nail and Nowhereman. She has been a beer judge since 2015, became a Certified Cicerone in 2017 and in 2022 she was given the WA Brewers Association Industry Recognition Award. Pia is passionate about giving back to the industry. For almost ten years, Pia co-led the WA chapter of Pink Boots Australia and she currently sits on two committees for the Independent Brewers Association. She has been at the forefront of the WA beer scene for many years, however she is not content with just the Grain in Grape & Grain. Her decision to take on this new role is in part driven by her desire to utilise her honed management skills and developed palate in the wine industry.

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Kelly Comber

Financial Administrator

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Kelly and Matt met many years ago working together at 44 King St back in 1999. Luckily for Grape & Grain Clair ran into Kel at the local shops and asked if she wanted to join her & Matt to start their new business. Kel is now not only the office guru but now also Aunty Kelly to Matt & Clair’s three kids.

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Chris Bennett

Sales Consultant / W.S.E.T. Level 2 / Cicerone ® Certified Beer Server  

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Chris graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management from Cornell University in New York. His love for Ice Hockey saw him move to Bristol, England where he played Semi Pro Hockey while managing Bentley Wine Bar, this is where he acquired a taste for wine. After moving to Australia Chris continued working in hospitality for a period of time, after a few stints in wine logistics he settled into sales working for over 10 years in wholesaling before joining Matt once again at Grape & Grain.

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Paul Smith

Sales Consultant / W.S.E.T. Level 2 / Cicerone ® Certified Beer Server

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Paul studied hospitality straight out of high school, loving the industry that would allow his passion for travelling, food and wine to be satisfied. Living and working in bars and restaurants from Cairns to Canada, he made sure to call on a number of wine regions around the globe before returning home to work in Perth. While studying accounting he worked in much-loved local venues and even though the numbers and spreadsheets game satisfied him for a while, the wine industry continued to call his name. His love for this industry and customer service has him back in his natural habitat.

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Amber Dorney

Sales Consultant / W.S.E.T. Level 3 

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Having entered hospitality in her teens Amber tried her hand at almost every facet of the industry, she found however that she kept coming back to wine. The decision to make wine the focus of her career led her to the Margaret River wine region where she fell in love with the theory and technique of winemaking. Amber took her wine passion and knowledge with her back to Perth to manage Vincent Wine and complete her WSET course through to Level 3. Although her training has been centred around old world wine, this combined with her experience in our local wine region has allowed her to appreciate a broad range of techniques and styles. Amber’s role with Grape & Grain is her first foray into the distribution side of the industry, an area she is excited to explore.

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