CHINESE tycoon Benny Wu is continuing his multi-million dollar investments in the tropical north, adding a Mareeba winery to his portfolio.
He has bought de Brueys Boutique Wines for an undisclosed sum and intends making it a major tourist attraction.
Dr Wu’s spokesman Leo Chui said the deal was done prior to auction last September and settled on January 15.
The boutique winery and functions venue includes 15ha of orchards, a winery, cellar door and function venue.
Mr Chui said work had started on renovations, modernisation and expansions.
“We are going to make it one of the leading attractions on the Tableland,” he said.
Mr Chui said Mr Wu wanted to draw more tourists to the Tableland as well as develop the functions side of the business, including corporate events and weddings.
“The Tableland is crying out for an events centre for corporate functions,” Mr Chui said.
Mr Chui said Mr Wu was considering increasing production of wines and exports.
“But it is not easy to export produce from Cairns,” he said.
Mr Chui said Mr Wu was working with tour operators to bring more tourists to the winery and the Tableland.
He said he was looking at all markets, not just the Chinese.
Mr Chui said the development of the business had been limited because it had been run by husband and wife team Bob and Elaine de Brueys.
He said staff would be employed but in the meantime the upgrade was taking time to get started, trying to get quotes and hiring tradespeople.
“He (Mr Wu) is very happy but there is still a lot of hard work to do,” Mr Chui said.
Mr Wu also owns Acacia Court Hotel in Cairns with work about to start on an $80 million expansion. There is also Double Island Resort and Whitfield House, which currently operates as a high-end wedding and function centre with four suites adjoining Flecker Botanic Gardens.
Mr de Brueys said he was pleased to sell the business after 25 years and had moved to Cardwell to “go fishing”.
The couple bought the property in the late 1990s after their children grew up and left Cairns. Mr de Brueys had been production manager at the Cairns Coca-Cola bottling plant until 1990.
After establishing the mango orchards and selling mangoes at southern markets during the 1990s – and following a downturn in mango prices due to oversupply – Mr de Brueys turned to using the mangoes for wine production.
Production started in 1999-2000 and construction of the winery and cellar door followed, opening for business in July 2003.
De Brueys’ venue is also one of the Tableland’s premier wedding and function centres.
Couples can be married beneath a purpose-built wedding gazebo then enjoy a reception on the deck overlooking the dam or in the function room that can accommodate up to 200 people.
Much attention had been paid to preserving the natural open woodland surroundings.
The area has retained many kangaroos and wallabies, possums, quolls and bandicoots, rosella parrots, rainbow lorikeets, black and white cockatoos, wedge-tailed eagles, kestrels and freshwater crocodiles.
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