Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Interview Partners to connect and practice with!
Back to overview
Anonymous A
on Jun 30, 2023
Global
Question about

1/4 wine - 3/4 grapes

In the assignment of the case it says that only 1/4 of the grapes are used for the own wine production and 3/4 of them are directly resold, do I understand that correctly? Why then is not only 1/4 of the total grapes taken into account when calculating the number of wine bottles?

5
800+
22
Be the first to answer!
Nobody has responded to this question yet.
Top answer
Andi
Coach
edited on Jul 01, 2023
BCG 1st & Final Round interviewer | Personalized prep with >95% success rate | 7yrs coaching | #1 for Experienced Hires

Hi there,

full harvest should be taken into account, as the question asks about the production potential (accounts for all grapes), not what is actually practiced (only ¼ being used for own production).

Suggest to always pay close attention to how exactly a question is worded and clarify with the interviewer, if unclear - protects you from falling into quant traps.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Andi

Adriane
Coach
on Jul 01, 2023
FIRST SESSION 50% OFF | Ex-McKinsey EM & Associate

Hi there, 

This is correct yes. However, in the calculation you want to look at what the potential total production would be. This is an important step to understand total potential revenue streams (quantity of bottles x price per bottle). At current stage, only ¼ of the wine is being sold due to a low brand image. There are no other major limitations that could prevent total production of grapes. As such, if the brand image is improved, demand might increase to such an extent that all grapes would be used for wine production.  

I hope that was helpful! 

Adriane 

Ian
Coach
on Jul 01, 2023
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Andi is exactly right here. 

And I need to echo his point: don't charge ahead without checking assumptions.

Setup the target # to calculate. Setup the formula/math. Use this to then sense check if anything is missing!

on Jul 03, 2023
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Hi there, 

To my understanding, it's the difference between what they could produce now with a quarter of their total quantity vs what they could produce in the future if they used their full potential. 

Best,
Cristian

Pedro
Coach
on Jul 01, 2023
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Former Principal | 1.5h session | 30% discount 1st session

Current Production Level: 25% of total grapes

Potential Production Level: 100% of total grapes

If you are trying to calculate current production you use the first equation, for potential production you use the second.

Similar Questions
Consulting
Has anyone tried any of the AI Interview Tools for MBB before?
on Mar 25, 2025
Global
10
11.3k
Top answer by
Iman
Coach
Systemiq | Ex-BCG | 10 years experience with 8+ specialising in sustainability | Free Intro | Ex-PrepLounge candidate
344
10 Answers
11.3k Views
+7
Consulting
McKinsey PEI
6 hrs ago
Global
7
1.6k
Top answer by
Deleted user
57
7 Answers
1.6k Views
+4
Consulting
BCG First Round Behavioral
on Mar 24, 2025
Global
6
2.1k
Top answer by
Lorenzo
Coach
IESE MBA | Bain&Co | OC&C | Private Equity | Consumer Goods
70
6 Answers
2.1k Views
+3
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely
Thanks for your feedback! Your opinion helps us make PrepLounge even better.