Maison Ferrand
{{Short description|French alcohol company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Maison Ferrand
| logo =
| type = Private
| parent =
| foundation = {{start date and age|1989}}
| founder = Alexandre Gabriel
| location = Ars-sur-Formans
| num_employees =
| industry = Alcoholic beverages
| revenue =
| homepage = {{URL|https://maisonferrand.com/}}
}}
Maison Ferrand ({{IPA|fr|mɛzɔ̃ fɛʁɑ̃}}) is an independent French company specialized in the production and distribution of spirits worldwide. The company's products include cognac (Cognac Ferrand), rum (Planteray) and gin (Citadelle). The company's foundation is rooted in the history of the centuries-old Ferrand family from the Cognac region. Since 2017, Maison Ferrand has been the owner of the West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) in Barbados, and a 1/3 shareholder of the National Rum Company of Jamaica.{{cite web |last1=Hopkins |first1=Amy |date=13 March 2017 |title=Plantation Rum owner buys Barbados distillery |url=https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2017/03/plantation-rum-owner-buys-barbados-distillery/ |website=The Spirits Business}}
History
= Cognac's Ferrand family =
The presence of the Ferrand family in the Cognac region can be traced back to 1469. Elie Ferrand was born in 1630 and gave his first name to the first-born of the following 10 generations of his family. In the early 17th century, Elie Ferrand the 6th became the owner of a vineyard, and started to produce and sell wine and spirits. The cognac made by Elie Ferrand the 8th was awarded a gold medal at the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris.{{Cite web |last=Monti |first=François |date=2019-03-09 |title=La maison de Mademoiselle : Maison Ferrand celebrates its history |url=https://www.spiritshunters.com/news/la-maison-de-mademoiselle-maison-ferrand-celebrates-its-history/ |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=www.spiritshunters.com |language=en-US}} Elie Ferrand the 10th died during World War I, and the last male of the Ferrand lineage passed away in 1930.{{Cite web |date=2020-11-20 |title=Maison Ferrand |url=https://cognacreverie.com/maison-ferrand/ |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=Cognac Reverie |language=en-US}}
The Ferrand family house, which was built around 1860, had been the house of Henriette Ranson-Ferrand, the last descendant of the Elie Ferrand family. She had kept the entire family archives, and after her death in 2016, the house was acquired by Maison Ferrand and became the Fondation Maison Ferrand.
= Expansion to gin and rum =
In 1989, Alexandre Gabriel and Jean Dominique Andreu acquired Pierre Ferrand's vineyard and cognac distillery in La Nérolle, Segonzac.{{cite web |last1=Fisher |first1=Daniel |date=2006-04-28 |title=Gate Crashers |url=https://www.forbes.com/global/2006/0508/050.html?sh=4f6a2287ea35 |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Forbes |language=en}}{{cite web |last1=Bruce-Gardyne |first1=Tom |date=2 September 2019 |title=Maison Ferrand: a brand history |url=https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2019/09/maison-ferrand-a-brand-history/ |website=The Spirits Business}} The two founders also had access to stocks of aged Grande Champagne cognac from the neighboring Logis d’Angeac distillery. They packaged and registered the Pierre Ferrand cognac brand, and flew to the US to start sales. A decade later, Pierre Ferrand fought for the ownership of the brand but lost in court.{{cite web |date=2 November 2000 |title=Un petit producteur de cognac condamné pour contrefaçon |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/info-paris-ile-de-france-oise/un-petit-producteur-de-cognac-condamne-pour-contrefacon-02-11-2000-2001734870.php#:~:text=LA%204e%20CHAMBRE%20de%20la,d'une%20%C3%A9cole%20de%20commerce |website=leparisien.fr |language=fr-FR}}{{cite web |title=Spiritueux Magazine : L'affaire Pierre Ferrand - "Le producteur de cognac condamné pour contrefaçon". |url=http://www.spiritueuxmagazine.com/2020/04/cognac-laffaire-pierre-ferrand-le.html |website=.spiritueux magazine}}
The German subsidiary Ferrand Deutschland GmBH was created in 2000. Distribution grew slowly in the US. In the early 2000s, cognac became a trendy drink of the hip hop community, leading to a boost in sales in the US, and mixology became a worldwide trend, giving room for smaller brands to exist through iconic drinks.
Since the distilling of cognac is seasonal, the company fought for the right to use its empty stills for other purposes, and launched the gin Citadelle, France's first craft gin, in 1996.{{cite web |last1=Grimes |first1=William |date=2 December 1998 |title=Fully Armed, a French Gin Storms the Gates |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/02/dining/sips-fully-armed-a-french-gin-storms-the-gates.html |website=The New York Times}}{{cite web |last1=Davet |first1=Stephane |date=31 May 2022 |title=Citadelle, au paradis des alambics |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/m-styles/article/2022/05/31/citadelle-au-paradis-des-alambics_6128398_4497319.html |website=Le Monde |language=fr}} Then in 1999, the company launched the rum brand Plantation.{{cite web |last1=Micallef |first1=Joseph V. |date=2021-08-11 |title=Alexandre Gabriel On Ferrand And The Future Of Cognac |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemicallef/2021/08/07/alexandre-gabriel-on-ferrand-and-the-future-of-cognac/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Forbes |language=en}} Jean-Dominique Andreu left Cognac Ferrand in February 2008.{{cite web |date=2020-10-12 |title=Jean-Dominique Andreu - Jean-Dominique Andreu: A life in spirits |url=https://www.thedrinksreport.com/interviews/2020/204-jean-dominique-andreu.html |website=TheDrinksReport.com |language=en}}
In 2017, Maison Ferrand acquired its first distillery in the Caribbean, the 19th-century West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) in Barbados, and 1/3 of the National Rum Company of Jamaica (Clarendon and Long Pond Distilleries). In 2021, the company inaugurated a new distillery entirely dedicated to the production of Citadelle gin in Ars, Charente,(in French) Stéphane Davet, [https://www.lemonde.fr/m-styles/article/2022/05/31/citadelle-au-paradis-des-alambics_6128398_4497319.html Citadelle, au paradis des alambics], Le Monde, 31 May 2022 and In 2023, it inaugurated the world's first floating spirits cellar in a typical Parisian barge (péniche), the Barge 166 which is moored on the Seine.{{Cite web |last=Pomranz |first=Mike |date=2021-10-22 |title=This Barge Is the 'World's First' Floating Aging Cellar for Cognac and Other Spirits |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/barge-worlds-first-floating-aging-142252657.html |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=Yahoo Life |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Bureau |first=Olivier |date=2023-02-18 |title=À Issy-les-Moulineaux, la Seine berce rhums et cognacs : « Nous sommes le seul chai flottant au monde » |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/hauts-de-seine-92/a-issy-les-moulineaux-la-seine-berce-rhums-et-cognacs-nous-sommes-le-seul-chai-flottant-au-monde-18-02-2023-KDBOBNOYJFEBTNTLWXR34MXBDI.php |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=leparisien.fr |language=fr-FR}} Maison Ferrand bought the British distribution company Identity Drinks in July 2024 and renamed it Maison Ferrand UK.{{Cite web |last=Bayley |first=James |date=23 July 2024 |title=Maison Ferrand completes acquisition of Identity Drinks |url=https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/33059/Maison_Ferrand_completes_acquisition_of_Identity_Drinks.html |access-date=2025-05-27 |website=harpers.co.uk |language=en}}
Description
Maison Ferrand is a French company specialized in the production and distribution of spirits worldwide. The company is independent and owns the following brands:
In its production process, Maison Ferrand favors the crossover of traditional distilling and aging techniques. The Planteray rum is first distilled and aged in Barbados and other rum-producing countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia-Pacific, and aged a second time in Ferrand cognac barrels in France. The Ferrand Renegade collection is cognac aged in rum barrels.{{Cite web |last=Hermine |first=Frédérique |date=2019-05-31 |title=30 ans et des tonneaux d’idées pour la Maison Ferrand |url=https://www.terredevins.com/actualites/30-ans-et-des-tonneaux-didees-pour-la-maison-ferrand |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Terre de Vins |language=fr-FR}} Maison Ferrand owns commercial subsidiaries in the USA, Germany{{Cite web |date=2020-11-25 |title=20 Jahre Ferrand Deutschland GmbH – Enno Proff im Interview |url=https://www.about-drinks.com/20-jahre-ferrand-deutschland-gmbh-enno-proff-im-interview/ |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=about-drinks.com |language=de-DE}} and the UK.
Foundation
The Ferrand Foundation was launched in 2016 to study and preserve the intangible cultural heritage of cognac and rum. The foundation is located in the historic house of the Ferrand family, the Manoir de Mademoiselle, in Segonzac, Charente.
The foundation published the following books:
- {{Cite book |last=Blanc |first=Jacques |title=Ellie Ferrand VIII, the Life and Times of an Enlightened Cognac Farmer |year=2018}}
- {{Cite book |last=Blanc |first=Jacques |title=History of Grande Champagne de Cognac |last2=Gabriel |first2=Alexandre |publisher=Fondation Ferrand Collection |year=2020}}
- {{Cite book |last=Gabriel |first=Alexandre |title=Exploring 300 Years of Royal Navy Rum and its Techniques |last2=Pietrek |first2=Matt |author-link2=Matt Pietrek |year=2024 |isbn=979-8-218-44823-3}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://maisonferrand.com/}}
Category:1989 establishments in France
Category:Food and drink companies established in 1989
Category:Distilleries in France
Category:Alcoholic drink companies
Category:Luxury brand holding companies
Category:Holding companies of France