Maison Ferrand 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.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Alcoholic beverages |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founder | Alexandre Gabriel |
| Headquarters | Ars-sur-Formans |
| Products | Cognac, rum, gin |
| Website | maisonferrand |
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.[1]
History
editCognac's Ferrand family
editThe 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 spirit.[2] The cognac made by Elie Ferrand the 8th was awarded a gold medal at the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris.[3] Elie Ferrand the 10th died during World War I, and the last male of the Ferrand lineage passed away in 1930.[2]
The Ferrand family house, which was built around 1860, had been the house of Henriette Ranson-Ferrand, the last descendant of the Ellie 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.[2][3]
Expansion to gin and rum
editIn 1989, Alexandre Gabriel and Jean Dominique Andreu acquired Pierre Ferrand's vineyard and cognac distillery in La Nérolle, Segonzac.[4][5] 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.[4] A decade later, Pierre Ferrand fought for the ownership of the brand but lost in court.[6][7]
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,[4] and mixology became a worldwide trend, giving room for smaller brands to exist through iconic drinks.[5]
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.[8][9] Then in 1999, the company launched the rum brand Plantation.[10] Jean-Dominique Andreu left Cognac Ferrand in February 2008.[11]
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).[1] In 2021, the company inaugurated a new distillery in Ars, Charente, entirely dedicated to the production of Citadelle gin.[12] In 2023, the company inaugurated the world's first floating spirits cellar in a typical Parisian barge (péniche), the Barge 166 which is moored on the Seine.[13][14]
Description
editMaison Ferrand is a French company specialized in the production and distribution of spirits worldwide. The company is independent and owns the following brands:
| Brand | Type | Launch year |
|---|---|---|
| Ferrand | Cognac | 1989 |
| Citadelle[8] | Gin | 1996 |
| Planteray | Rum | 1999 |
| Dry Curaçao[17] | Orange liqueur | 2012 |
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.[18] Maison Ferrand owns a commercial subsidiary in Germany.[19]
Foundation
editThe 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.[3]
The foundation published the following books:
- Blanc, Jacques (2018). Ellie Ferrand VIII, the Life and Times of an Enlightened Cognac Farmer.
- Blanc, Jacques; Gabriel, Alexandre (2020). History of Grande Champagne de Cognac. Fondation Ferrand Collection.
References
edit- ^ a b Hopkins, Amy (13 March 2017). "Plantation Rum owner buys Barbados distillery". The Spirits Business.
- ^ a b c "Maison Ferrand". Cognac Reverie. 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
- ^ a b c Monti, François (2019-03-09). "La maison de Mademoiselle : Maison Ferrand celebrates its history". www.spiritshunters.com. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
- ^ a b c Fisher, Daniel (2006-04-28). "Gate Crashers". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
- ^ a b Bruce-Gardyne, Tom (2 September 2019). "Maison Ferrand: a brand history". The Spirits Business.
- ^ "Un petit producteur de cognac condamné pour contrefaçon". leparisien.fr (in French). 2 November 2000.
- ^ "Spiritueux Magazine : L'affaire Pierre Ferrand - "Le producteur de cognac condamné pour contrefaçon"". .spiritueux magazine.
- ^ a b Grimes, William (2 December 1998). "Fully Armed, a French Gin Storms the Gates". The New York Times.
- ^ Davet, Stephane (31 May 2022). "Citadelle, au paradis des alambics". Le Monde (in French).
- ^ Micallef, Joseph V. (2021-08-11). "Alexandre Gabriel On Ferrand And The Future Of Cognac". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
- ^ "Jean-Dominique Andreu - Jean-Dominique Andreu: A life in spirits". TheDrinksReport.com. 2020-10-12.
- ^ (in French) Stéphane Davet, Citadelle, au paradis des alambics, Le Monde, 31 May 2022
- ^ Pomranz, Mike (2021-10-22). "This Barge Is the 'World's First' Floating Aging Cellar for Cognac and Other Spirits". Yahoo Life. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
- ^ Bureau, Olivier (2023-02-18). "À Issy-les-Moulineaux, la Seine berce rhums et cognacs : « Nous sommes le seul chai flottant au monde »". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 2024-08-12.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Ferron, Rachelle (25 October 2022). "Plantations kept slaves. They were a place of horror. Why exploit them as a sales brand?". The Guardian.
- ^ Carruthers, Nicola (30 June 2020). "Plantation Rum to change name". The Spirits Business.
- ^ Jason, Wilson (2012-05-22). "My favorite curacao is so 19th-century". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
- ^ Hermine, Frédérique (2019-05-31). "30 ans et des tonneaux d'idées pour la Maison Ferrand". Terre de Vins (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-13.
- ^ "20 Jahre Ferrand Deutschland GmbH – Enno Proff im Interview". about-drinks.com (in German). 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2024-11-07.