Vendom.jobs is proud to announce a new partnership with the amazing and well-known Renaissance Spirits company. Our new member will provide spirits for the second edition of our exclusive event: Meetings with the Recruiters of Excellence! We are also very excited that the talented Johann Bouard (Head Mixologist, Founder of IBDG Worldwide) will create for that night a signature cocktail named Mama Rose. Yannick Perezzan, Business Manager of Renaissance Spirits, talks below about the beginning and the rise of Renaissance Spirits, currently one of the major distributors of the biggest events in France.
Vendom.jobs – Could you present Renaissance Spirits and your position within the company?
Yannick Perezzan – Renaissance Spirits is a distribution company created in 2015 on behalf of a holding and spirit producer, La Maison Villevert, a historical producer based in the French department of Charente. It was founded by Jean-Sébastien Robicquet, who created the G’vine gin and the Cîroc vodka. The project’s genesis was a spirit producer who decided to insource the company’s distribution by including its own brands, as well as third brands, to complement the offer and meet the needs of the market.
For my part, at the time I was marketing manager at Corona France and I wanted to create my own distribution structure. Jean-Sébastien was one of my former customers, as we used to distribute G’vine and the other group’s brands. He was enthusiast with the project and we decided to start the adventure together as an integrated structure, on behalf of Maison Villevert.
Renaissance Spirits is a distribution entity dedicated first and foremost to our own brands (G’vine gin, Quintinye Royal vermouth, June, etc.). We responded to the market’s needs by expanding through new brands: Casamigos tequila, created by George Clooney, Cîroc vodka or Bumbu rum. This large product range gave us credibility and made us very competitive towards big companies such as Bacardí, Moët Hennessy, Pernod Ricard, etc. We are now positioning ourselves as an important alternative on the distribution market in France and are being recognized as such.
V. J. – How do you approach brands?
Y. P. – Our force lies in our offer: though similar in terms of approach, we propose a true alternative to large corporate groups, as we still present the philosophy of SMEs. In this regard, we make a point of establishing a proximity, an exchange, with our customers through dialogue and flexibility. This approach allowed us to position ourselves very quickly, especially since the large international brands that we represent support us in this process and allow us to make offers compliant with the needs of the market and of consumers, who often seek brands with a confirmed notoriety.
V. J. – When promoting a brand for liquor, which is not a trivial product, which characteristics do you choose to put forward?
Y. P. – It must be underlined beforehand that French products possess a real aura. They are appealing. French know-how is universally recognized and it is one of the driving forces of our company and of the expertise of Jean-Sébastien and his teams. Our products, like G’Vine gin and Quintinye Vermouth Royal, have been awarded internationally. In the bar-mixology category, our liquors are very appreciated, thus facilitating our positioning on the market in relation to the existing offer. On the French market, new products like Cîroc or Casamigos tequila (acquired by Diageo) offer an alternative to large international and well-established brands, which have been well-known for years and belong to the landscape of large-scale distribution. But our customers primarily come from the hotel industry, the night life category, cocktail bars and high-end restaurant industry and wish to offer their customers original products, different from those that are available everywhere.
V. J. – Can we speak of “French exception” when describing spirits?
Y. P. – In my view, “French exception” is not the best qualification, but we are, of course, internationally renowned for the quality of our products. There are many excellent producers in France, but we have an advantage: we have internationally-recognized spirits, now distributed globally. Moreover, as consumers increasingly recognize our products, we get the chance to position ourselves with our competitors’ flagship brands. When you are a producer, you do not necessarily have the means to showcase your brands, but we managed to succeed in carrying out that achievement in terms of marketing, people, networks, quality and notoriety, beyond French borders.
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V. J. – Renaissance Spirits has always been innovative in making its brands stand out of the crowd. What highlighting techniques do your customers request?
Y. P. – Precisely the type of partnership that we concluded with Vendôm, for example! We aim at finding selective partners to showcase our brands in a qualitative way and consequently reach the desired targets. Since 2015, we have been taking part with our own brands in very glamorous events, like fashion weeks, the launching of Star Wars, etc. These events gave us visibility and recognition from the very beginning, allowing our brands to stand out and become well-established in the spirits landscape.
V. J. – In this regard, can you tell us more about your future events, partnerships, etc.?
Y. P. – We actually make very little long-term planning. We know that we will be present on future fashion weeks, at the Cannes Festival. We have just returned from the Festival des Arcs where we partnered with Cîroc, but a great deal of opportunities arise gradually. We have the chance to work alongside excellent companies that give us a visibility attracting the people who wish to engage with us. As far as events are concerned, people are increasingly willing to work with French spirit brands.
V. J. – What are the new trends as regards spirits?
Y. P. – Gin is making a big comeback in France and internationally, and so is mezcal: though relatively new, this liquor has become the ultimate product for barmen. Tequila is also present in the background and I have no doubt that it will return very quickly centre-stage with the help of great products, like the Casamigos tequila that we distribute.
V. J. – What is the alcoholic beverage that best defines you and why?
Y. P. – That is a difficult question as it depends, of course, on the moment and the mood I am in. Sometimes, I would gladly savour a mezcal for its robustness, its innovation and its surprise effect. On some other occasions, I’d rather enjoy a smoother and easily mixable vodka. However, if I were to choose a liquor in a more generic way, I would have my heart set on gin, as it seems to be a good alternative: it has the power to raise up from the ashes, it is a rich alcohol, with multiple facets in terms of origin and diversity and also currently growing exponentially. Therefore, I think that I would identify myself with a French gin.
https://renaissance-spirits.com/fr/
(Photo credit: OOTD.paris Julien Mouffron-Gardner)
