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IMPACT - |
US NEWS AND RESEARCH FOR THE WINE, SPIRITS AND BEER EXECUTIVE |
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| Crillon's brands include aquavits O.P. Anderson, Skane and Herrgards, as well as bitter brand Ahus - all sister brands of Absolut vodka from Swedish drinks producer V&S Vin & Spirit AB. Also in the portfolio are Rhum Barbancourt and several brands from Distilleries et Domaines de Provence including HB Pastis, Farigoule and Elisir du Dr. Roux liqueurs, and Rinquinquin peach wine. Other wines include a newly developed Provencal rose from Domaine Rabiega, called Le Vin du Coeur. | ||
| Crillon is likely to add new brands, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, in the near term as the company gradually gets up and running. Two key possibilities being discussed at press time included a major Champagne brand and Port brand. | ||
| Impact managing editor David Fleming met recently in New York with Michel Roux, who is chairman of Crillon, to discuss this new venture. | ||
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| Q: What's the progress report on your new company? | ||
| ROUX: I retired from UDV October 31, and I started my new company November 1 (1998). It's not really an importing company. I prefer to call it a marketing company of fine beverages. It encompasses spirits, wine and non-alcoholic beverages like mineral water, which we may eventually get into. The company name is Crillon, like the Hotel Crillon in Paris. We thought that might be a bit elegant. | ||
| Q: What are the key brands in the portfolio? | ||
| ROUX: V&S, the Swedish drinks company, is a major supplier. When I took retirement, my friends in Sweden were kind enough to inquire about working together again. It's great to be asked - particularly by these people, who've maintained our friendship through the years, even during hard times. | ||
| Q: So the deals were struck last fall ... | ||
| ROUX: I went to Sweden on November 3, so we didn't wait very long. We're very excited, because we're dealing with a first-class company with so much to offer. We'll focus on aquavit, but there are other areas where we can do business. I have high praise for their Cognac. It's imported into Sweden in bulk, and has an extraordinary quality for the price. Right now there are three aquavit brands: OP Anderson, Skane and Herrgards. OP Anderson will be the main one. V&S has quite a few aquavits, so there's definitely potential to have even more. We think OP Anderson can become the top aquavit brand in the US by the end of this year. That should be achievable, because of the category's small base. But aquavit has potential here, because US consumers are looking beyond the super-premium vodkas. They want something with taste, rather than something odorless and tasteless. We've seen that with the development of the flavored vodkas, which have come from nowhere. | ||
| Q: What sort of marketing plans have you developed? | ||
| ROUX: First, we have to plant the seeds and cultivate the proper roots. We're developing a category as well as a product, and so it will take time. Putting 10-case displays of aquavit in liquor stores isn't the way to do it. We will plant the seeds for the future, primarily through public relations at first, targeting food and drinks magazines. We'll do that over the next 12 months. We may look at some small ads, but print and radio advertising will likely come later. We may also get involved with cooking, as we did with some of our previous products. But our efforts will involve not only cooking, but all things tied to Sweden and to Swedish tradition. Aquavit is such a traditional product, which can be linked with things like Santa Lucia, midsummer events like the crawfish festivals, and so forth. So many traditions in Sweden involve the drinking of aquavits. We'd like to perhaps participate in a television show, where we can describe the product within an atmosphere of Sweden and Swedish tradition. It's exciting. I'm getting back on my horse. I'll have fun doing it, and my team will have fun doing it with me. | ||
| Q: What's the structure of Crillon? | ||
| ROUX: I'm the chairman, and (former Carillon evp and coo) Jerry Ciraulo is president and ceo. He will be controlling the company, overseeing finances and other major activities. The organization includes a number of other people who left UDV after the merger. We have an office in Dallas run by regional vice president Christian Duchene, who has worked with us for over 20 years. In Chicago, we have regional vice president Rodney Sher running things for us. Regional vice president John Rooney is in San Francisco, running the West, and we have Doug Mulnard in New York, running the East. Our vice president in charge of marketing is Ernie Capria, and our vice president of administration is Mike Yarema. And we are hiring other people as well. | ||
| Q: The main offices will be in New Jersey? | ||
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