Crillon Importers- "In the Media": read the article.

IMPACT -	US NEWS AND RESEARCH FOR THE WINE, SPIRITS AND BEER EXECUTIVE	Page Four (4/4)
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ROUX: Ahus comes from the Swedish town of Ahus, where Absolut is also made. And, as I mentioned, we're also looking at the V&S Cognac, although we have to find a way to market it. We would be selling Cognac from Sweden, so even if it's the best, you would need to find an angle. We'll also be looking at other things. There is punch, a traditional product that Swedes drink on Thursdays with pea soup. There is also glog, the warm wine which is a Swedish tradition. Except for the Cognac, these are all very traditional Swedish things.
Q: What about the rest of the Crillon portfolio, outside the V&S brands?
ROUX: We have Rhum Barbancourt, and we are handling and developing several items from Distilleries et Domaines de Provence, including HB pastis, Farigoule liqueur, Elisir du Dr. Roux liqueur and Rinquinquin natural peach wine. And V&S has Domaine Rabiega, a winery over there that is producing some of the best Provencal wines. We're launching a rosé wine of theirs called Le Vin du Coeur, or the "Wine from the Heart." We're trying to give it a double meaning. It's a wine for lovers, and we're also reinforcing it with proliphenol, which is good for the heart. We will also be representing their other wines. Their winemaker is acclaimed as one of the best in France. While the general consensus was always that Provence was really limited to rosé, he has produced some spectacular red and white wines. He is overseeing the project for Vin du Coeur, which is packaged in a square bottle. The label also is interesting. It's in the shape of a heart and shows a man and woman drinking wine. We also have a label with two men drinking together and one with two women drinking together. The labels say: "Pour l'homme et la femme," "Pour les hommes" and "Pour les femmes." The bottles are put into cases at random. There won't be a case specifically with any of those labels only. They are all mixed. It's basically the same label anyway, and you would really have to look closely to notice the difference. It's a public relations angle. People will probably talk about it, presumably positively.
Q: How did you wind up with Barbancourt?
ROUX: Carillon had it for years, and I was always very friendly with the owner. Their contract was up, and they saw that Carillon was disappearing. So they decided to leave last July. At that time, I didn't know what we were going to do. In November there were 17 different people who tried to get the brand, and I prevailed. I traveled to Haiti recently, and it is extraordinary how fantastic the plant and production methods are. They produce aged rums only, all aged at least four years, going up to eight years, 15 years and 25 years. It's like a small firm in Cognac that produces only old Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne aged Cognacs. The rum is aged in casks with very great care, and it's impressive. It's a beautiful brand, particularly the 15-year-old, which is of course somewhat rare. And it's upscale - the kind of product we want. We may also introduce a white rum. That's something they haven't done before, and perhaps there is potential there.
Q: Are there any other important additions planned for the portfolio?
ROUX: We're certainly looking at mineral waters, from Sweden and Italy, which are owned by the same company. But really our dedication is toward V&S. They've been very accommodating with us. We're also looking at a Champagne brand and a Port brand, but all these things will come later. Overall, it's exciting - especially the encouragement I've received, particularly from retailers. People have written me some very nice letters, and they didn't have to do that.
Q: So you're optimistic so far? Do you think a small player can succeed in this era of drinks industry consolidation?
ROUX: In the newspapers you read the obituaries, but you never read about the people who are born. Today in this industry, all you hear is that it's all disappearing, that the big companies are taking over everything. But nobody talks about the new companies. There is a trend of new people creating businesses, and this is where I see things happening. Some of these people will be successful and will continue the tradition of this great industry. I don't wish to criticize big companies, but I must say this: Entrepreneurship is what the big companies claim to want, but the first thing they do is kill it. They don't really want entrepreneurship, they want culture. They think that is entrepreneurship, but it isn't. Sometimes they have jewels that need the attention of a small group, ad they cannot do that. They become too big of a machine. We're still able to extract the soul from our products, and big corporations can't do that. Everything becomes a commodity by the nature of their culture.

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Michel Roux