INNOVATION THROUGH ACCELERATORS AND INCUBATORS PROGRAMS LIKE DISTILL VENTURES

It is very difficult when you are a start-up which is ahead of the curve. It is very difficult for many reasons but one which is that you see and make changes, and that many people want change but they expect changes to come from the established companies. Why? Less risk, more comfortable for them, wait for a plan and process, etc.

But change comes mostly from small companies. Savvy large corporations know that 'for the most part' they are behind the curve and many try different strategies to cope with this.

One smart process used by large companies to gain innovation, besides buying a 'promising' start-up, is to work with incubators.

A business incubator  is a company that helps new and startup companies to develop by providing services such as management training or office space.

Mot many large companies are doing it because very few companies get the point of this at the moment.

Disney Accelerator is a rare exemple. It is powered by Techstars, is helping today's tech innovators turn their dreams for new media and entertainment experiences into reality.

Some cities get into this, for instance the city of Los Angeles is supporting an incubator campus named LACI, for LA Cleantech Incubator.

LA Cleantech Incubator is the City of Los Angeles's official cleantech business incubator established to accelerate the commercialization of clean technology in Southern California.

Now, in the wine & spirits industry innovation is mostly driven by merger and acquisition. The concept of accelerator and incubator is mostly unknown. DIAGEO, Pernod-Ricard, Bacardi, etc. the big guys are struggling with generating 'disruptive' innovations and they are often relying on buying out companies which have successfully launched something new which made sense.

My biggest surprise was to hear in 2013 that DIAGEO was creating its own accelerator and incubator program.

DIAGEO!! Are you kiddin me!

Well they are the biggest and they know how to stay the biggest by taking all the necessary steps to maintain their leadership.

DIAGEO called this 'Distill Ventures'. I am blown away, check them out!

Screenshot of website of Distill Ventures by DIAGEO 18 Nov. 2015

I believe there are incubating 8 spirit companies right now.

Source: Distill Ventures

5 KEY FACTORS TO PREMIUMISE TRAVEL RETAIL MARKETS

In an excellent post from The Drinks Report, we learn that 'driving luxury, exclusivity and premiumisation' is not just about having great products in a great pack, it is also about creating consumer experiences.

Pernod Ricard Prestige Travel Brands

Newly appointed Manager for the consumer market for all Pernod Ricard Travel Retail, Cristina Carmueja talks about the 5 tenants of premiumisation.

1. Brand Innovation:  innovate in every category and even create new categories, by tapping into different consumer needs.
2. Consumer Experiences: consumers are looking for unique experiences they can get only in one place.
3. Exclusive Products: limited editions are really important for us. They differentiate travel retail from domestic markets, but not only that, they allow to offer consumers a product that is unique. engaging the consumers, either through the activation we create at point of purchase or through the way we talk about our products.
4. Exclusive Packagings: the purchase is made on shelf within three/five seconds – so you have to catch the eye. Special Martell 300th anniversary packs, or a beautiful gift bag with Globetrotter (the travel company).
5. Partnership: making co-branding partnership with another brand. Exemple, designed by X, made by X, or partnership with the specific store in this airport. For instance, having an exclusive with a retailer for three months to make it quite unique to that airport. 

Source: The Drinks Report, Pernod-Ricard Travel Brands

JAPANESE WHISKY ARE DRIVING CONSUMERS TO THINK WHISKY IS NOT JUST FROM SCOTLAND

I am always fascinated and often inspired by unique situations and stories...

You need to make beer before you make whisky (sort of!) and it makes sense that Japanese make whisky based on their long tradition of beer making and even going back more in time with the Sake production (sort of flat beer) which pre-dates by far the beer making. 

Japanese Single Malt whisky is today considered a classic for whisky connoisseurs.

It is an irony that one of the most prized Japanese Single Malt Whisky went out of business because it was ahead of its time and failed just shy of a few years just before the Japanese whisky craze (see, adoption and diffusion concepts).

Another interesting bit is the 'insane' appeal which followed once the distillery stopped producing (see, prestige and scarcity concepts).

"Karuizawa is one of the legendary whisky distilleries in Japan. It was founded in 1955 and situated on a beautiful vineyard in Asama of Karuizawa where is also a famous summer palace to Japanese. 

Karuizawa is the smallest distillery in Japanese but its ambition is big. Karuizawa adopted the top standard in making of whisky. It used the famous barley Golden Promise, distilled in small batch and aged their spirit in finest Spanish sherry casks that made Karuizawa malt perfection in quality.

Although all these uncompromising principles made Karuizawa malt the masterpiece, it was irony that its persistence was unsustainable commercially at that time as the market was not ready to accept such a premium Japanese malt. Karuizawa distillery was stopped production in 2000 and completely closed in 2011.

Karuizawa’s old stocks are now the most precious and rarest Japanese malt ever existing in the market. It is foreseeable that Karuizawa malt, such a great, rare and classic but diminishing whisky will definitely becoming the treasures exclusively for the rich very soon .Why don’t you collect some when it is still available and affordable? 

Can’t find any at your local shops and even the big on-line shops? Yes, you can’t. Karuizawa malt is indeed too rare and too popular to meet the demand from the connoisseurs from all over the world. Only the very lucky people may grab one or two bottles from the limited choices of collection."  The Rare Malt (www.theraremalt.com)

                                                  Karuizawa Whisky

Sources: The Rare Malt

CAFE PARISIEN IS LATEST ADDITION TO GRAND MARNIER'S LIMITED EDITION

Grand Marnier unveils latest bottle design.

Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge has unveiledits 13th limited edition bottle design – Le Café Parisien.

Marnier Cordon Rouge Cafe Parisien

The Parisian café scene has seduced the world for centuries, and these hidden gems of the Ville Lumière are the inspiration behind the Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge new limited edition bottle.

Le Café Parisien is the latest addition to Grand Marnier’s limited edition collection, which was established in 1927 to pay tribute to its Parisian heritage.

Dressed in Grand Marnier’s iconic vibrant red, and adorned with an intricate golden pattern, Le Café Parisien is designed to echo the flamboyance of the Parisian café scene and capture the spirit of early twentieth century Paris, a time when many famed cafés and palaces were put on the map.

This was the decade in which the classic, contemporary cocktails of today were created, such as the Cosmopolitan, which put the spotlight on the exotic, tangy orange flavour of Grand Marnier and seduced people all over Europe.

The Parisian café scene of today draws upon the splendour of the past and combines it with the energy of today’s mixologists, baristas and chefs. This is something that Grand Marnier has tried to capture in its new bottle.

The Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge Le Café Parisien bottle launched in October 2015 during the show at TFWA Cannes and is the 13th addition to Grand Marnier’s limited edition collection.

Source: The Drinks Report

THE NEW 2015 MARTELL CORDON BLEU IS AN XO NOW

As part of its 300th anniversary Martell is re-designing its iconic Cordon Bleu cognac.

The new design reflects the luxury nature of the product, besides maintaining the existing strengths of the current packaging including its simplicity, authenticity and consistency over time.

Martell Cordon Bleu XO

London agency Nude Brand Creation has used inspirations from past elements to re-create a traditional appeal.

The new Martell visual elements have been incorporated including the crest and swift. The signature of Edouard Martell is given a prominent position to honour Martell Cordon Bleu’s creator. Every element has been carefully considered. Nude worked closely with a hand-lettering artist to ensure the typography evokes the rich and luxurious side of the prestigious cognac.

What is interesting about this new bottle of cognac is the age statement. Traditionally, Martell Cordon Bleu was a proprietary blend rather secret with a certain quantities of Borderies into it, which is sais to explain it lightness and smooth appeal. Now this product is described as 'Extra Old Cognac' which is the long description of XO. Hence, this must be an XO!

Source: FOODBEV MEDIA

2015 MARKS THE FIRST YEAR COGNAC SALES REACH 4.5 MILLION CASES SOLD IN THE USA

This year 2015 for the first time cognac will reach 4.5 million cases sold in the USA says Shanken News based on recent reports from the sales and depletions reports from Impact Databank, NABCA reports and Nielsen Channels.

This results is contrasting with the sales from the economic downturn of 2008-2009. Sales have gradually regained ground since 2009, but a more noticeable growth has started since 2014.

Average sales growth is estimated at 18.5% overall in the US and 71% in control states, with the majority of sales being VS category cognacs.

Hennessy is leading the category with 64% of market share. Martell is ranked 5th with an impressive 18.5% sales growth. Salignac is a sub-brand of Courvoisier and is ranked 4th with a decreasing amount of sales (-5.7%).

Bacardi with D'Usse cognac is making growing sales since its introduction with the VSOP in 2012, and now the surprisingly expensive XO ($230) in 2015.

---RANKING OF COGNAC BRAND BY SALES VOLUME IN THE USA (2015)---
1st: Hennessy (LVMH)
2nd: Remy Martin (Remy Cointreau)
3rd: Courvoisier (Beam Suntory)
4th: Salignac (Beam Suntory)
5th: Martell (Pernod-Ricard)

Source: Shanken News Daily

HENNESSY IS KEEPING UP WITH GROWING GLOBAL DEMAND MOSTLY IN THE US

Moët Hennessy’s flagship  brand, namely, Hennessy Cognac continues to see sales increases in its U.S. market.

With a 64% share of the U.S. Cognac market, Hennessy’s accelerated pace helped drive the category’s total U.S. depletions to just under 4 million cases on a 7.7% increase last year.
Hennessy is trying to (1) widen Cognac’s audience and (2) cognac's consumption occasions.

Hennessy Cognac is a leader in the category to invest in reaching out to mixologists and have significantly built up on this momentum. But also through its campaign "never stop.never settle" and the inspiration from the "wild rabbit", Hennessy has drawn a great deal of positive attention.

The breadth Hennessy's product line allows the brand to cover wider market segments: VS ($32), Black ($40) and VSOP Privilège ($50-$60) tiers. In a Upward stretch the range also includes Hennessy XO ($160), Paradis ($250), Paradis Impérial ($3,000) and the deluxe model Hennessy Richard ($4,800).

With Hennessy's limited edition Artist Series bottles, such as with with OS GEMEOS, FUTURA, SHEPARD FAIREY, KAWS, KESH BURROWS, and more recently RYAN MCGINNESS.

The brand is able to provide experiential marketing views so important to millennial consumers as emotional references. This target is very focused on the pleasurable and meaningful aspects of brand interaction.

Hennessy Product Line 2015

To keep up with growing global demand, Moët Hennessy recently broke ground on a new 26,000-square-meter (280,000-square-foot) shipping and bottling facility in Cognac. The Pont Neuf facility will have a production capacity of about 10 million cases a year when it becomes operational, expected by 2017.

Source: Shanken News, Hennessy Cognac

WHISTLE PIG WHISKEY JOINS THE EXCLUSIVE CLUB OF SINGLE ESTATE SPIRIT COMPANIES

Yesterday, Whistle Pig Whiskey announced that their company was able to start harvesting crop for their distillation turning around the company into a so-called 'Single Estate Spirit' company, sort of like the wine is known to be.

https://youtu.be/iSn1NpQiU0g

This is a paradigm change in the spirits industry. Normally, the spirits are using glamorous brand names, an amazing story, a marketing budget, several celebrity endorsers in case one fails, they always do, a big corporation with lawyers and committee members, some large distributors with well paid employees dreaming of Fridays, and glossy magazine ads and billboards.

The craft spirits trend had made it difficult for the big corporations because it meant doing things slowly and small for the benefit of a more authentic product. They had gone around this with crafty paper and small batch numbers on the bottle labels. This was not enough so they started creating incubators where they could nurture and grow these small craft spirit companies under their roof and control what was going on.

Now, with 'Single Estate Spirits'!  A real nightmare for most large companies as they will need to get into this soon!

Whistle Pig Whiskey 13 YO

Whistle Pig Whiskey is one of the most iconic craft spirits brand in America and perhaps in the world. If this is what they do that means it is happening in the USA, but perhaps the US is not leading this one.

See in the UK how The Guardian reports the growth of Single Estate Spirit's companies with Chase and Arbikie leading the path.

———>FRENCH

La super super nouvelle tendance pour les 5 ans a venir dans le 'craft spirits' c'est le 'Single Estate Spirit'!

Hier Whistle Pig a annonce le lancement de son entreprise en format 'Single Estate Spirit'. Je viens de voir ca aujourd'hui.

http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2015/10/whistlepig-opens-grain-to-glass-farm-distillery/
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233870

Whistle Pig fondee en 2007 par Raj Peter Bhakta est considère comme l'icône des craft spirits aux USA, et peu être dans le monde.

Raj Peter Bhakta annonce a tout le monde que le Single Estate Spirit est la meilleure façon de se développer.

Sources: The Spirits Business, Entrepreneur, The Guardian

WHY WOULD CEO DO SOCIAL MEDIA?

Chief executives are turning to social media more than ever and Pernod Ricard's is no different, with Alexandre Ricard looking to the medium to help align its corporate and consumer brands.

Ricard, who has set the company's agenda to get closer to people by tapping their digital behaviours, is part of a growing number of social chief executives. As of 2015 the number of chief executives of the world's top 50 companies on social media is still low at 28 per cent, according to Weber Shandwick's 'Socialising your CEO' audit. However, eight in 10 are now engaged online and via social media - a rate which has more than doubled since the audit started in 2010. The most popular social networks used by company bosses are LinkedIn (22 per cent) and Twitter (10 per cent), according to the study.

A stronger social media presence also chimes with Alexandre's bid to be a more consumer-focused business; meaning eventually it will be able to put a Pernod Ricard brand in any consumption occasion

Source: The Drum

MASS-PRODUCED SPIRITS VERSUS SINGLE ESTATE SPIRITS

Now consumers are increasingly questioning the origins of the ingredients found in mass-produced spirits and are looking at more craft spirits, in hope of finding more accountability and more sustainable solutions. Hence, "Demand for all things 'craft' and local has stretched beyond beer into spirits" says The Guardian.

While not officially defined by the industry, single-estate spirits - also known as "farm to bottle" spirits - are generally understood to be products created using most, if not all, ingredients sourced from a single area of land. The brands producing such spirits are unique in their decision not to use neutral grain spirit (NGS) to bump up volume - a regular occurrence at both large and small distilleries.

Single estate spirits, on the other hand, conduct almost all stages of production on site, including growing, fermenting, malting, distilling, maturing, bottling and labeling.

Typical brands of Single Estate Spirits include:

. Arbikie Highland Estate

. Chase Distillery

. Cognac Philbert

. Maison Monteru Single Grape Brandy

. Vestal Vodka

These brands represent an emerging category that focuses on provenance, a concept traditionally associated with wine.

Source: The Guardian

MARQUES DEL ATRIO IS NOW PART OF CHANGYU

Yantai Changyu Pioneer Wine Co Ltd, a leading Chinese wine producer, has continued its overseas moves with the acquisition of Marques del Atrio, a wine company in Spain.

The acquisition follows Changyu's takeover of France-based Roullet-Fransac Cognac in 2013.

This acquisition will further strengthen Changyu's globalization strategy. Changyu is growing an international vision for the growth of its company. To compete internationally, Changyu needs to acquire an international portfolio of brands in order to respond to its market in China but also control some main regional growths where wine & spirits are culturally bound.

Spanish wine is not going anywhere and it is here to stay, hence a safe investment in the long run for Changyu. Since China is going to eventually need more of the same, it is wise for Changyu to gain access to its own stocks of wine & spirits to weather the storms.

Changyu's interim results showed that its sales revenue rose 22.8 percent year-on-year to reach 2.83 billion yuan ($443.8 million) in the first six months of this year.

According to the Hurun Most Valuable Chinese Brands 2015 list, Changyu remains the most valuable privately owned wine brand in China, with market value of about 6 billion yuan.

Source: China Daily

THE SKYROOM RESTAURANT OFFERS A FOUR COURSE DINNER PAIRING WITH COMANDON COGNAC

One of Southern California most prestigious restaurant, The Skyroom in Long Beach, will be offering a four course dinner pairing with Comandon Cognac this coming Friday October 23rd 2015.

Comandon Cognac Pairing Dinner at the Skyroom Restaurant in Southern California

Dinner pairings are not so common, but they are more common when pairing wines and dishes. In this case, the SkyRoom is leading the way by pairing multiple cognacs in a four course menu. The cognac selection will include Comandon VS and VSOP, and more interestingly a 2003 vintage single cask cognac from the Petite Champagne Appellation Controlee. This is a rare combination since there are not many vintages cognac and not many single cask cognac available that we know.

Seats are limited. Call 1 562 983 2703 to find out more and make your reservation.

Source: www.TheSkyRoom.com

SHINING WITH MOONSHINE, THE OTHER KIND OF CRAFT SPIRITS

I always thought Moonshine was illegal!

No, Moonshine is about fermenting grains like corn, rye, wheat, or barley and then distilling it to make a white whisky, that is an un-aged whisky. Eastern Europeans had vodka and western europeans had Moonshine.

Moonshine is often associated with the history in the hills of West Virginia and its southern neighbors, and rebellious hill Billies in the USA. The US has a long tradition of making whisky with different perspectives: Kentucky has bourbon, Tennessee has whiskey, and West Virginia has Moonshine.

HeraldMailMedia.com discuss Moonshine and presents Black Draft Distillery a recently opened West Virginia distillery embracing the local culture of craft spirits and Moonshine.

Black Draft Distillery Moonshine

300 YEARS OF BUSINESS FOR COGNAC MARTELL THIS YEAR

Last June 2015, Cognac Hennessy had a huge private event on the docks of the town of Cognac to celebrate its 250th year anniversary. This event was named the most extravagant event to ever happen in Cognac.

This was a hard act to follow for Cognac Martell on September 2nd 2015 outbidding Hennessy with its 300th year celebration.

Martell 300th Anniversary

Martell often quotes being the oldest large cognac house established in 1715. If you look between the lines it is not the oldest but the oldest of the 4 large house of Cognac which dominate over 90% of the sales in volume.

The celebration took place at the Château de Chanteloup and was declared a local “tribute to Cognac and the people of Cognac”.

Only a selected few were invited to the event. What many people will remember from this event is that the invitation were personally delivered to the recipients. A little look back on how it was done back in 1715.

Invitees were made of winegrowers, distillers and partners who contribute to the production of Cognac Martell.

César Giron, Martell chairman and CEO, and Alexandre Ricard, Pernod Ricard chairman and CEO handed a number of special gifts produced specially for the event such as limited edition cognacs.

One must feel very small thinking about the 300 years that went by and the longevity of this business. It is remarkable to think that it all started with selling one bottle a long time ago, and that the founder was not specifically trying to be a cognac house but a trader of things to ship from France to England where he was originally from.

This is not the only event marking the anniversary. Martell had organized events earlier this year such as in Paris airport Charles de Gaulle or Versailles.

Source: http://pernod-ricard.com

NEWEST HENNESSY'S VS DESIGNED BY MCGINNESS

Following Hennessy's artistic collaboration with OS GEMEOS, FUTURA, SHEPARD FAIREY, KAWS, KESH BURROWS, to name a few, Hennessy now welcomes American contemporary artist Ryan McGinness as the designer of the new Hennessy V.S Limited Edition bottle. Influenced and inspired by his life experiences and the frantic energy of New York City, McGinness transforms public signage, logos, and icons into fine art. Elements of his renowned Black Holes series are at the heart of the reimagined label, as bright colors radiate to embody the Maison’s Art of Blending.

Hennessy VS McGinness

Very colorful and more feminine than some other editions, perhaps a little more geometrical and electric rock n'roll than some others, sort of a blend of KAWS and FUTURA. A blend? That makes sense!

Source: Hennessy Tumblr

COGNAC LOUIS ROYER BACK TO FRENCH OWNERSHIP

The Japanese Suntory, 3rd largest company in alcoholic beverage behind DIAGEO and Pernod-Ricard, had purchased Beam last year in 2014. In buying Beam, Suntory acquired Cognac Courvoisier. In a previous post I was wondering what was Suntory going to do with these 2 cognac companies since the synergies between the two was not obvious. I was guessing about selling one, but I was wondering which one?!

Suntory-Beam Logo

Well, now we know Suntory decided to sell the smaller of the 2, i.e., Louis Royer established in Jarnac in 1853, originally purchased by Suntory in 1989, when Japanese consumed a great deal of cognac.

Cognac Louis Royer Logo

Why not selling Courvoisier since they have owned Louis Royer since 1989 one may say? Because Courvoisier is the 4th largest volume maker in the industry. Perhaps it is harder to sell Courvoisier than Louis Royer too - much more money. Also, I think the ups are greater with Courvoisier than Louis Royer.

Who purchased Cognac Louis Royer?

Emperador, the largest alcoholic beverage in the Philippines, owned by Andrew Tan, the 4th richest man in the country, originally a Chinese migrant, had hoped to buy Louis Royer from Suntory. Emperador is a very famous brandy in the Philippines. The Philippines is a growing market for the consumption of cognac and this was a clean strategic decision. I guess Mr Tan offer was too low.

Emperador Brandy

Other serious buyers in France came out but their offers were rejected.

Terroirs Distillers owned by the Picard family was accepted for 100 million euro. Terroirs Distillers is know for bottling whiskies in France and Scotland with brands such as Highland Queen, Tullibardine, Muirhead's or Rum Charrette purchased recently from La Martiniquaise.

Tullibardine Whisky by Terroirs Distillers

It is possible to believe that Terroirs Distillers will have a different managerial style and objectives than Suntory for Louis Royer, and perhaps will focus less on Japan and other markets.

Source: Nikkei

BACARDI IS ACQUIRING TWO CRAFT BRANDS THIS WEEK

Bacardi acquires Banks super-premium rum and cachaca brand Leblon in the same week

Banks Rum

Bacardi has purchased the Swiss super-premium rum brand Banks and its portfolio of 5-Island rum, 7 Golden Age Blend and various limited-edition styles. The rum, which is used by some of the most influential bars in major markets across the globe, is crafted from a recipe inspired by the British explorer Sir Joseph Banks, and the secret formula includes a blend of spirits from seven countries and is aged in used bourbon barrels. Founded in 2008 by Arnaud de Trabuc.

Leblon Cachaca

Bacardi has acquired the cachaca brand Leblon in a deal that caps several years of shared ownership in the sugar cane spirit producer. Leblon, one of the world's only global cachaca brands, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and burst onto the international stage during a campaign to establish cachaca as a recognized category in the U.S. market. Originally created in 2005 under the impulse of Gilles Merlet from Distillerie Merlet & Fils , also creator of Hpnotiq.

Sources:

. Drinks International online

. Drinks International online

WHY WOULD YOU USE COPPER IN DISTILLATION?

As I am passionate of cognac I am often fascinated by copper. However, one may find that there are different types of metal used in the production of cognac. I have always thought this was due to old traditions but this short article has highlighted the importance of each metal in completing different purposes.

As for everything there is a cost / benefit element to take into account. And 'quality products' are often the culmination of details.

Cork Sparkling Wine Copper

STAINLESS STEEL
Advantages: Strength, brightness, non-abrasive, non-corrosive material, easy to use.
Disadvantages: Low thermal conductivity (16 Wm°K) and therefore suitable only for boiling. High energy consumption. Can be corroded by kitchen salt. Uneven heat distribution can cause hot spots and burned food. It contains chrome and nickel (this last material is linked to several allergic phenomena)
Note: Stainless steel, loved for its polished & clean appearance, after usage, acquires micro-scratches & micro-cracks in which pathogenic elements can harbour. As affirmed by Bill Kevil, this does not happen with copper. Bill Kevil coordinated this study at the Southampton University (www.soton.ac.uk) and demonstrated that the bacterium E.Coli survives for months in stainless steel while only 14 hours in copper.

ALUMINIUM
Advantages: Good thermal conductivity (225 Wm°K), energy saving, lightness, excellent price/quality ratio.
Disadvantages: It reacts with acidic & alkaline foods and easily discolours. It tends to release metal flavours in the food especially during long cooking. Its natural porosity can not guarantee perfect cleaning which encourages the proliferation of micro-bacterium. If the cookware is made from thin sheets of aluminium the shape can become distorted and it can heat unevenly.

SILVER
Advantages : Inimitable thermal conductivity (420 Wm°K), energy saving, excellent nonstick performance.
Disadvantages: Very expensive and needs to be cleaned with care. A novice cook may find it hard to control the heat conduction.

CAST IRON
Advantages: Very strong and durable material that retains heat for a long time. It does not alter with time (only if the piece is well finished & enamelled at high quality level). It allows for good heat distribution, perfect for long cooking at low temperatures.
Disadvantages: Poor thermal conductivity (58 Wm°K) which causes the pan to heat and cool slowly. Heavy weight. Pans not properly seasoned or coated can cause food to stick. If enamelled the surface can be damaged at high temperature.

MULTI-LAYERS
Innovative technology allows the creation of cookware made of several layers of different metals in order to enhance the positive qualities of each material and minimize their negative qualities. It is impossible to judge the thermal conductivity due to the different combinations on the market. This technology has created some cookware with excellent cooking attributes while other items were just developed for commercial-look purposes only.
Some examples:
- 10% stainless steel, 80% aluminium, 10% stainless steel It greatly improves the thermal conductivity of the stainless steel pot
- 90% aluminium, 10% stainless steel It keeps the same good thermal conductivity of the aluminium eliminating its reaction with food.
- 10% copper, 80% aluminium, 10% stainless steel The copper does not substantially improve the thermal conductivity and it requires more cleaning.
- 90% copper, 10% stainless steel It reduces some advantages related to the copper but it increases its practicality.
- 10% copper, 90% aluminium The copper does not substantially improve the thermal conductivity and it requires cleaning.
- 10% copper, 90% aluminium, and non-stick interior The copper does not substantially improve the thermal conductivity and it requires cleaning. The unavoidable abrasions irreparably damage the item.

COPPER
Advantages: Excellent heat conductor (392 Wm°K). It cooks at lower temperature and reduces overheating. It is essential for certain cooking including sauces and candy. It allows substantial energy savings and enhances the beauty of your table. It is extremely resistant to bacteria and it lasts forever.
Disadvantages: Expensive, heavy, and it requires special handling and care. It reacts with certain acidic food. It is recommended not to use in the dishwasher.
Notes: Copper is widely used in the dairy industry, not only for technological reasons but also for biologic properties. It is used for distillation, not only for its capacity for thermal exchange but also for chemical properties. It is also used in the canning industry to preserve color and flavour of the fruits/vegetables). A copper boiler or alembic is compulsory in the production of Grana Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano, Cognac, Armagnac, etc. Recyclable and “Green”: Copper does not emit harmful substances and it is 100% recyclable. This allows energy savings and cuts down on waste. It is estimated that 80% of copper made for cooking dating back to ancient times is still in use in some form. Copper & Health: Humans and animals absorb copper from our environment and in our daily lives all the time. Being a natural material, copper is contained in many foods & in water. The digestive system absorbs enough copper quantity to enjoy good health. The extra copper is expelled.
Source: http://www.ruffoni.net/ruffoni2/ENG/metalli.asp

PEOPLE KNOW VERY FEW BRANDS OF COGNAC. DO YOU KNOW COGNAC DESRENTES?

When one thinks about cognac, brands like Hennessy, Remy Martin and Martell come to mind. These businesses have strived for centuries, and should be celebrated for their continuous and enduring resilience. These 'houses' have broadcasted many times their stories to large audiences.
Employees from these large brands often specialize in one aspect of cognac making, enabling the brand to excel on a large scale.

But this is not the only cognac brands one can taste, there are thousand of other brands that deserves attention as well – thousands of other independent cognac bottlers.

COGNAC DESRENTES

Cognac Desrentes

Terroir des Borderies
16100 LOUZAC ST ANDRE

-no website-

LUXURY MARKETING MY CO-AUTHORED BOOK IS NOMINATION FOR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

The creation and consumption of luxury brands is one of my favorite interest.

I am very inspired by luxury artisans and the craftsmanship necessary in making authentic luxury products.

Last year in 2014, I was able to co-author a business book titled "Marketing du Luxe: Stratégies innovantes et nouvelles pratiques" which is a book written in French about the management of luxury companies. I wrote the chapter about the creation and maintenance of luxury brands.

Luxury Marketing Book published in 2014, Marketing du Luxe

I am happy to report this book was recently nominated for the "Prix Académique de la Recherche en Management" which prize is recognizing the best business books of the year written in French.

The book is available at:

http://www.amazon.fr/Marketing-luxe-Stratégies-innovantes-nouvelles/dp/2847695761

http://livre.fnac.com/a6863376/Eugenie-Briot-Marketing-du-luxe

http://www.editions-ems.fr/livres/collections/regards-sur-la-pratique/ouvrage/320-marketing-du-luxe.html

Enjoy this video which illustrates how Christian Dior crafts a handbag. A real wonder, Astonishing!

https://youtu.be/ixBYyTYZvYQ