Recognising potential
The home of the Three Barrels and Raynal offers, Raynal & Cie has long been ubiquitous with the global supply of brandy. A stalwart presence in the UK and US, the company has also made headway during more recent years in Eastern Europe and Asia.
It is an all-round appealing proposition, then, and it seems entirely logical that it should have become a source of interest for William Grant & Sons (WGS), which purchased the company two years ago. The acquisition followed that of Gibson’s Canadian Whisky, and found WGS reinforcing the impression of a company gradually expanding beyond its core Scotch whisky business.
The future for Raynal and Three Barrels – which has spawned variants including Three Barrels VSOP and Three Barrels Extra Reserve – is bright, says WGS global travel retail director Ylva Persson: “Since WGS took over Raynal & Cie in 2005, brand understanding and building have been our priority. That said, our undisputed leadership in the United Kingdom with Three Barrels has allowed us to tap into the UK tourist traveller to hot tourist destinations such as southern Portugal and southern Spain. The brand also performs extremely well in the ferry crossings and for the regional airports. Moving forward, our strategy will consist of strengthening our direct consumer link to communicate our long-established savoir faire in the town of Cognac.”
Emphasising the unique aspects of these brandies’ production processes will be a key part of the strategy. “We boast some unique qualities, such as the fact that we only blend eaux de vies from the three wine regions of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne,” says global marketing manager Vincent Gregoire. “Three Barrels has been creating fine brandy since 1814 and we plan to ensure our history is
communicated to travellers on our bottle and with our packaging.” The intention, he adds, is “to build the brand globally”.
Category-specific education could well be the key to achieving this. “We want to tell stories and bring the Cognac region to life through Raynal and Three Barrels. Long-term, we plan to help retailers educate consumers so they can choose the best Cognacs and brandies. Raynal & Cie presents a strong offering to consumers, and we will continue to make sure suppliers have our brands on shelf and accessible for travellers.”
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