FDBusiness.com

International drinks group, Quintessential Brands Group, has announced the acquisition of Lafragette & Legier SA (L&L) from French American Vintners Inc, part of the Kopf Group based in the US. L&L is one of France’s leading manufacturers of fine French spirits including fruit liqueurs, Armagnacs and Cognacs, in particular the iconic Alizé range of fruit liqueur spirits. The acquisition represents another important step in Quintessential Brands’ growth as an international drinks business with a world-class portfolio of brands, comprehensive manufacturing capabilities and global distribution reach.

The multi-million Euro investment is part of Quintessential Brands’ on-going strategy to acquire drinks companies that complement its existing portfolio of brands, enhance its industry services and provide additional route to market capabilities in line with the Group’s ambitious growth and investment plans. L&L increases the Quintessential Brands Group’s global distribution reach in more than 30 new markets.

L&L, based near Agen in South West France, has a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility combining a heritage of fine fruit liqueur spirit production as well as fine Cognacs, brandies and French vodka. L&L created and owns the Alizé brand everywhere in the world, except North America, where it is owned by Kobrand, a Kopf Group company.  L&L will continue to manufacture the Alizé brand on behalf of the Kobrand Group for the USA and Canada.

Enzo Visone, chairman and co-founder of the Quintessential Brands Group, comments: “This acquisition brings new production capabilities for high quality spirits including private label and contract manufacture products. L&L is renowned for its expertise in crafting exquisite fruit liqueurspirits, brandies and Cognacs and we are very excited at the prospect of working in both new categories and in new markets.”

The Quintessential Brands Group is made up of the Quintessential Brands Company, G&J Distillers, the world’s oldest gin distiller, Essential Drinks, the business-to-business supply division, First Ireland Spirits Company and the UK brand agency Marblehead Brand Development. The Quintessential Brands Company spirits portfolio includes Greenall’s The Original London Dry Gin, BLOOM London Dry Gin, Berkeley Square London Dry Gin, Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin, and Toussaint Coffee Rum Liqueur, which are all produced by G&J Distillers, as well as O’Mara’s Irish Country Cream, Feeney’s Irish Cream Liqueur and The Dubliner Irish Whiskey, produced by First Ireland Spirits Company.