_____________________ Origins and history _____________________

Rousseau cooperage goes back to 1954 when Julien Rousseau decided to set himself up as an independent cooper.
At the time it was a small-scale craftsman’s job which consisted mainly in the making and repairing of hogsheads and vats used in the production of wines and alcohols. From the start, customers included famous names such as L'HERITIER GUYOT, LEJAY LAGOUTE or HOSPICES DE BEAUNE.
The 70’s were marked by the arrival of Jean-Marie and Guy Rousseau, the second generation of coopers.

Jean-Marie Rousseau

It was Jean-Marie Rousseau, CEO since 1990, who was the first to have the idea in the early 80’s of diversifying the activity by starting to produce standard Burgundy barrels (228 litres). This had a double effect: • The widening of the product range making it more homogenous, • Creation of the first Burgundy Cooperage offering both small and large barrels Frédéric Rousseau   In the year 2000, two new jobs were created in order to keep up with the increasing production and quality assurance. Recently the coopery has been bolstered by the arrival of the third generation in the persons of Frédéric and Jean Christophe Rousseau.

Between 1999 and 2001, new developments lead us to launch a new range of products on our different market segments (casks). This product line is based on three “aromatic profiles” created by the combination of different French oaks. Today this innovation is giving results.

The severe selection of our oaks (only of French origin) is the key to the production of a high quality product. In addition to the selection, the constraints of natural stabilisation of the oak must be taken into consideration. The wood that is received is also controlled in order to provide an additional guarantee to our customers (certificate of TCA/TCP analyses).

The staves are still bent and heated using a traditional wood fire method. We have developed new fire techniques that should fill your needs for finely aging your products (see Piano® and Allegro®).

News about the “Mass Wood” product range.
The Rousseau coopery is rationalizing its big vessels range after working on two vintages in collaboration with a major burgundy producer for over two years. Rousseau cooperage, situated in Couchey (Côte-d’Or), has just completed the standardization of this specific range: round and oval barrels, winery vats, winery and aging barrels, aging barrels. The objective: to have a better response to the market needs through a clearer product offering. «Even if we can still do made to measure, we needed to rationalize the product range in order to be more reactive and competitive "; this is what can be heard at company headquarters. Rousseau Cooperage produces almost 9 000 barrels per year and about 120 big vessels, and had a turnover of 5 ME. (JMP) in 2004 (extract from the VSB).

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________________ Activity : Cooperage in Burgundy ______________

Rousseau Cooperage has the following productions:
• Barrels: Production of oak barrels for aging of fine wines and alcohols (80% de the activity, shapes: 114L / 225L / 228L / 300L / 450L / 500L / 600L / 800L.
• Big Vessels: Production of oak barrels (Round and oval), winery vats, winery and aging vats, aging barrels. (20% of the production).

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_____________________ Useful information _____________________

Tonnellerie ROUSSEAU Père et fils
Capital & legal status: SARL capital 200.000 €
Registered address : ZA Les Champy F-21160 Couchey

Production sites : F-21160 Couchey (Barrels) / F-21220 Fixin (« bulk » activity)

Company activity: Production of barrels, hogsheads, tuns, vats and casks of all sizes using French oak.
Tél. : +33 3 80 52 30 28
Fax : +33 3 80 52 59 52
www.tonnellerie-rousseau.com
E-mail : contact@tonnellerie-rousseau.com
N° Siret : 305 902 603 00029
Code APE 204 Z

CEO : Jean Marie ROUSSEAU
Administrative and financial manager : Nicole ROUSSEAU
Sales & Marketing Department :
- Frédéric ROUSSEAU - French English speaking
- Didier REICHENBACH - French German speaking
- Jonathan MOLLION - French Spanish speaking
Technical Director : Didier REICHENBACH
Head of Supply-Scheduling and Quality control : Nicolas MATHEY
Couchey Site manager (Coopery) : Pierrick BEAUVICHE
Fixin site manager (“Bulk”) : Hugues ZELLER

Markets :
France (Champagne - Burgundy – Côte De nuits – Côte de Beaune – Côte Chalonnaise – Maconnais – Beaujolais- Côte du Rhône – Provence - Corse – Loire - Bordeaux) / Italy / Germany / Austria / Spain / Switzerland / United States / New Zealand / Australia / South Africa / South America

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