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CIDERS
– DISCOVERY –
Pierre-Emmanuel Racine-Jourdren, co-founder
of the Sassy brand of cider with his business partner
Xavier d’Audiffret Pasquier
MAISON SASSY: THE NORMANDY START-UP
Founded by Pierre-Emmanuel Racine-Jourdren and Xavier d’Audiffret-
Pasquier, Maison Sassy has been displaying outstanding growth in the
cider market. Launched in November 2014, the Normandy-based
start-up has witnessed incremental growth in revenue each year and
now markets several million bottles, half of them exported. They can
be found in gourmet restaurants and cocktail bars. “France and the
UK are our two major markets”, explains Racine-Jourdren. “But we
also ship to Australia, South Korea, Japan and Canada. We chose to
design a modern product geared to present-day drinking habits and
to break with conventions by creating a balanced cider that is more
complex than a classic industrial cider”.
CIDRE LE BRUN: FAMILY EXPERTISE
Jean Le Brun established this cider works in 1955 near the Atlantic
Ocean. It was taken over in 1991 by his youngest son Dominique.
Often showered with accolades in France and abroad, the company
has grown to become France’s leading independent cider works and
its third by production. “Our ciders are 100% pure juice and we don’t
use any concentrates”, explains sales manager Maxime Segard. “The
bubbles form naturally during the fermentation process in the tank.
Our ciders are not pasteurised so that we can better preserve aromas
62 WINTER 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE