Looking for an alcohol free alternative to wine and Champagne ? So Chic has interviewed for you Axelle Goubet, daughter of the founder of MAISON DIDIER GOUBET, in charge of the Asian market expansion.
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An alcohol free alternative to Wine and Champagne: An interview with Axelle Goubet
- - Gastronomy
Hello Axelle, can you introduce yourself?
In 2016, my father and I, went for the first time to Singapore for an exhibition called ‘The Food Hotel Asia’ which triggered me wanting to work in Asia and to grow are market presence in the region.
I have been immersed in Bordeaux vineyards and the business since I was a child. Every summer we went to see the harvest of the vineyards and to visit different Bordeaux Chateaux. I can still remember as a child tasting the refreshing grape juice every summer.
My father is firstly an entrepreneur and secondly an experienced agronomist, and has been working with independent winegrowers and oenologists for more than 20 years. Within this time, I have enjoyed from a young age, watching the business grow from a small company to an international exporter to where we are now. When I was younger, I always gave my family a helping hand during my holidays. This gave me an interest in the business at young age, so after completing my studies and gaining some commercial experience in the health supplements sector, it made perfect sense to move back to my family’s company to work full time.
I have been based in Singapore for almost one year, my brief is to expand our brand all over the Asian region from India to China to Myanmar. Luckily I am being helped by the global trend of consumers demanding more sustainable products which are respectful of the environment, as well as, nutritious and healthy
Can you describe what does the company MAISON DIDIER GOUBET produce? Does the name have meaning?
The full description of the product is that it is an organic, sugar and sulfites free, premium grape juice, made as a “Grand Cru” from the Bordeaux region. The exceptional aromas are the result of using old vines, while producing a small yield. We also make sure the production process is as natural as possible without the use of any synthetic pesticides, artificial aromas, artificial coloring or any chemical additives.
Our product comes from vineyards which usually produce great French wines. We produce Merlot, Cabernet and Semillon alcohol free juices. We offer both sparkling and non-sparkling varieties. The beauty of our product is that is more like a wine than a juice because we use the same processes as the wine producers.
The main advantage of our juice is to offer people a new way to discover French Wines, for it being alcohol free, it allows people who can’t drink alcohol the option to have a quality wine like drink. From my research I am finding more and more people are drinks less alcohol these days and prefer healthier alternatives. Our products are also targeted at people who can’t drink for a variety of different reasons such as allergies, cultural reasons, pregnancy ect. It’s an elegant alternative to wine and Champagne, same color, same texture, and should be served in wine or champagne glasses.
Other than drinking our juices straight from the bottle, I am starting to get more interest in our juices from bartenders using them as a base for aromatic cocktails and mocktails and we are also used by chefs in around 20 Michelin Star restaurants around the world for their recipes.
In your opinion, what is the secret of your success and what would you like to achieve?
DIDIER GOUBET has won many awards including the “Best Of Boisson” award at the Gourmet Selection 2018 show.
Yes and we are honoured for all this recognition of my family’s hard work over many years. I believe that our central values; organic farming, handicraft, sustainability, guide us every year and help us produce a product which is superior to our competition. We are lucky to have some famous ambassadors which naturally help promote the juices, such as Michelin starred chefs like Alain Ducasse and Régis Marcon, as well as, famous sommelier and mixologists.
By keeping the same process to make a wine, we keep all the health benefits of the organic grapes: polyphenols, resveratrol, vitamins, and other antioxidants. Our concept and approach make us unique in our field, we believe this to be the main reason why our juices are so popular.
For the future, I would like to be more and more engaged in furthering the sustainability and the circularity of our products while keeping with the traditional ways of production. Our French vineyards are a treasure that we need to protect and to help enhance for future generations.
When did you set up in Singapore and what are your ambitions for the Asian region?
We started in Singapore in 2018 with our distributor and we have had a physical presence here since I arrived around the middle of last year.
My ambitions for the Asian region are for our grape juices to become a well-known, premium alternative to wine or champagne within restaurants, bars and hotels throughout Asia. My father created this wonderful business and my goal is to make the company even more of an international success story!
We started in Singapore in 2018 with our partner Gourmet Partner who carries our range and we have had a physical presence here since I around the middle of last year.
