Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/573907
October 2015 WINES&VINES 55 BARRELS B arrel orders from U.S. wineries con- tinue to bolster French oak sales, and the demand for American oak from outside the wine industry remains stronger than ever. About the only thing that could provide some relief for winemakers buying new barrels is the lower value of the euro, which could help mitigate increases in the prices of French and European oak barrels. Good times at the top TFF Group, which claims to be the largest wine barrel producer in the world, is enjoying strong growth in both its wine and whisky divisions. The company includes Tonnellerie Francois Frères, and the public corporation's latest fig- ures showed total sales of more than 200 mil- lion euro ($223 million), with wine operations accounting for 130 million euro ($145 mil- lion), and whisky growing 39% to 74 million euro ($83 million). A significant portion of TFF's sales came from the North American wine industry, which posted 16% higher sales last year. It was TFF's third consecutive year of double-digit wine barrel sales growth in North America. In addition to strong sales, the firm com- pleted acquisitions of the French cooperages Maury Coopers & Son and Berger & Son Coo- perage last year. TFF's roster of cooperages and barrel brands that it either wholly owns or has a stake in includes the two recent acquisi- tions as well as Francois Frères, Radoux, Trust, Demptos, Brieve, Bouyoud, Victoria, A.P. John, Alain Fouquet and Marc Kennell. The company also owns the Pronektar, StaVin and Arobois lines of oak alternative products as well as three stave mills in France. TFF entered the spirits barrel industry in 2008 and has enjoyed strong growth ever since. The company, which expanded its Ameri- can cooperage in Kentucky, is building a new whisky cooperage in Scotland that is expected to be operational in 2016. TFF owns Camla- chie, Speyside and Isla spirits cooperages. Sales grew by 30% in 2014, and in the near term the company expects that sourcing oak for spirits barrels could pose more of a challenge than selling them. New focus for Radoux As part of a few management changes, Louis Zandvliet joined Tonnellerie Radoux as general manager around the start of the year. TFF ac- quired Radoux in 2012, and Zandvliet is now focused on building market share for the com- pany, which operates cooperages in France and Santa Rosa, Calif. Zandvliet, who worked for the barrel-leas- ing operation H&A Financing for six years be- fore joining Radoux, said he's brought on new staff to boost Napa County sales and build sales of the Pronektar alternatives line. He said the large harvests in California have helped boost sales, but so too has the growth of the wine industry overall. That growth also has been driven by wines aged with either new barrels or tank staves, and that's good for the cooper- age trade. Oak Sales Stay Strong France's largest cooper reports impressive U.S. sales, strong demand for American oak By Andrew Adams KEY POINTS French coopers are enjoying strong sales in the U.S. market. The demand for American oak from the spirits industry remains intense. A stronger U.S. dollar could offer some relief on bar- rels from Europe. New barrels are toast- ed at the Tonnellerie Radoux cooperage in Santa Rosa, Calif. Sales of both French and American oak have stayed strong in the United States.