FREIXENET

Freixenet S.A. is one of Spain’s leading producers of cava (Spain’s sparkling wine alternative to champagne) and a leading producer of still wines as well. Founded in 1861, the company has been producing cava since 1914, including its world-renowned Carta Nevada, launched in 1941, and Cordon Negro, launched in 1974. More recently, the company has released premium Cordon Negro Vintage Cava Brut, launched in 2001. Lower wages and lower production costs in general have enabled Freixenet to position its award-winning cavas at prices far lower than France’s premium champagne. Freixenet also has established an international presence, with sales to more than 150 countries. International sales account for more than 50 percent of the group’s total. The company also has become an international wine producer, with wineries in the United States (Gloria Ferrer), Australia (Wingara Wine Group), and France (Yvon Mau in Bordeaux and Henri Abelé in the Champagne region), as well as vineyards in Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. This expansion is also part of the group’s efforts, begun in the 1980s, to gain scale in the still wines category. By 2005, still wines represented 40 percent of the group’s annual sales. Freixenet remains a private company controlled by the founding Ferrer family, led by Chairman and CEO Jose Luis Bonet Ferrer and his cousins Enrique Hevia Ferrer and Eudaldo Bonet Ferrer.