François Frères

The house

Joseph François started a cooperage at Saint-Romain, in the Côte-d’Or, in 1910. In 1942 his sons Robert and Henri formed the company Tonnellerie François Frères. Jean François had joined the house in 1959, and in 1972 he and Noëlle François took it over and sent its barrels abroad, first to Italy and California. The first barrel sold in Italy went to Angelo Gaja, and with Mondavi the barrels crossed the Atlantic. In 1982 Rosemount, in Australia, ordered its first barrels from the house, and so did the Catena family in Argentina. That year the house received the Grand prix de l’Exportation artisanale, a French prize for craft firms that sell abroad.

Jérôme François, the 4th generation, came into the house in 1989, the year the family arrived at Demptos, the cooperage of Saint-Caprais-de-Bordeaux. From there the family built a group. Tronçais Bois Merrain, in the Allier, came in 1995, and later the stave mill Sogibois; Radoux, at Jonzac, was bought from Oeneo on March 29, 2012, and Darnajou, in the Gironde, in March 2019. In July 2020 the group took 80% of the stave mill Bernard Gauthier and of the cooperage Gauthier Frères.

The group trades as TFF Group and is listed on Euronext Paris, with the François family in control. Jérôme François has chaired its management board since November 25, 2016, and Jean-Robert François its supervisory board since the same day. In Burgundy, where it began, the group took 55% of Tonnellerie Rémond in March 2022 and the whole of it on March 31, 2026.

At a glance

Kind

Cooperage

Based in

Saint-Romain, Côte-d’Or

Founded

1910, by Joseph François; Tonnellerie François Frères from 1942

Owner

The François family, since 1910; listed on Euronext Paris as TFF Group

Direction

Jérôme François, chairman of the management board; Jean-Robert François, chairman of the supervisory board

Brands

François Frères, Demptos, Radoux, Darnajou, Tonnellerie Rémond, Gauthier Frères, Victoria, Pronektar