Taittinger: bubbling up

Taittinger may owe its notoriety outside of France to being James Bond’s favorite champagne, or the first champagne house to establish a vineyard in the United Kingdom, but in its homeland, the fortunes of the Taittinger family have been closely followed for decades.

During the First World War, a young Parisian officer by the name of Pierre Taittinger was stationed at Chateau de la Marquetterie during the battle of the Marne. Less than two decades later, after becoming a successful champagne distributer and politician, Pierre returned to Epernay, checkbook in hand, to purchase the vineyard, along with the then more prestigious champagne house, Forest-Fournaux.

Initially more interested in politics than business, he charged his son with running the vineyard. “François fell in love with the profession and applied a fresh and winning vision to the champagne business, a philosophy that saw the company take some revolutionary choices,” remarked Vitalie Taittinger, the 43-year-old president of a company with turnover of €172 million in 2021.     

The young man set about extending the Taittinger empire in the aftermath of the Second World War, expanding to the Aube department, a less-well-considered corner of the Champagne region. Although champagnes usually contain a blend of grapes, he took the decision to use chardonnay, to bring an allure of elegance to the family’s sparkling wine. He also decided to put the Taittinger name on the label.

“This was a very strong statement, which we are still benefitting from today, as it made us an eponymous brand, and the Taittinger family is directly responsible for the quality of the product in the eyes of the public,” added Vitalie.   

Around this time François’s brother, Jean, who had helped expand the family’s champagne business, became the mayor of Reims, the region's biggest town.  

Ill fortune and rebirth
When François died in a car accident in 1960, his younger brother Claude answered the call. He brought the new concept of marketing to the brand. “Taittinger was the first-ever champagne to launch a publicity campaign, to marry art and artisanal, to go international,” stressed the president.

The ultimate act of disruption from Claude Taittinger came in 2005 when he sold the entire assets of the Taittinger group to Starwood Capital for €2.4 billion

The ultimate act of disruption from Claude Taittinger came in 2005 when he sold the entire assets of the Taittinger group, which by this time included prestigious hotels and crystal manufacturer Baccarat, to US private equity firm Starwood Capital for €2.4 billion.

The decision did not go down well among all the Taittingers, and his nephew, Pierre-Emmanuel, with the aid of the Credit Agricole bank, managed to buy back the champagne production business.  “He bought Taittinger Champagne back so he could pass it on to his children,” explained Vitalie. “While Taittinger had up to that point been the darling the group, it now had to stand on its own two feet, respecting a demanding business plan.”

Pierre-Emmanuel hired a fresh young team and gave them ambitious objectives: increase the volume of champagne production while maintaining, or even improving on, its quality, and boost sales by conquering new markets. 

He also took the then radical decision to stop the use of herbicides and, conscious of the glamor associated with rival big-hitters such as Moët and Krug, began marketing Taittinger as a luxury product.

Succession
In 2020 the time came for Pierre-Emmanuel to hand over the reins to his two children, Vitalie and Clovis. “Covid arrived at the same moment, and one might say it allowed us to take over the running of the company right away,” recalls Vitalie Taittinger. With the good ship Taittinger in dry dock, the sibings could concentrate on a new strategic plan that would marry economic performance to the values of humanity and respect for the environment. And with wine tourism on the up, the pair worked to improve the visitor experience at Chateau de la Marquetterie as well.

CEO Clovis Taittinger has a degree in commerce and previously handled exports for the company. His keen business has made an immediate impact. In 2021, the firm shifted seven million bottles of bubbly as turnover topped €172 million (compared with €157 million 2019).

"The succession was organized according to our desires. Our objective is to be able to carry out our roles with a lightness of touch and to be happy. When everyone finds their true place, that means the company is functioning well,” adds Vitalie Taittinger.

A vision the brother and sister team hope to transfer to their own children who one day, should they wish, will take over the running of this prestigious French brand.