COINTREAU

In 1849 in Angers, France, confectioner Adolphe Cointreau and his brother, Edouard-Jean, created a new kind of spirit blended from the unique fruits of the area: the "Guignolet". Seeing the immediate success of their products, the two brothers founded the first Cointreau distillery in Angers. Edouard Jean's son, Edouard, who had travelled extensively throughout Europe, noticed that the traditional opaque liqueurs packaged in elaborately decorated bottles, were losing favour with the public. He envisaged creating a dramatically different kind of spirit - a crystal-clear liqueur - based on a perfect blend of sweet and bitter orange peels from the most exotic parts of the world. To distinguish this new spirit from all others, he decided to package Cointreau in a square bottle with rounded corners and a warm amber colour - a refined and graceful bottle that would remain fashionable throughout the ages.

In 1961, Cointreau became the brand name’s only product. All the other products from the range were confided to the company Régnier, bought in 1956. The name of Cointreau alone perfectly sums up what it is: a brand, a company, a product, and a family.

The company is still represented by Edouard's grandson, Pierre Cointreau, Honorary Chairman. The group is chaired by Dominique Hériard Dubreuil.