Five years after it was planted by Josep Ferrer Sala and Glòria Noguer, in April 2018, his son Pere Ferrer has returned as CEO of Henkell Freixenet to the gardens of the impressive Schloss Johannisberg winery in the Rheingau wine region (Germany). , very close to the mighty Rhine, to meet again with an ash tree that has taken root strongly. This tree, which still does not provide much shade or shelter, symbolizes the alliance between Henkell and Freixenet. The ash tree can live up to 100 years, and can reach 20 meters in height with a large crown of small deciduous leaves. In Catalan it is called freixe.
Both parties have confessed in Wiesbaden, the headquarters of the German giant, that five years later the relationship between the two continues to be positive and fruitful. They say it has benefited both Henkell and Freixenet. Pere Ferrer assures that “there is a good understanding with our German partners and we complement each other, and it shows”. And he acknowledges that “for me, these last five years have been some of the best in my professional life”, and that “I really want to continue”.
The company ensures that “synergies are manual”. In fact, the division of wines, sparkling wines and spirits of Geschwister Oetker Beteiligungen KG is the leader of DO Cava in 104 countries, market leader of Prosecco in 38 countries and leader of sparkling wines in 33 countries, according to Andreas Brokemper, CEO of Henkell Freixenet. They export 85% of their production.
The IWSR market research institute ranks Henkell Freixenet as the world leader in sparkling wines, with a market share of 9.5%. And this first quarter of the year they have achieved good results in the Spanish market (1.9% in value) thanks to the return of tourism, but not as outstanding in markets such as the Americans or the German. Despite this, they expect “a great summer”.
Pere Ferrer does not hide the fact that, if allowed by the European Competition Law, they would like to be able to acquire their historic rival, the Codorníu group, which they say has “great brands”. He highlights products such as Anna de Codorníu cavas, Viña Pomal Riojan wines or Raimat wines and cavas. Despite this, he acknowledges that “Codorníu will have many boyfriends.”
Both the German and the Catalan parties assure that there will be, in the medium term, no shareholder change, despite the fact that Pere Ferrer has already turned 65 and that his father Josep, who owns 42.75% of the shares, he was about to turn 98 on October 19. The property is divided equally between Henkell and the Ferrers, and with Josep Lluís Bonet (the latter with 7.25% of the shares). Pere Ferrer continues to direct a group of wineries in the orbit of the Freixenet group that will not enter into the negotiation with Henkell, such as Valdubón or Vionta. In front of the Montsant and Priorat wineries, Pere Ferrer Noguer has placed his son Pere Ferrer Miranda, 34 years old.
Josep Maria Ferrer Noguer, who sits on the board but does not hold executive positions, also runs a couple of wineries in the Penedès, that of Can Sala cavas and that of Freixeneda wines. Josep Maria states that “Henkell’s entry can only be positive”. He assures that both the relationship and the cooperation have been “very intense and trustworthy”. He points out that “they have proven to be great professionals, with very good knowledge of the markets”, and adds that “the fact that it is a family business means that they have a sensitivity very close to ours”.
Pere Ferrer assures that they have no intention of abandoning the DO Cava, but insists on the need to make regulations more flexible and give winemakers greater creative freedom. He sees that the sparkling Italian Prosecco, of which some 15 million bottles are produced under the Freixenet brand, could have reached a ceiling, and that “this opens up a great opportunity for cava that must be taken advantage of, since it is the most well-situated DO in the world.” Of the “brutal success” that Prosecco has had so far, the fact that it has been able to attract many consumers to the world of sparkling wines stands out.
