Tonnellerie Baron, manufacturer of exceptional oak barrels of high quality since 1875
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_A century and a half of history
Key Dates
Founding of the cooperage by Henry Baron.
Passing of the business to the second generation of the family, Samuel Baron.
Passing of the business to the third generation of the family, Louis and Maurice Baron.
Passing of the business to the fourth generation of the family, Francois Baron.
Passing of the business to the fifth generation, Xavier Baron and Nicolas Tombu.
Invention of the OXOline barrel racking system.
Arrival of our third associate, Lionel Kreff.
Beginning of distribution to the USA, awarding of the Innovatiton Trophy at Vinitech for OXOline.
Invention of Vinification Integrale – Beginning of distribution to Spain.
Beginning of distribution to South America.
Beginning of distribution to South Africa.
Birth of the Culte barrel – Beginning of distribution in Bulgaria.
New distribution network in Italy.
Inauguration of the workshop of Tonnellerie Baron – Arrival of our fourth associate Sebastian Lane – Startup of our new stavemill, Grand Chêne®.
Beginning of distribution in Portugal and Australia
Startup of our exclusive computer toast tracking procedure. Guaranteed minimum conformity to our toast standard of 90% from barrel to barrel.
Tonnellerie Baron celebrates 140 years since its establishment. The Culte 140 barrel is unveiled as a limited edition commemorative edition to mark the occassion.
Inauguration of new cooper locker rooms, commercial kitchen and reception hall.
An environmental initiative is established whereby one oak sapling is planted for each barrel sold, a one hectacre biodiversity refuge adjacent to the seasoning yards is installed, and electric vehicles are provided for coopers to communte from work to home during the workweek.
Tonnellerie Baron installs the first phase of solar panels which will eventually provide 100% of the required electrical needs of the business by renewable sources.
Tonnellerie Baron envisions reaching green power generation equal to its consumption, or about 350kWhc.
Planting of an 8-hectare arboretum on site - 10,000 trees including a collection of 48 rare oak species -, that contributes to the sequestration of around 86T of CO² per year. Tonnellerie Baron pursues its objective of achieving carbon neutrality in 2025.
Launch of ALMA, the first ceramic-oak container for fermentation and aging of red and white wines.
Key dates
Founding of the cooperage by Henry Baron.
Passing of the business to the second generation of the family, Samuel Baron.
Passing of the business to the third generation of the family, Louis and Maurice Baron.
Passing of the business to the fourth generation of the family, Francois Baron.
Passing of the business to the fifth generation, Xavier Baron and Nicolas Tombu.
Invention of the OXOline barrel racking system.
Arrival of our third associate, Lionel Kreff.
Beginning of distribution to the USA, awarding of the Innovatiton Trophy at Vinitech for OXOline.
Invention of Vinification Integrale – Beginning of distribution to Spain.
Beginning of distribution to South America.
Beginning of distribution to South Africa.
Birth of the Culte barrel – Beginning of distribution in Bulgaria.
New distribution network in Italy.
Beginning of distribution to South Africa.
Beginning of distribution in Portugal and Australia
Startup of our exclusive computer toast tracking procedure. Guaranteed minimum conformity to our toast standard of 90% from barrel to barrel.
Tonnellerie Baron celebrates 140 years since its establishment. The Culte 140 barrel is unveiled as a limited edition commemorative edition to mark the occassion.
Inauguration of new cooper locker rooms, commercial kitchen and reception hall.
An environmental initiative is established whereby one oak sapling is planted for each barrel sold, a one hectacre biodiversity refuge adjacent to the seasoning yards is installed, and electric vehicles are provided for coopers to communte from work to home during the workweek.
Tonnellerie Baron installs the first phase of solar panels which will eventually provide 100% of the required electrical needs of the business by renewable sources.
Tonnellerie Baron envisions reaching green power generation equal to its consumption, or about 350kWhc.
Planting of an 8-hectare arboretum on site – 10,000 trees including a collection of 48 rare oak species -, that contributes to the sequestration of around 86T of CO² per year. Tonnellerie Baron pursues its objective of achieving carbon neutrality in 2025.
Launch of ALMA, the first ceramic-oak container for fermentation and aging of red and white wines.
Recognized for its creativity and capacity to innovate, Tonnellerie Baron occupies a unique position, exclusive and avant-garde among French Cooperages. An independent and family owned cooperage, the cooperage is a living history of men and women dedicated to their craft and terroir.
The terroir of the Charente provides a unique balance of sunshine and humidity that is particularly favorable for the aging of oak in our seasoning yards, and serves us well in the production of barrels, puncheons, and foudres of many sizes and shapes.
The necessary time required for each step in the production process requires patience and reflection. Tonnellerie Baron is inspired by its customers, artisan vignerons from around the world, to support their wines and assist them in giving their purest expression.
Recognized for its creativity and capacity to innovate, Tonnellerie Baron occupies a unique position, exclusive and avant-garde among French Cooperages. An independent and family owned cooperage, the cooperage is a living history of men and women dedicated to their craft and terroir.
The terroir of the Charente provides a unique balance of sunshine and humidity that is particularly favorable for the aging of oak in our seasoning yards, and serves us well in the production of barrels, puncheons, and foudres of many sizes and shapes.
The necessary time required for each step in the production process requires patience and reflection. Tonnellerie Baron is inspired by its customers, artisan vignerons from around the world, to support their wines and assist them in giving their purest expression.
« Inspiration comes from observation of nature and the forest, but also from the knowledge of vignerons and their needs. »
_ Our Values
« Our convictions guide us towards an environmental policy that is permanent, to guarantee the longevity and quality of our products, and also the work of the men and women who produce them. »
« The absolute knowledge of our raw materials, the mastery of each step of our production process, and our total independence ; these factors allow us to defend our bold convictions, form the foundation of our philosophy, and its transmission. »
Lionel Kreff
Co-Manager
QUALITY and TRACEABILITY
Each step in the production process, from the splitting of the staves, to the final finishes of the barrel, are integrated in our workshop. With our family experience, we choose the most beautiful oaks in the French forests, and offer our clients a range of products utilizing the hand split oak. The softness of the climate in the Charente, with an ideal balance of sunshine and humidity, perfectly seasons the fine oak staves. Three summers are required for the necessary chemical and physical transformations of the staves before they are ready for coopering. Our coopers, all graduates of the cooper school in Cognac, then balance the perfect doses of fire and water in order to provide a toast profile which matches our customers’ requirements. In order to contribute to the sustainable management of forest resources, Tonnellerie Baron respects the strict rules set forth by the international PEFC program. This certification offers our customers an assurance on the origin of the wood, and also testifies to our concern for transparency and preservation of the environment. Through this approach, Tonnellerie Baron guarantees uniterrupted monitoring of certified raw material from the forest to the customer.
CREATIVITY and INNOVATION
Recognized for its creativity and ability to innovate as demonstrated by OXOline and Vinification Integrale, along with the excellence of its coopers, Tonnellerie Baron occupies an exclusive and avant-garde position amongst French coopers. Our integrated design office develops solutions and invests in research to ensure excellence in our production flow and exceptional reproducability in our toasting protocols.
INSPIRATION and ENVIRONNEMENT
Going through the forests for the selection of our oaks throughout the year, we feel fully concerned by their renewal and ensuring their preservation as part of our heritage and legacy, as well as for biodiversity. For those reasons, we chose in 2018 to replant 1 oak for each barrel we produced, or about 15 000 trees per year. The history of an oak is written over several centuries, our lifetimes must not compromise the future of our business or the preservation of our forests.
3 core values
QUALITY and TRACEABILITY
Each step in the production process, from the splitting of the staves, to the final finishes of the barrel, are integrated in our workshop. With our family experience, we choose the most beautiful oaks in the French forests, and offer our clients a range of products utilizing the hand split oak.
The softness of the climate in the Charente, with an ideal balance of sunshine and humidity, perfectly seasons the fine oak staves.
Three summers are required for the necessary chemical and physical transformations of the staves before they are ready for coopering. Our coopers, all graduates of the cooper school in Cognac, then balance the perfect doses of fire and water in order to provide a toast profile which matches our customers’ requirements.
In order to contribute to the sustainable management of forest resources, Tonnellerie Baron respects the strict rules set forth by the international PEFC program.
This certification offers our customers an assurance on the origin of the wood, and also testifies to our concern for transparency and preservation of the environment. Through this approach, Tonnellerie Baron guarantees uninterrupted monitoring of certified raw material from the forest to the customer.
CREATIVITY and INNOVATION
Recognized for its creativity and ability to innovate as demonstrated by OXOline and Vinification Integrale, along with the excellence of its coopers, Tonnellerie Baron occupies an exclusive and avant-garde position amongst French coopers.
Our integrated design office develops solutions and invests in research to ensure excellence in our production flow and exceptional reproducability in our toasting protocols.
INSPIRATION and ENVIRONNEMENT
Going through the forests for the selection of our oaks throughout the year, we feel fully concerned by their renewal and ensuring their preservation as part of our heritage and legacy, as well as for biodiversity.
For those reasons, we chose in 2018 to replant 1 oak for each barrel we produced, or about 15 000 trees per year. The history of an oak is written over several centuries, our lifetimes must not compromise the future of our business or the preservation of our forests.
« The absolute knowledge of our raw materials, the mastery of each step of our production process, and our total independence ; these factors allow us to defend our bold convictions, form the foundation of our philosophy, and its transmission. »
Lionel kreff
Co-Manager
The Coopers _
« The trust of our clients strengthens our creativity and makes us more demanding of ourselves to progress more each day. »
The coopers in the workshop of Tonnellerie Baron sustain the elegance and finesse of the art of cooperage. A historic craft, artistic and emotional, which sublimates each barrel as a collective work that exemplify the standards of Tonnellerie Baron.
Aware of the fact that its staff is the heart of the company, Tonnellerie Baron gives priority to the training of its coopers. In the workshops, the production processes are constantly improved and many skills are developed and modified regularly to ensure quality of the highest standards.