Two brandy producers reach agreement to jointly market Ararat

AP Online
Jun 25, 2004

An Armenian brandy factory, owned by the French liquor giant Pernod
Ricard, reached an agreement with another brandy manufacturer in this
ex-Soviet republic to jointly use the famous Ararat logo.

The agreement between the Yerevan Brandy Factory, bought in 1998 by
Pernod Ricard in one of Armenia’s most striking privatization deals,
and the Yerevan Brandy-Wine-Vodka Combine will allow both factories to
produce Ararat brandy.

The label dates back to 1887 and was named after the mountain _ which
is physically in Turkey but considered the symbol of Armenia _ where
legend says Noah’s Ark came to rest. Ararat brandy is one of the most
well-known brands in Europe, and was reportedly the favorite of
Winston Churchill.

Pier Laretch, the director of the French-owned Yerevan Brandy Factory,
said “tough negotiations” led to the agreement, adding “but when you
are talking about such a well known brand as Ararat, you must be
careful.”

He said the agreement requires both companies to produce the brandy
from Armenian-grown grapes and to distill a spirit that is matured and
bottled in Armenia. The factories will set up a joint association,
Brandy Bridge, to oversee the shared use.

Both factories “made a choice in support of an effective type of
cooperation that will promote the sale of Armenian brandy in Armenia
and in the world market and will further the creation of good-spirited
competition between the producers,” Laretch said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress