Sud de France announces Occitanie brand revamp

Sud de France has used the occasion of its 10th anniversary celebrations to formally announce the extension of the brand to include products from the newly created ‘Occitanie’ region.

L-R: Isabelle Kanaan, executive director of Sud de France, Frances Quinn, 2013 winner of the Great British Bake Off, and Sébastien du Boullay, promotions manager of Sud de France

Created in January of this year, Occitanie combines the Languedoc-Roussillon with the neighbouring Midi-Pyrénées region. It was established to enhance the economic potential of the two regions and to reduce administration.

On 1 July 2016 Sud de France’s remit was expanded to incorporate the food, wine, health, well-being and tourism products from the whole of Occitanie.

In wine terms, the brand extension means that Sud de France now covers all of the wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon, as well as more than 75% of the wines from the South West region, which fall into the Midi-Pyrénées.

“The extension of the Sud de France brand to include products from the new region Occitanie is very exciting news,” Isabelle Kanaan, executive director of Sud de France in the UK, said.

“Both Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées regions are very complementary and their combined strength means that Occitanie is now the largest region in France for wine, agriculture and organic agriculture, with the Sud de France brand providing one easy point of access to it all.”

More news:

Sud de France rewards loyalty with free wine
Gymkhana’s Radosav wins Sud de France sommelier contest

The announcement came as Sud de France celebrated its 10th anniversary with a party held at its UK HQ in Cavendish Square, London. The occasion, attended by leading members of the UK wine trade and lifestyle media, was marked by the presentation of a birthday cake baked by Frances Quinn, 2013 winner of the Great British Bake Off.

The celebrations took place straight after the UK Distributor’s Portfolio Tasting, also held at Sud de France’s London HQ.

Sud de France now represents more than 3,000 companies and regional producers and more than 9,000 products from the newly established Occitanie region.

“Sud de France has achieved a great deal since its creation in 2006 and it is now widely recognised both in France and internationally,” Kanaan added.

“In terms of wine, Occitanie is the second most important region in France in terms of exports to China; the average sales price globally has gone up 37.7% in 10 years and 25 % of all French wine exported to the UK comes from Sud de France. This has increased by 11% in value over the past 10 years.

“The brand has also had a major impact in promoting Sud de France as a tourist destination, with over 1,160 establishments now able to use the Sud de France brand on their products or offering.

“I would like to extend a huge thank you to all the members of the UK wine trade and media who have supported Sud de France over the past 10 years and helped to make the brand the success it is today. We look forward to your continued support as we embark upon this exciting new era for Sud de France.”