Hennessy opens €100m new plant to reinforce growth

Hennessy Cognac has opened its brand new bottling and packaging facility ‘Pont Neuf’ as it invests in its future growth.

The new, 26,000 square-metre site, has taken two years to build, cost €100 million and was opened on Wednesday 18 October by LVMH’s chief executive, Bernard Arnault.

Speaking at the site’s inauguration, Arnault said: “This new investment demonstrates the long-term vision that guides Hennessy and the LVMH Group as a whole.

“By continually investing in artisanal know-how and the attractiveness of our products everywhere around the world, we make it possible for our Houses to grow and boost employment in France, in their native regions.

“It is this virtuous circle, which integrates both international reach and local development, that we wish to continue pursuing.”

Bernard Peillon, president of Hennessy, added: “Pont Neuf is much more than a strategic site: it stands for the company’s vision and is a symbol of what we like to call the ‘House Spirit’. This new investment sustains the chain of excellence that began with our 1,600 winegrowing partners, and continues with the whole of the Hennessy community to deliver cognacs of which we are all proud.”

The Pont Neuf facility, located just a short distance away from Hennessy’s other plant, La Vignerie, covers 30 hectares and is equipped with the most up-to-date technology, including sophisticated traceability systems and a high-speed bottling line that will be able to fill 240,000 bottles (20,000 9L cases) a day.

With a presence in 130 countries, Hennessy predicts that in 2018 it will reach a record 8m cases (96m 70cl bottles) sold, 99% of it in export markets.

The facility will initially employ 70 people, rising to 110 in time. Over 200 companies were used to help with its construction, 50% of them local, and it has been built with the environment and sustainability in mind. It consumes 40% less energy than a ‘standard’ plant of this type and 92% of the waste it will produce can be recycled.