Rémy Cointreau has finished the week with a flourish, lining up a stake in a new non-alcoholic spirits brand at the same time as posting a lift in quarterly sales.
The Rémy Martin owner, which today (25 July) reported its first quarter of sales growth in two years, has acquired a minority holding in JNPR. The size of the stake, as well as the sum paid, was not disclosed by either party.
Conducted through the Rémy Cointreau Corporate Ventures fund, the transaction “aligns with Rémy Cointreau’s strategy of anticipating and testing emerging consumption trends, such as [the] fast-growing demand for alcohol-free alternatives in France and internationally”.
JNPR was founded in 2020 by French entrepreneur Valérie De Sutter. As well as its namesake brand, consisting of JNPR No 1, No 2 and No 3, which all feature juniper in its botanical mix, the company also sells BTTR No 1, RHHM No 1, SPRZ No 1, VRMH No 1 and the JNPR Sugar Free Tonic RTD extension.
In a LinkedIn post today, De Sutter wrote: “This is a new page for JNPR – a page that will allow us to accelerate our growth, strengthen our leading position in the alcohol-free spirits market in France and internationally, by benefiting from the group’s operational expertise in distribution and marketing.
“All this while maintaining our entrepreneurial independence and our spirit of innovation.”
Late last year, Rémy Cointreau venture capital unit bought into sustainable logistics platform Ecospirits, again for an undisclosed sum.
