Massaya

What Massaya does

Massaya is a Lebanese winery and arak distillery founded in 1992 (some sources reference 1990 for the Ghosn family's initial agricultural revival) that produces and sells premium wines (Rosé, Blanc, Gold Reserve red blend, Terrasses de Baalbeck single vineyard) and traditional anise-based arak from two production sites: Tanaïl in the Beqaa Valley for red, rosé, and arak, and Faqra in Mount Lebanon at 1,700m altitude for white wines. The company's underlying production technology centers on proprietary craft methods—triple distillation in Moorish-lid copper stills heated by vine wood fires, aging in clay amphoras made by potters in Beit Chebab, indigenous yeast cultivation, and French oak fermentation across 4,000-liter foudres, 3,000-liter casks, 650-liter demi-muids, and 220-liter barrels. Massaya owns 50% of its vineyards, leases 30% long-term, and sources 20% on the spot market, giving it control over grape quality and supply.

The business operates through a hybrid revenue model spanning beverage sales (wine and arak distributed via Lebanese supermarkets, restaurants, and international wine merchants across the US, UK, France, Canada, and UAE) and hospitality (on-site restaurants Saya, Fireplace Restaurant, and SunsetBar at Faqra, plus The Pond Summer Garden event venue accommodating up to 600 guests, and $5 winery tours and tastings). Massaya is privately held by the Ghosn family (70%) with French partners the Brunier family of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe and Dominique Hebrard of Bordeaux holding the remaining 30% stake, providing both Lebanese family leadership and global winemaking expertise. Distribution is direct-to-consumer at two winery boutiques and a Baabda pickup location, augmented by French office/distribution in Bédarrides for international trade customers.

Name

Massaya

Legal name

Massaya

Website

https://massaya.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Massaya is a Lebanese winery and arak distillery producing premium wines and traditional anise-based spirits from vineyards in Beqaa and Mount Lebanon, serving Lebanese consumers, international wine merchants across five countries, and on-site hospitality guests at its Faqra mountain-top venue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Winery and Distillery (Wine & Spirits)

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Distilleries (31214), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Grape Vineyards (111332), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic Vineyard & Wine Grape Farming (AFAGAKAI), Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD), Alcoholic Beverage Tours & On-site Experiences (Brewery/Winery/Distillery) (THAFALAK), Wine Bars (CRANACAE)

Keywords

• Lebanese wine production
• Arak distillation
• Traditional winemaking
• Winery hospitality
• Wine tourism

Headquarters

HQ city

Chtaura

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Wine Sales: Sale of Massaya wines including Rosé, Blanc, red blends, and single vineyard wines through winery boutiques, restaurants, Lebanese supermarkets, and international wine merchants.
2. Arak Sales: Traditional Lebanese arak produced from Obeïdi grapes and organic aniseed, sold domestically and internationally through wine merchants.
3. Restaurant & Hospitality: Revenue from on-site dining at Saya restaurant, Fireplace Restaurant, SunsetBar, and The Pond Summer Garden. Also includes venue rental for events and weddings accommodating up to 600 guests.
4. Winery Tours & Tastings: Visitors pay $5 for tours and wine tasting experiences at both Tanaïl and Faqra locations, with complimentary tastings of three wines included.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Massaya is a Lebanese winery and arak distillery that produces and sells wines (Rosé, Blanc, Gold Reserve red blend, Terrasses de Baalbeck single-vineyard) and traditional arak spirit at its Tanaïl (Beqaa Valley) and Faqra (Mount Lebanon) sites. The company operates winery boutiques, a tasting room, on-site restaurants (Saya, SunsetBar), and the Pond Summer Garden event venue, and offers guided winery tours, distillery tours, and tastings. International sales are channeled through fine wine merchants in five countries.

Product overview

Massaya is a Lebanese winery offering a portfolio of wines (Rosé, Blanc, and Gold Reserve red blend), traditional Arak spirits, and hospitality experiences. The core products are produced at two winery locations: Tanaïl in the Beqaa Valley (producing red, rosé wines and Arak) and Faqra in Mount Lebanon (producing white wines and hosting visitors). The hospitality division encompasses winery tours, tasting experiences, and three distinct dining venues: the Fireplace Restaurant (Saya) for fine dining, SunsetBar for casual fare, and the Pond Summer Garden for events. All products share the Massaya brand identity and are sold through the same distribution channels and retail boutiques.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Massaya Rosé: 100% Cinsault rosé wine, grown on the hillsides of the Beqaa Valley. Pale look, scents of white flowers, a persistent texture.
• Terrasses de Baalbeck
• Massaya Arak
• Gold Reserve
• Massaya Blanc

Products and services

• Massaya Rosé A 100% Cinsault rosé wine grown on the hillsides of the Beqaa Valley, featuring a pale appearance with scents of white flowers and a persistent texture; sold to consumers via the Lebanon shop and international wine merchants.
• Massaya Blanc A well-balanced white wine with white flower scents, combining depth, roundness, crispiness and an oriental twinkle thanks to the Obeïdi grape variety; produced at the Faqra high-altitude winery.
• Gold Reserve A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Mourvèdre, aged in French oak, featuring deep ruby hue, round tannins and a velvety long finish; library vintages dating back to 1999.
• Terrasses de Baalbeck A single vineyard red wine from grapes grown on the foothills of Mount Lebanon in the Hadath Baalbeck area, featuring ruby hue with gentle tannins and a persistent aftertaste.
• Massaya Arak An anise-based spirit produced from white Obeïdi grapes and green organic aniseed, distilled using a traditional triple distillation process and aged in clay amphoras; sold domestically and internationally.
• Winery Tours & Tasting Room Guided tours of the winery facilities including vaulted cellars with up to 13,000 bottles of vintage wines, oak barrel aging areas and wine tasting experiences showcasing Massaya wines dating back to 1998; available at both Faqra and Tanaïl locations at $5 per visitor.
• Fireplace Restaurant (Saya) A fine dining restaurant at Faqra featuring old-fashioned cooking techniques for modern Levantine cuisine, with vaulted dining rooms, terrace seating overlooking vineyards, fireplace-cooked meats alongside classical stews, fresh salads and quality cheeses. Open Friday to Sunday for lunch and dinner.
• SunsetBar A bar venue at Faqra offering indoor and outdoor high seating with sunset views, a wood-burning pizza oven, and a menu of pizza, fokhara, bruschetta, beef pierrade and cheese fondue paired with the full Massaya wine selection.
• Pond Summer Garden An outdoor event venue at Faqra with amphitheater-shape terraces overlooking vineyards, a Roman temple and the Mediterranean Sea, suitable for festivals, corporate events and weddings with capacity up to 600 guests.
• Traditional Arak Distillery Experience Guided tours of the traditional arak distillery at Tanaïl featuring copper stills heated by vine wood fires, the triple distillation process, and the arak aging room with 50,000 liters of arak aging in clay amphoras.

Quantifiable outcome

• Massaya helped establish Lebanon as a serious wine region, growing from 4 wineries in 1998 to over 45 wineries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Sam & Sam Clark (Moro Restaurant, London)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 June 2019Two celebrated chefs from London's Moro restaurant created a special set lunch at Massaya Faqra on June 22, 2019, and cooked for Sunday brunch the following day. The event showcased Massaya's hospitality and culinary offerings.
• Ghada GhosncoreOthers · 1 January 2019Ghada Ghosn joined Massaya alongside her yoga career, bringing serenity to the team. Contributed to the Massaya Faqra expansion project (2015-2025).
• Brunier Family (Domaine le Vieux Télégraphe)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998The Brunier family of Domaine le Vieux Télégraphe in Chateauneuf-du-Pape partnered with Massaya, providing expertise in winemaking and helping establish the winery in 1998 as the first new generation winery marking Lebanon's wine renaissance.
• Hebrard Family (Dominique Hebrard)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Dominique Hebrard from Bordeaux partnered with Massaya, bringing expertise to the winemaking operation. The Hebrard family continues to be involved in assessing vintages objectively.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Château St. Thomas: Lebanese winery with vineyards in the Beqaa Valley producing reds, whites, and arak; overlaps with Massaya on product mix, domestic distribution, and on-site tasting experience.
• IXSIR: Modern Lebanese winery (founded 2008) producing premium terroir-driven wines for export; newer entrant with international branding focus, competing for similar fine-wine merchant shelf space.
• Haddad Distilleries (Etablissements Haddad): Lebanese producer of traditional arak (notably Kazzouz and Debonné), directly competing with Massaya Arak in domestic on-premise channels and fine-spirits retail in the Lebanese diaspora markets.
• Château Ksara: One of Lebanon's oldest wineries (1857) with broad domestic distribution and hospitality operations; directly comparable to Massaya in Beqaa Valley production, on-site tasting, and supermarket/restaurant coverage.
• Château Kefraya: Large Lebanese Beqaa Valley winery with estate vineyards, hospitality venues, and international exports; comparable to Massaya on integrated wine-plus-hospitality model and fine-wine export positioning.
• Domaine des Tourelles: Family-run Beqaa Valley winery producing red, white, rosé and arak; the closest direct arak-and-wine dual-category competitor to Massaya's traditional Lebanese arak and estate wine portfolio.
• Château Musar: Iconic Lebanese winery founded in 1930 and the most internationally recognized Lebanese producer; competes head-on with Massaya in fine-wine exports to US/UK/France and shares the Lebanon terroir narrative.

Regional players

• Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe (Brunier family): Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate owned by the Brunier family, who also own 30% of Massaya and supply winemaking expertise; not a direct competitor but a strategic partner and a useful benchmark for premium positioning and export model.

Emerging players

• Château Ksara (arak arm) / Lebanese arak producers: Beyond wine, Château Ksara and other Lebanese producers are increasingly marketing arak internationally; represents both a competitor to Massaya Arak and a tailwind validating the export category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Massaya
• YouTubemassaya.com/english/media-gallery/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3a%2f%2fwww.massaya.com%2fenglish%2fevents

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Massaya