Tonnellerie Berthomieu

What Tonnellerie Berthomieu does

Tonnellerie Berthomieu is a French cooperage that manufactures premium oak barrels and related oak products for the global wine industry. Its portfolio spans the standard 225-liter Bordeaux and 228-liter Burgundy formats, plus a range of custom sizes (300L to 500L), with offerings in French oak, American oak, and hybrid constructions. The company runs a vertically integrated operation sourced through its parent Groupe Charlois, controlling oak from named French forests (Nevers, Allier, Vosges, Centre France) through stave production to finished barrel, with sub-brands Ermitage (barrel line) and Oenosylva (alternative oak products for oenology). The company's technical differentiator is a proprietary pre-toast steam-bending process validated by Exact Laboratory in 2014, which dilates wood pores before toasting to deliver a 94% reduction in ellagitannins and a gentler, deeper toast, with documented precision across four toast levels (Blonde, Medium, Medium Plus, Heavy) and 24+ months of natural air-seasoning.

The business model is sales-led and B2B: revenue comes primarily from one-time sale of oak barrels (and complementary alternative oak products) to wineries and wine producers worldwide, with no public pricing disclosure. Go-to-market relies on a network of regional sales representatives and named local distributors covering 35+ wine-producing countries — including Vinventions in South Africa, Bevision in Bulgaria, Enoservin in Spain (15+ year partner), and PROCAVE in Switzerland — supplemented by partnerships at major international wine trade fairs (SITEVI, SIMEI, Vinitech, Oregon Wine Symposium, ENOMAQ, Agrovina). Customer segmentation is vertical and singular: enterprise wineries across Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, Beaujolais, and international regions, each purchasing custom-configured barrels by forest origin, toast level, and size. Quality assurance is documented via PEFC chain-of-custody certification, HACCP food-safety attestation, and Origine France Garantie (95% French-origin cost share, 100% for staves), all validated by Bureau Veritas.

Founded in the 1900s in Vinay (Isère) as a family cooperage by Jules Joseph Bith and renamed in the late 1940s after his son-in-law Arthur Berthomieu, the company relocated to La Charité-sur-Loire in 1999 to be closer to its stave supplier and was integrated into Groupe Charlois in 2006. It operates today as Berthomieu/Ermitage SAS, headquartered at Parc d'activité des Bertranges, La Charité-sur-Loire, France.

Name

Tonnellerie Berthomieu

Legal name

Berthomieu/Ermitage, Société par Actions Simplifiée

Website

https://berthomieu.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tonnellerie Berthomieu is a French cooperage producing premium oak barrels (Bordeaux 225L, Burgundy 228L, custom sizes 300–500L) and alternative oak products for wineries in 35+ countries, using proprietary pre-toast steam bending and vertically integrated oak sourcing via parent Groupe Charlois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperage / Wine Barrel Manufacturing

NAICS

Wood Product Manufacturing (321), Sawmills and Wood Preservation (32111)

SIC

Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400)

akta.pro primary industry

Wood Treatment & Preservation for Engineered Wood Products (IMAMACAM)

Keywords

• Oak barrel manufacturing
• Wine aging barrels
• French cooperage
• Oak staves supply
• Barrel forest origin

Headquarters

HQ city

La Charité-sur-loire

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Oak Barrel Sales: Sale of oak barrels in various sizes (225L Bordeaux, 228L Bourgogne, 300L-500L specific sizes) and styles (French oak, American oak, hybrid). Primary revenue stream from winemakers worldwide.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tonnellerie Berthomieu manufactures custom oak barrels for wine aging and spirits, offering Bordeaux (225L), Burgundy (228L), and specific sizes (300L–500L) in French oak, American oak, and hybrid constructions. The company also produces oak staves from Nevers, Allier, Vosges, and Centre France forests, and markets alternative oak products under the Oenosylva sub-brand. All barrels are produced using a proprietary pre-toast steam bending process that yields a documented 94% reduction in ellagitannins.

Product overview

Tonnellerie Berthomieu is a French cooperage offering a comprehensive portfolio of wine barrels (fûts/barriques) in Bordeaux (225L) and Burgundy (228L) shapes, along with custom sizes (300L to 500L). The product range includes French oak barrels (from staves sourced from Nevers, Allier, and Vosges forests), American oak barrels using naturally air-dried staves with the company's signature steam-bending technique, and hybrid barrels combining French and American oak. The company also produces staves and alternative oak products for oenology under the Oenosylva brand. All products feature the company's proprietary pre-toast steam treatment process that reduces ellagitannins by 94% and enables gentler toasting. The Ermitage sub-brand serves as an additional brand identity for the same cooperage products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Oenosylva: Oak products for enology, alternative oak products
• Ermitage

Products and services

• Bordeaux Transport 225L Barrel Standard 225-liter barrel in Bordeaux shape, suitable for transport and aging of wines. Built using Tonnellerie Berthomieu's steam-bending technique with French oak staves.
• Bordeaux Transport Mince 225L Barrel Thinner-stave version of the Bordeaux Transport barrel for more rapid oak integration in wine aging.
• Bordeaux Château Ferrée 225L Barrel Premium Bordeaux-shaped barrel with tighter grain selection for high-end wine aging and flavor development.
• Bordeaux Château 225L Barrel High-end Bordeaux-shaped barrel for premium wine aging, using Berthomieu's steam-bending technique with French oak staves.
• Bourgogne Export 228L Barrel 228-liter Burgundy-style barrel designed for export markets, produced with Berthomieu's proprietary steam-bending technique.
• Bourgogne Caveau 228L Barrel Traditional 228-liter Burgundy barrel for cellar aging of wines, using French oak and the company's steam-bending process.
• Specific Size Barrels (300L, 350L, 400L, 450L, 500L) Custom-sized oak barrels ranging from 300L to 500L for specialized winemaking applications.
• American Oak Barrels (Bordeaux Transport, Bourgogne Export, 265L, 300L, 400L, 450L, 500L) Barrels manufactured from premium American oak staves, naturally aged outdoors, using Berthomieu's signature steam-bending technique across multiple shapes and sizes.
• Hybrid Barrels (Bordeaux Transport 225L, Bourgogne Transport 228L, 300L) Barrels combining French and American oak for balanced oak integration, available in Bordeaux Transport 225L, Bourgogne Transport 228L, and 300L formats.
• Oak Staves (Merrains) from Nevers, Allier, Vosges Oak staves from three French forest origins: Nevers (fine grain, light structure, freshness), Allier (fine grain, finesse, tannins, structure), and Vosges (medium fine grain, softened tannins, sucrosity, body, freshness). Sold as raw material for cooperage and wine aging applications.
• Oenosylva Oak Products for Oenology Alternative oak products under the Oenosylva sub-brand for winemaking, including stave-based solutions for wine aging.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% reduction in ellagitannins after steam treatment

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vinventions (Johan Conradie)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 October 2019South African distribution partner for Tonnellerie Berthomieu and Oenosylva products. Johan Conradie manages sales and sponsorship of Veritas Awards including Veritas Vertex prize.
• Bevision (Evgeni Valkov)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBulgarian distribution partner representing Tonnellerie Berthomieu and Oenosylva at Vinaria trade fair and ongoing sales in Bulgarian market.
• Enoservin (Daniel Orueta)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpanish distribution partner for 15+ years, presenting Tonnellerie Berthomieu and Oenosylva products at ENOMAQ trade fair in Zaragoza.
• PROCAVEcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwiss distribution partner for Agrovina fair with representative Louis Mangani managing wine, oenological, and arboricultural actors in France, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland.
• Terre de VinsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent partnership with wine magazine Terre de Vins for Lyon Tasting and Bordeaux Tasting wine tasting events.
• Domaine Georges Vernay (Paul Ansellem)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Plumes d'Or du Vin et de la Gastronomie event organized by Paul Ansellem from Domaine Georges Vernay.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tonnellerie François Frères: Family-run French cooperage producing premium oak barrels for wineries, with a comparable product line (Bordeaux and Burgundy formats), customer base, and direct-to-winery sales motion that closely mirror Berthomieu's.
• Tonnellerie Saury: French cooperage producing oak barrels for wineries, with comparable size, broad portfolio of toast levels and forest origins, and direct sales model targeting similar enterprise customers.
• Independent Stave Company: Leading US-based oak barrel manufacturer and stave producer, the closest American peer to Berthomieu. Competes in the same end-market (wineries) with American oak barrels and alternative oak products.
• Demptos: Established Bordeaux-based cooperage producing oak barrels with comparable heritage and premium positioning to Berthomieu, serving similar wineries across key French and international wine regions.
• Taransaud: Premium French cooperage owned by LVMH, producing high-end oak barrels for luxury wine producers. Comparable heritage, premium positioning, and customer base to Berthomieu.
• Radoux: Major French oak specialist producing barrels and oak products for the wine industry. Comparable vertical integration from oak sourcing to finished barrel and similar product portfolio covering French and American oak.
• Tonnellerie Sylvain: French cooperage producing oak barrels (Bordeaux and Burgundy shapes) for premium wine producers, with comparable size, product portfolio, and customer base to Berthomieu.
• Seguin Moreau: Major French cooperage operating within the publicly-traded Oeneo group, producing oak barrels for the global wine industry. Similar global reach, French forest sourcing, and enterprise field sales model to Berthomieu.
• World Cooperage: US-based cooperage producing oak barrels and staves for the wine industry, with a similar mix of standard and custom barrel sizes targeting premium wineries globally.

Emerging players

• Innerstave: US-based producer of oak alternatives for winemaking (staves, chips, inserts), directly competing with Oenosylva for winemakers seeking oak influence without full barrels, with overlap in product offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TonnellerieBerthomieuErmitage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tonnellerie-berthomieu

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Tonnellerie Berthomieu