Marc Rouband is the CEO of Eclor group, owner of the brand Ecusson, the cider leader on the French market. Ecusson produces five millions of bottles per year and owns almost the two-thirds of the market.
The cider which comes from Normandy
The Ecusson Company was founded in 1919 by Georges Leroy in Livarot, in Normandy. To sell the Norman apples, he decided to create his cider mill next to the Livarot train station, a transit hub for apples.
Now, as then, fruit come from Normandy and Brittany. According to Marc Roubaud, “almost all of our apples come from a radius of 100 km around the cider mill.”
The expertise of Ecusson
The difference of ciders and the expertise are linked to the fermentation and to the cellar master. This one chooses and mixes the cuvees to give birth to the product. “The cider depends on the cellar master’s will and on how he tacks the different juices together to compose an organoleptic profile”, Marc Roubaud explains.
To increase the consumption of cider, Ecusson tries to develop its products thanks to innovation. Ten years ago, they invented the Rosé Cider, thanks to the Red Delicious Apple. Today, it represents 10% of the market.
The brand relies on the major period of the Candlemass and the Epiphany to try expanding its customer base. “Over these two periods which correspond to two months, about 30% of the volume of the year is sold”.
Ecusson awarded several prizes at the VII Salón Internacional de les Sidres de Gala (September 2017, Gijón) in the following categories: Best sweet sparkling cider, Best perry cider and Best cider with fruits.
