By V. Sivaji
Meet Frenchman, Jean-Christophe Sapet – the brand ambassador for the Ferraton Pere & Fils wine from the Rhone Valley.
Jean is based in the wine making area on the foothills of the hills in Tain L’Hermitage where some of the world’s premium abd finest wine makers are based.
They make a wide range of red, white wines and rose too.
Jean joined the company in December last year as an export sales manager & brand ambassador.
More interestingly, he is making his very trip to Malaysia and also Langkawi for a wine pairing dinner at the Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa Langkawi.
As a person who relishes his travels all over the world while on work, he often travels to Japan, Taiwan, China and other parts of Europe to meet distributors and clients.
“In total, we supply our brand of wine to around 40 countries across the globe. I am, however, very pleasantly surprised and pleased with what I see in Malaysia.
“Although this is my very first trip to Langkawi, I like the people and food here. I intend to make full use of this trip and meet as many clients, distributors, hotel general managers and local people here”, said Jean to Penang Hyperlocal when met at the Pelangi Beach Resort Langkawi.
Jean was actually a teacher for 16 years (high schools and universities) until he decided to live out his passion for wine and enrolled in the Wine University in Suze la Rousse.
“I passed with a degree in Sales, Management and Marketing of wine. I then worked for five years as the export sales manager of the winery Poulet & Fils which specialized in Rhone Valley sparkling wines. I was then in charge of 21 foreign markets in Europe, Asia and America.
“Today, I am thrilled to be working at Ferraton. I’m now in charge of more than 40 clients and 30 markets worldwide and really pleased to represent our brand in Malaysia this week”, he added.
On a personal note, it is interesting to note that he was a former rugby player (non-professional of course) and used to be the rugby club’s chairman while coaching little kids.
He also loves travelling and cooking.
Meanwhile, while on his trip here, Jean held back-to-back wine pairing dinner sessions at the Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa Langkawi and the Berjaya Resort Langkawi.
“I had the chance to meet our distributors, end-users at the wine pairing session. It was a great meet-up session. The time spent was worth the travel and trip here as I managed to update them on product knowledge and also establish new contacts.
“The clients and distributors are also very happy to meet up with someone from the winery too”, he added.
He also shared that they also host guests for wine tasting sessions back at their winery for those who make their trip to France. They also have tours and house a fine restaurant offering fine French cuisine.
The fun part of his work is that he gets to travel and meet new people and new food everywhere he goes.
Next, he is on his way to Taipei, then it is back to France followed by another trip to Spain.
The Ferraton Pere & Fils wine brand has a rich history dating back to 1946. Meanwhile, Jean-Christophe’s trip here was made possible by S.H. Maju Sdn Bhd