Need benchmarks, to put events back into perspective : on the accelerated growing market and increasingly congested with arranged rums, Isautier house rehearsing its place, His role and ambition. Cyril Isautier's explanations, Director of the ISAUTIER GROUP GROUP.
Can we say that with the arranges, Isautier has not only reinvented a product, But created a category ?
The arranges are an old Reunion tradition. On the commercial level, Isautier and Chatel have produced arranged for decades. Since at least 1970 with us. We have know-how in the culture and innovation of the arranges. As a reminder, The Isautier house was founded in 1845, It is the oldest rum distillery on the island, the oldest Reunionese company still in activity. The current boom of the arranges intervened in the early 2010s, When the Isautier house brings a triple innovation to the arranges. Tour first, The square bottle. This new packaging has drawn attention to the product. Ensuite, frosted tasting. Until then, The arranged was consumed only at room temperature. Frosted consumption and the square bottle, practice to store in the freezer and facilitating the long conservation of the product, These two innovations allowed the category to take off when we released the third innovation, The "Banana Banana" revolution. The huge success encountered by this product launched the category in mainland France. At the time, Isautier house was alone on the market. We sold 30,000 bottles in mainland France the first year when we launched this new concept of arranges. In 2021, We sold two million. And we are still on very high growth rates. We list more than 60 arranged brands in France. We are the pioneers and leaders in this category.
Was this development of the company planned ?
Non, And that's what's striking. We were a very small business, Not at all known in mainland France. We did not advertise in France on our arranges. It is only word of mouth that made their success. We owe it to the Reunion diaspora, who enjoyed our arranges, and was delighted to find them in mainland France. To tourists who came to Reunion who brought back our arranges. Everything came from there. And it is our great pride that this success is not due to a marketing strategy and advertising. We only owe it to the quality of our products.
What defines the arranges of Isautier ?
Our goal, who may be a little crazy, This is to tell us that we put the meeting in a bottle. We want someone who consumes our products to feel traveling, that he has the feeling of discovering our island through our products. Our range is mixed, colorful, gourmet. She brings gaiety, pleasure, dream. Our products tell a story. This is extremely important to us. We do not just consider ourselves as recipe manufacturers. We are ambassadors of our island and its flavors.
Are you still a leader in the arranged segment ?
We remain a market share leader value at the end of 2021 in France and Reunion, Despite extremely lively competition. The good news, It is that this competition is mainly Reunionese. This is good news because it is the destination meeting that wins, highlighted. This attaches the arranges to their territory of origin, What seems essential to us. That we are, with mast river and cart, The three leaders of the arranges prove that this is a know-how above all Reunionese. Our competition is positive. She pushes the category upwards. The most important for us, It is that Isautier remains the reference mark of the arranges in the hearts of people.
The success of the arranges is also based on a distribution up to demand. How are you distributed in mainland France ?
We have been working from the start with Macéo, A family business, like us, of Martinican origin, Based in Rungis, specialized in ultra-marine products. Macéo grew up at the same time as we.
Our market penetration is already very strong. We are present in 40 % of metropolitan points of sale, Supermarkets and local shops ; 79 % of hypermarkets and 57 % of supermarkets sell our products. Which also means that there is still a lot of room to take. We are still in an ascending phase. We also develop the international. We sign with many distributors who immediately perceive that there is a place, a culture, behind the product. In April, We enter Quebec.
That the arranges represent in the Isautier offer ?
arranged in 2021
The arranges have become our flagship product in terms of notoriety and volume. We also created the sweets of arranged, Rum -based arranged and cream liquor, who gave new impetus to the category. In particular the cahouète was a resounding success. Much appreciated in Reunion, He is taking a significant place in mainland France. We created the Arumatiks two years ago, 100% natural fruit liquors based on traditional sugar factory, A lighter alcohol product than the arranged and single-perfum while the arranges combine several perfumes. We have, always, Our rums, blancs, Ambré and old. Our Barrik brand is positioning itself as a competitor of whiskeys in Reunion. We work for Reunionese to reclaim noble alcohol that is old rum, which also experiences continuous development in metropolitan France and in the world.
Isautier house is expanding its production premises. Wouldn't it be easier to produce the arranges on metropolitan territory ?
We are soon to be expanding the liquorist in order to triple our production capacity. Many things come into play in this type of decision. Above all, we are rum craftsmen. Our goal, With the extension of the factory, is precisely to keep as close as possible to us, of our terroir, Preparation of our recipes. These products can be exported in tank loose and bottled in mainland France, But their design and production must remain on our territory. We hold there. It's a choice of heart. We invest to remain a major player in the Reunionese economic fabric.
