The origin of the
de BARFONTARC spirit
Proud to move forward together
In 1962, around fifty winegrowers from the Côte des Bar villages of Baroville, Fontaine and Arconville decided to join forces and set up a wine cooperative to pool their pressing activities. Their determination to add value to the winegrowers’ production quickly took root, and the de BARFONTARC brand was born, whose name – a nod to its origin – is made up of the first syllables of the three original villages.
1962
Creation of the Baroville Region Cooperative on 17 February 1962
Members: Roger Martin (Jean-François Courtillier’s grandfather), Marcel Mongin (Christophe Jeanny’s grandfather), Claude Prive, René Mallet, Jean Gobin, Pierre Martin (Daniel Martin’s father), Marcel Noirat, Pierre Berger, Vincent, René Duport and Georges Gaucher. Construction of the first two presses begins.
19
64
1964
First pressing at
Coopérative in the
press in Baroville with
2 Coquard presses
of 4,000 kg for 35 Ha
and 70 members.
19
71
1971
Daniel Martin, the second president, takes over from Roger Martin.
A policy of investing in high quality equipment.
Creation of the Champagne de BARFONTARC brand.
19
72
1972
1972/73
First bottling of 30,000 bottles.
19
84
1984
1984/86
Switch to pneumatic presses to improve quality.
19
91
1991
Construction of
the winery.
19
96
1996
Arrival of Sophie Joigneaux,
the first cellar manager.
Construction of the cellar.
Left, Daniel Martin, president of the cooperative from 1971 to 2006.
Right, Olivier Martin, manager of the cooperative since 1998.
From left to right:
Daniel Martin,
Paul Leroux,
Hubert Gobin,
Dominique Tabary
1998
Olivier Martin takes over management of the cooperative. He builds a new hall and reception area, aiming to improve the visitor experience.
Refurbishment of the reception area and creation of the shop.
20
00
2000
Storage cellar
The cooperative becomes independent, producing its own champagnes for its own brand.
Arrival of Laurent Mehlinger, second cellar master.
20
02
2002
Construction of
the reception room.
20
06
2006
A great year! The cooperative passes the symbolic milestone of 50 member winegrowers, 100 hectares of surface area and 10 employees.
Jean-François Courtillier, grandson of Roger Martin (first president) becomes the cooperative’s third president, succeeding Daniel Martin after 35 years in the role.
Extension of the second winery and cellar. Expansion of offices and areas set aside for wine tourism experiences.
20
09
2009
Construction of the
“La Goutte d’Or” gîte to accommodate guests and allow them to discover our region.
20
12
2012
Celebration of the Cooperative’s 50th anniversary with member winemakers and customers.
A new brand platform for Champagne de BARFONTARC.
20
16
2016
Creation of a technical support service for winegrowers.
Launch of the “HVE-VDC support policy” (High Environmental Value – Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne).
20
18
2018
Denis Tardieu, after
18 years as
an assistant, becomes the House’s fifth
cellar master.
20
19
2019
New office space, reception, shop.
Inauguration of new reception area and offices.
20
21
2021
Christophe Jeanny,
founder’s grandson,
becomes the Cooperative’s
fourth president.
20
22
2022
The cooperative has 54 members, 127 hectares and 19 employees. It celebrates its 60th anniversary.
80% of inputs are certified VDC (Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne).
The cooperative obtains ISO 9001 certification.
Champagne de BARFONTARC
sells 240,000 bottles in over 15 countries.
2024
Renewal of BARFONTARC’s packaging and brand imagery.
