It’s difficult to think of another luxury brand that combines history, scarcity, quality and unique ritual in the way that LOUIS XIII Cognac does. The beautiful decanters; the white glove tasting ritual; the special occasions it tends to be reserved for. This is a product that sets the standard for ultra-premium spirits.
Into this world almost a year ago walked Louis Becker, a Glion Master’s graduate whose affinity for the brand quickly went much deeper than the name both share.
“I got to know Louis XIII during my Master’s degree, when almost all my Glion professors would mention it in terms of being the oldest established luxury product within the spirits industry, dated from 1874. And I was lucky enough to enjoy a taste of it when celebrating my graduation,” he remembers.
“Once I joined the company, I immediately became immersed in this world! On my very first day I was at the Rémy Cointreau headquarters in Paris, where I met the brand teams and dived into the DNA of the House; from there I was taken to the Champagne region to visit our maison Telmont.”
Job satisfaction
Louis’ experience perfectly echoes the hands-on, in-person encounters which are a crucial element of bringing the LOUIS XIII House values alive in a luxury world that now demands elevated experiences. And these are what Louis says are the most satisfying elements of his role as Prestige Sales Manager for the German-speaking region of Switzerland.
“I would definitely describe myself as a ‘people person’ and so I love all the human-to-human interactions that come with this job,” he enthuses. “Luxury is about relationships and trust, so this is the perfect product for me to work with because I have the opportunity to meet passionate clients, entrepreneurs, collectors and hospitality professionals, and they all appreciate the craftsmanship and exceptional experiences that come with a product like LOUIS XIII.”
All that said, LOUIS XIII is not the only top-tier Rémy Cointreau brand in Louis’ portfolio. He is also responsible for Champagne Telmont (see photo), renowned for its sustainable and high-quality production, as well as Whisky Domaine des Hautes Glaces, which is the world’s first organic and regenerative whisky.
Louis tasted Champagne Telmont while studying his Master’s at Glion, as the drink is among those served by the cocktail bar on Glion campus. Today, he enjoys telling the sustainability story behind the House, which is the first Champagne House to obtain the certification Regenerative Organic Certified® for its organic certified vineyards. It has committed to 100% organic certified vineyards by 2031.
Mountain magic
While his primary focus remains LOUIS XIII and Champagne Telmont, a visit to the Hautes Glaces whisky distillery in the French Alps earlier this year certainly left a lasting impression on Louis.
“The terroir is around 900 meters up a mountain and when you’re there it feels like you are on a platform in the sky surrounded by the Alps – it’s a magical place,” he says. “We have our own fields to grow the grains and they feature different soil characteristics, so we really work with what nature is giving us.”
Storytelling is something that seems to come naturally to Louis; the same can be said for his appreciation of the luxury industry and its different facets. As he approaches his 30th birthday his resume already lists direct professional experience in five luxury segments: 5* hospitality, haute couture, private jets, high jewelry and now of course premium spirits.
“Luxury has always fascinated me,” he adds. “I think it comes from the idea of creating exceptional experiences, with products that are just as important as the experience itself.
“But it’s not just that; I also really like the idea of working for family-owned businesses. Despite its size and global reach, Rémy Cointreau is still controlled by its founding family Hériard Dubreuil.”
When putting together experiences for the brands he’s responsible for, Louis is conscious of a client demographic in which corporate sector clients form the majority. Many of these businesses are of course in the hospitality sector, which puts him in an environment with which he is extremely comfortable.
“I loved working in the operational side of hospitality, with the daily guest contact. And now when I walk into a luxury hotel I immediately feel at home. Because I’ve worked in those environments, I have a level of operational knowledge which means that when I’m speaking to the F&B directors, the sommeliers, the Maîtres, I feel a level of trust and respect.”
Relationship-building has critical importance in such a mature and established luxury market as Switzerland.
“This is personal marketing in the best sense, not just in the relationships we have on a business level but also the face-to-face experiences like private dinners and exclusive tastings we can organize. When I’m at those events, I embody the brand; I’ll tell the story in words but I’ll also do the LOUIS XIII tasting ritual with the white gloves and the spear. This is not something you can achieve through advertising, or social media. You’ve got to really get in there and let guests enter this unique world.”
“This brand is all about legacy. Today’s Cellar Master will select the ‘eaux de vie’ that will be used by future generations of Cellar Masters. It’s all about time; and when our clients fully appreciate this, we win their hearts forever.”
The Glion difference
It’s now more than three years since Louis graduated from Glion with his Master’s in Luxury Management and Guest Experience. Given his passion for luxury, undertaking such a program was always on the cards. But why Glion?
“I’d already studied a BA in Business Administration and Hotel Management, so I was aware of the top hotel schools in Switzerland. But for this Master’s I really wanted the luxury guest experience element that would connect back to hospitality. With Glion I knew I would combine strategic business thinking with customer experience, innovation and luxury brand management.”
Louis certainly made the most of his time on campus, being selected for the very first cohort of Senior Ambassadors, while also being appointed Head of Trustees, giving him responsibility for every trustee within our Student Government Association.
Furthermore, he credits his time at Glion as helping to open doors with private aviation specialist LunaJets, kickstarting this first phase of his career.
“I actually chose LunaJets over an opportunity with Bucherer in Germany after I graduated; but when I subsequently moved to Zurich my ex-manager got in touch about the new High Jewelry Salon that was opening in the heart of Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich. We talked over dinner and after that I decided to join him. I’m not sure I would have been able to make my way into the world of high jewelry without my specialized Master’s degree from Glion.
“I remember how they told me: ‘Your profile is a perfect match, your personality, your experiences within the hospitality industry and your degrees – the only thing missing is your knowledge in the high jewelry industry and we will support you in every possible way to get to know it and we are convinced you will learn it by yourself as well’.”
Louis believes his time at both LunaJets and Bucherer has given him the confidence to handle big ticket transactions nervelessly – just as well when the top-priced LOUIS XIII offering is well into six figures!
“It’s just something you get used to in this business. I mean, at Bucherer I was handling items worth between 100,000 CHF to two million or more every day. And at LunaJets we’d sell charters in the hundreds of thousands without meeting the client. But while I’m comfortable with that, I always understand and respect that it’s the client paying at the end of the day, so I have a duty to respect the product and be very cautious and careful in the way I treat it.”
For the immediate future, Louis is looking to grow his career with Rémy Cointreau, strengthening both his sector knowledge and the presence of the firm’s prestige brands throughout his Swiss ‘patch’.
“Switzerland is a one-of-a-kind market and I believe we still have many opportunities here. For now, it’s about investing the time in building meaningful partnerships across the luxury hotel space and beyond. Looking ahead, while I really feel at home here in Switzerland I know there are other markets out there, such as Asia and the Middle East, with different but equally interesting dynamics.”
And with that, Louis signed off and pointed his car towards St. Moritz, ready to renew client acquaintances in that most luxurious of destinations. Just another day in the life of a young luxury leader…
• To discover more about LOUIS XIII cognac, visit the dedicated website
