Production

Production

At the heart of Giffard & Cie is a family tradition of using fresh fruits and herbs to make liqueurs, and over four generations the family have mastered maceration and infusion techniques perfectly suited to different fruits.

The process begins with sourcing the best ingredients, and as far as possible these are sourced locally, from the abundant fruit fields and orchards of the Loire Valley. Other herbs and fruits come from across France and Italy, but also from Eastern Europe and further afield. To ensure freshness the freshly harvested fruits are deep frozen and then defrosted in alcohol only when needed, so minimising air contact and unwanted contamination and oxygenation.

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Rotating infusion vessels

Over decades of experimentation the Giffard family have learnt that some fruits are best macerated, so crushing their stones to reveal more flavour, while others are infused whole. Some of the rows of infusion tanks are static whilst others gently turn to agitate the fruit and alcohol inside. At Giffard, making something like a cherry liqueur is not a case of simply macerating cherries in alcohol - different varieties are used, sourced from France, Italy and Serbia – some chosen for their delicate flavours, others for the structure they bring to the finished liqueur.

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Crushing cherry stones

Many of the same ingredients and techniques are also used to make the huge range of favoured sugar syrups produced by Giffard, and so rapidly is this side of Giffard’s business growing that the family have constructed a purpose built satellite facility dedicated to sugar syrup production. This boasts state-of-the-art flash pasteurisation and Laminar airflow with air pressure inside the bottling hall maintained at a slightly higher level than the surrounding atmosphere so preventing air from outside entering.

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Bruno and Edith Giffard oversee the entire process, from the sourcing of ingredients right through to bottling. Giffard is truly a family owned and run liqueur producer, or “liquoriste” as they prefer to be called.

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Giffard & Cie

Status: Operational
Established: 1885
Owner: Giffard Family
Capacity: Not supplied
Visitor Policy: Visitors welcome throughout the year
Tel: +33 (0)2 4118 8500
Website: Giffard & Cie
Address: Avenue de la Violette, 49241 Avrillé Cedex, Angers, Loire Valley, BP 30037
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Giffard Rhubarbe Liqueur

Giffard Rhubarb speciality liqueur is made in small batches from the slow maceration in beet neutral alcohol of both green and red rhubarb to achieve a

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Giffard Rhubarb Syrup

Produced by family owned company in the Loire Valley, France, this rhubarb-flavoured sugar syrup is designed to resemble stewed rhubarb.

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Giffard Speculoos Syrup

Speculoos is a biscuit shaped (gingerbread men-style) supposedly to resemble Saint Nicolas and traditionally enjoyed during Advent, particularly in Belgium,

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Giffard Matcha Green Tea Syrup

Produced by family owned company in the Loire Valley, France, who mix Matcha green tea with hot water and then add beet sugar to make this flavoured syrup.

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Giffard Green Apple Syrup

Produced by family owned company in the Loire Valley, France, this coconut apple flavoured syrup is made with beet sugar and contains no preservatives.

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Giffard Coconut Syrup

Produced by family owned company in the Loire Valley, France, this coconut flavoured syrup is made with beet sugar, coconut milk, and milk proteins. (No

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Agave Sec Liqueur

Agave Sec retains the classic orange notes of a triple sec liqueur and blends them with rich agave nectar extracted from the same plant tequila is distilled

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Giffard Salted Caramel Syrup

Giffard Salted Caramel Syrup is made with beet sugar, natural caramel aromas and salt. No preservatives are used.

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Giffard Crème Brulée Syrup

Giffard Crème Brulée syrup is free of preservatives and made using natural flavours. It is suited to use in drinks ranging from tea and coffee to hot

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Giffard Framboise de Ronce

This liqueur is made by macerating Framboises de Ronce (Tayberries) (enhanced with blackberries and raspberries) in beet neutral spirit. The Framboise

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