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Claire Bigot
Brand Ambassador & Export Manager - Central America & Caribbean

Upon your arrival, what was your first impression of the B&G brand image?
I already knew the brand Barton & Guestier when I started to work in the company, because I have previously worked for the stores Nicolas, also part of the Castel group, and I did sell Château Magnol, Les Charmes de Magnol and Thomas Barton in the French market. But what I didn’t know about the brand was all the history around it. It is very rich and brings so much character, compared to other brands in the market. I was very impressed the first time I came to Château Magnol!

How is that brand-image of B&G today?
In the markets I work with, I would say that B&G benefits from a good recognition of consumers. As the brand is present in these countries for quite a long time, a lot of customers know it and most importantly trust it as a good and qualitative brand.
Now with the modern image we are working on with the marketing team (packaging, promotional tools...) we are trying to make B&G a "trendy" brand to impact the new customers. The brand image of B&G is already strong but the people of the company put all their energy in it to spread it the most we can.

Where do you see the most possibilities of development?
I think the entire zone of Central America & Caribbean has a potential of development because the interest of people in wine just keeps growing. With Barton & Guestier we bring people a large range of quality wines and each consumer can find in our portfolio a product that would fit to his personal tastes and to his wallet. The packaging is nice, easy to understand and we have a wide offer. Most of all, the brand makes it easy to understand the complexity of French wine.

What has been your biggest satisfaction so far?
My biggest satisfaction with Barton & Guestier is being able to travel to visit the markets. I can meet the people working with the brand, learning through them to understand and know their markets better, working together on the possibilities we have with the brand. Also, I find it very nice going to meet the sales people to teach them what I know about wines, it is an experience of sharing things and I feel really grateful for this.

What is your best travel souvenir? And the worst?
All of my travels bring me their lot of emotions and I like to experience them, it is really rewarding. My best souvenir may be the way people welcome me every time, they are always willing to show me the best of their country and dedicate a lot of time sharing with me. My worst souvenir would be with the food. It is part of the experience trying national cooking. Sometimes you can eat delicious meals but I once find myself eating insects like crickets, or very spicy chilli pepper you just want to scream or run around until you find a refreshing pool to jump in! Cooking is full of surprises...

A favourite market?
I would say Mexico is my favourite market because I have started there with Barton & Guestier. Mexico is a country which is always in movement and as the wine consumption is growing I see there great possibilities of expansion. Also it’s a culture and market I know very well so I am really attached to it.

What is your favourite B&G wine?
My favourite wine is Château Magnol because I like these kind of masculine wines, rich, complex and aromatic at the same time. But my "wine of the moment" would be the Côtes de Provence Villa Barton, a very refreshing and harmonious rosé wine with a very trendy bottle!

After obtaining a Master of International Business with a specialization on Latin America, Claire Bigot started working for Barton & Guestier as Brand Ambassador in Mexico. She is passionate about Latin America, and loves learning new languages, running, cooking and travelling to discover new cultures.