In 1963 Emile and Brenda Alken took over a small wine brokerage in Ireland from M. Louis Febvre, a Parisian who was retiring back to France. The Alkens, with a fascinating background in Europe themselves, mainly in Avignon, formed the company as it is today and on the death of Emile in 1982, Anthony and Gregory, the two eldest of four brothers, joined their mother in the company. The company grew over the years to become one of the main family owned wine importers and distributors in Ireland, employing about 90 people.
Febvre has been at the forefront of the Irish wine trade, therefore, for almost 50 years and the quest for quality and integrity has never waned, even in these difficult times. Always at the forefront of innovation, be it in the unparalled success of small format bottles, ( the ubiquitous “quarter bottle”), screwcaps, wines by the glass and the equipment to keep them fresh, the 50cl Wine for 2 Range or the new, long-life MLP (multi-layer PET) bottles which are now on sale here, Febvre are never afraid to lead the way. At the other end of the spectrum, we are partnered with some of the most illustrious and traditional names in the wine world and our portfolio proudly carries the names of some of the top wineries and winemakers in the world.
The buying team trawls the fairs and wineries of Europe and the New World, always on the lookout for the most splendid wines, and are trained to spot trends before they happen and to have already located the purveyors of the best wines in their style in order to respond quickly to our customer’s needs.
Whether the wines are destined for hotels and restaurants, pubs and bistros, wine merchants, supermarkets, airlines or duty free, or are ” en primeur” for laying down, each wine has been carefully chosen to suit its target consumer, whether in style, price level or to meet current trends. The producers are well-known to us, and many are now long-time friends. With some we will even celebrate 50 years of partnership in a couple of years time!
Along with a dedicated team of sales professionals stationed all over the island who look after their customer’s needs personally and locally, we have dedicated teams in the warehouse, telesales, secretarial and desk-top publishing, accounts, marketing, purchasing and logistics as well as specialist Key Account managers. With our own air-conditioned bonded warehouses and dedicated van service on both sides of the border we endeavour to give a 24-48 hour service to the vast majority of our customers . Along with this we offer the back up of staff training, printing of menus and lists, promotional items and special tastings and events all year round. We have a dedicated wine accessories branch and a small but functional list of food items for the catering trade. We also offer a fully backed brokerage and storage service for very fine wines.
