INTEGRATED ANNUAL REPORT 2020/2021

By supporting craftsmen and -women over the last four years, the Fondation Rémy Cointreau actively contributes to a philanthropic project; indeed, artisanal expertise is one of the key qualities making our terroirs so appealing. It intends to continue to further this vision by renewing its support for the promotion, development and transmission of the knowledge of excellence, and by stimulating and inspiring artisans. In these uncertain circumstances, the need to come together around these values and to share them has become even stronger. That is why the Fondation Rémy Cointreau is stepping up its initiatives to fulfil its role of promoting the arts and crafts: it is embracing new skills of excellence with cabinet making, embroidery, wax sculpture, as well as successful staff and project coordination, reflected in the opening of the Maison Talents & Violon'celles and the creation of the "Bourse des métiers orphelins" in cooperation with The Craft Project.

With high regard for tradition and ancestral savoir-faire, the foundation supports the artisans of today and tomorrow, who strive to develop their practice with pioneering inventions while respecting its heritage. It supports the teaching and training of future craftspeople eager to acquire a skill. This skill or technique evolves over time, in step with the individual’s activities and personal appropriation of the art. This is called embodied knowledge. The challenges of transmission are crucial for artisans; it will help this technique to become a stimulus for creativity and innovation. To secure the ancestral knowledge of artisans, transmission that perpetuates the art lies at the core of the foundation’s commitment.

The selection of artisanal projects is based on nine carefully selected criteria: exceptional craftsmanship, mastery of rare expertise, quest for innovation, determination to pass on expertise, aesthetics, continued existence of the profession, heritage, passion and commitment, and, lastly, resonance.