Origins and commitments

This year, La Sommelière celebrates its 30th anniversary and the Frio Group its 27th.

Born of the passion of a French entrepreneur, La Sommelière was one of the pioneers in democratising wine conservation. By designing wine cellars capable of reproducing the conservation environment of a natural cellar, it quickly won over professionals. Its commitment to optimising its products according to the constraints and activities of its customers has enabled it to acquire recognised expertise in its field and to develop signature cellars. La Sommelière’s expertise was originally developed for restaurants, but is now available to everyone. The development of La Sommelière has accelerated with the evolution of wine consumption.  Today, people drink less wine than in the 60s, but they drink it better. We’re trying to educate ourselves, to age our wine; we’ve gone from simply wanting to drink it to learning how to store it and enjoy it. As very few homes have a natural cellar, La Sommelière was an obvious choice and ‘the’ solution to these new behaviours. From ageing to tasting, many of our customers now have 2 cellars, one for ageing and the other for serving, integrated into their kitchen. Our teams have redesigned each of our cellars to guarantee optimal wine conservation in a solution that’s just right.

The heritage of this professional know-how is reflected in every product.

The brand’s expertise is undoubtedly part of its DNA, but it’s its conviction and commitment to innovation that have won over thousands of professionals and private customers around the world. Elegant, attractive and now connected, La Sommelière is renewing innovations and shaking up the codes of the wine cellar with one ambition: to share its love of wine.

In 2022, we were awarded the Grand prix de l’innovation d’Or 2022 at the famous Foire de Paris. We are very proud that the jury of the Grand prix de l’innovation has rewarded this work of research and development and French innovation, another victory for our teams who are more committed than ever to inventing the wine cellar of tomorrow.

Innovation and attention to detail have always guided us in the design of our wine cellars. To provide innovative solutions, the men and women of La Sommelière, who are first and foremost wine enthusiasts, are constantly looking for the best way to meet our customers’ expectations. As wine enthusiasts, some of us are also keen on new technologies, so we surrounded ourselves with the best engineers and partners for this project. The result: a global innovation that won the Grand Prix de l’Innovation 2022, the 1st truly connected wine cellar, ECELLAR, already on sale throughout Europe and due to hit the US market at the end of the year.

From a handful of employees at the outset to around a hundred oenophiles today, we are still driven by the same passion. Each and every one of our employees is involved, at his or her own level, in meeting our “your wines are at home” commitment. Curious and inventive, we are revolutionising the market to ensure that your wines are better preserved than ever before.

Didier GRYCHTA,

President of GROUPE FRIO, La Sommelière.