La Cocofesse Island Brandy, Seychelles’ new branded « eau de vie » |23 November 2019
Mr Nancy addressing guests at the launch ceremony (Photos: Louis Toussaint)
It is believed that the Coco de Mer trees made passionate love on stormy nights, as the male trees uproot themselves, and approach female trees, while the name ‘Brandy’ comes from the Dutch brandewijn (“burnt wine”), referring to the application of heat in distillation.
Imagine the combination of both and the wonders it could bring to the world, as well as the good publicity and positive contribution towards the country.
Based on the concept and with the idea in mind, local firm Willow Investment has come up with a new branded product, namely a new brandy, baptised the ‘Cocofesse Island Brandy’.
Certified XO, meaning Extra Old and that this brandy has aged for at least six and a half years, the new product was officially launched on Thursday at the Hilton Labriz Silhouette Lounge at Bel Ombre.
Present to witness the milestone was the Speaker of the National Assembly Nicholas Préa, ministers, friends and all those involved in materialising the venture.
The event was also graced by the presence of world number one Brandy Master Kobus Gelderblom.
According to the company’s co-director Wilson Nancy, the idea came up about two years ago when the government of Seychelles launched a tender invitation for possible individuals to sustainably bring more added values to the Coco de Mer nut.
Mr Nancy explained that Willow Ventures had a vision to create something unique.
Backed by the vast experience of partner and co-director David Low Yoke in handicraft and the business acumen of Mr Nancy, the firm decided on three lines of businesses, targeting three lines of clientèle.
Willow Ventures started with Coco de Mer jam which targets tourists, while the liquor project is the company’s second venture, with the latter targeting the duty free and international markets.
A third venture, namely a Coco de Mer ice-cream which will be launched next year, will target the local market.
According to Mr Nancy, the company’s business proposal for La Cocofesse Island Brandy was instantly accepted by the assessing panel based on its concept.
He explained that the name was an initiative of his father Willy Nancy who suggested Cocofesse, instead of Coco de Mer.
For the product’s tagline ‘Adam was right’ Mr Nancy said it was the idea of local artist Elijah.
He further explained that after several trials with a fermentation process to develop liquor, they made a visit to Cape Town, South Africa, where they were introduced to the team of Mr Gelderblom who developed this wonderful island brandy with the indigenous Coco de Mer as ingredient and the rest is history.
Mr Gelderblom has spent decades perfecting his craft, with a number of accolades won throughout this time. Working at KWV for 26 years, he served as chief Brandy master for the final 10 years before forging his own way in the brandy world.
Regarding the fragile nature and controversy surrounding the main ingredient, Mr Nancy confirmed that they observe a strict protocol and production is well in line with the Coco de Mer (Management) Decree.
La Cocofesse Island Brandy comes in 750ml bottles and is expected to be on the market next month.
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine.
It generally contains 35 to 60% alcohol by volume (70 to 120 US proof) and is typically drunk as an after-dinner digestif.
Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of aging, and some are produced using a combination of both aging and colouring. Varieties of wine brandy can be found across the winemaking world. Among the most renowned are Cognac and Armagnac from south western France.
In a broader sense, the term brandy also denotes liquors obtained from the distillation of pomace (yielding pomace brandy), or mash or wine of any other fruit (fruit brandy).These products are also called eau de vie (which translates to “water of life”).
Roland Duval