La Mentheuse and its mint, lemon and apple liqueurs have left Agde, bought by a Bordeaux family group

Lionel Albano and his partners have closed a six-year parenthesis, which saw the brand explode. MIDI LIBRE

Lionel Albano, his wife Dominique and Frédéric Bion have sold it to the Whiskies du Monde brand. A six-year parenthesis closes on a remarkable record; in 2024, 225,000 bottles were sold. 

The adventure lasted six years, but what an adventure! At the beginning of this year, we learned that the company La Mentheuse, named after the subtle crème de menthe developed by three partners, the former restaurateur Lionel Albano, his wife Dominique and Frédéric Bion, a multi-skilled agent in wines and spirits, was sold to the Bordeaux group Whiskies du Monde.

“A meteorite in the spirits landscape”

“A great opportunity that we couldn't pass up”, Lionel sums up soberly. A takeover offer that was difficult to refuse, even if the trio, approached by a large group in the recent past, was not necessarily a seller. After all, between 2018 and 2024, the company went from producing 5,000 to 225,000 bottles sold throughout France and in eight export countries. An entrepreneurial success story that matured between Agde and Béziers, “a meteorite in the spirits landscape”, proudly depicts its creator.

Exponential growth

However, in Languedoc, the offering is extensive and the competition tough, with the Carcassonne house Cabanel in particular, the Coq ô Rico de Capestang, Loco Loco in Cers or the lemon cream from Cornut, in the Gard, to name just these brands. This did not prevent the exponential growth of the Mentheuse, which was subsequently released in two other versions, the Pulpeuse (lemon – yuzu) and the Croqueuse (apple – pepper). Three successes.“We've worked hard. Which means that today, we can taste our products in Lille, but also Saint-Barth', Reunion Island or Martinique. As I speak, we are shipping a pallet to Dubai.”

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Maintaining the southern image of the product

Selling. “We met the Whiskies du Monde team at the Wine Paris trade fair in February 2024”, continues Lionel Albano. “They came to the stand, tasted, we chatted a lot and we got on well.” From there to handing over the company to them was another story. But for some time now, Lionel, Dominique and Frédéric had also noticed that to develop the brand and make it sustainable in the long term, they had to move up a gear and invest. “At 40, we might have launched. Now, at 56, it's not the same thing. I think Whiskies du Monde can be a growth accelerator.”

Grow, but not at any price either. Because production is and will remain local. In the Gard, in Cruviers-Lascours, at Grap'Sud, for the production part, in Gigean for the glass and on the Perpignan side for the bottling part. Short circuit and above all a southern image that Lionel and his associates wanted to see perpetuate (read below). This is also the reason why he will remain an ambassador for the brand for four years. As for the two employees that could sometimes be seen in the sales area of ​​the 7-Fonts zone, which is also closing its doors, they have been kept on by the buyer of the brand.

Anne-Claire Longy: “We fell in love”

It was through Anne-Claire Longy, head of the group's own brands, that Whiskies du Monde agreed to respond to the acquisition of Mentheuse. “When we tasted the products, we fell in love. This brand has real development potential.” For the company, run by Arnaud and Florence Pontoizeau, who took over from their father, who created the brand in 1999, there is also an interest in including a crème de menthe in their catalogue, alongside succulent Japanese and Scottish whiskies. But the group also wants to clarify that it wants to “keep the southern imprint of Mentheuse, with an identical production method.” Very well established in large and medium-sized stores, Whiskies du Monde will open up new horizons for the Agde brand.

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