Five extraordinary family companies nominated for the PFV's €100,000 Prize
As one of the 12 wine-producing families that make up the Primum Familiae Vini, we are pleased to announce the 2021 shortlist of five family companies nominated for the PFV’s €100,000 Prize.
The annual award is given to a family company in any area of enterprise that demonstrates excellence in sustainability, innovation, craftsmanship and the successful transmission of responsibility and commitment from one generation to the next.
In February, the twelve PFV families will meet again to select the winner of the €100,000 PFV Prize from amongst these five companies. The final decision will be announced in March 2021.
The five shortlisted companies are:
Makhila Ainciart Bergara, France: a six-generation family business and producer of exquisite handmade walking sticks in the Basque region of southwest France since 1780. The family have made walking sticks for Pope John Paul II, President Ronald Reagan, Charlie Chaplin, each French President of the 5th Republic, and the seven Heads of State attending the G7 meeting Biarritz 2018.
沈壽官窯 (Chin Jukan Kiln), Japan: A fourteen-generation family business and producer of Satsuma-yaki kiln-fired pottery in Kagoshima since 1876. The family, originally from Korea, have been ceramicists in Japan since 1623 with family records dating back twenty-six generations. They have won numerous international prizes for the beauty of their products.
Maison Bernard, Belgium: Established in the second half of the 19th century, it is the oldest luthier shop (maker of stringed musical instruments) in Europe. The family business takes care of beautiful historical instruments left to them, produces new instruments, and services violins, violas, cellos and bows for some of the world's greatest musicians. Maison Bernard recently restored a 1723 Stradivarius violin for future generations to enjoy.
The Goring Hotel, United Kingdom: The only luxury hotel in London still in the hands of the founding family. Established in 1910 by Otto Goring, the hotel is managed by the fourth generation and holds the Royal Warrant from Her Majesty the Queen. They have an exemplary record for helping the poor in the local community as well as managing one of London’s greatest hotels.
Giusto Manetti Battiloro, Italy: A fifteen-generation family business and producer of gold-leaf in Florence since 1582. Matteo Manetti worked with Michelangelo at St. Peter’s in Rome in the late 16th century and created the golden globe that sits atop the cathedral. In 1602, Matteo restored the magnificent globe that crowns Florence’s Santa Maria del Fiore which had been damaged by lightning. The exact same orb on the Duomo was restored by Matteo’s descendants in 2002. This company is now world leader in the production of gold leaf and its products adorn prestigious monuments in Paris, New York, London and Moscow.
Matthieu Perrin, PFV President, said: ‘We in the PFV believe that family companies are the bedrock of regional and national economies and that the best must have a profound commitment to sustainable development. Great family companies, such as these five in our shortlist, personify social and environmental responsibility as well as supreme product quality. These enduring values are particularly relevant in these turbulent times and during this devastating pandemic.’
Paul Symington, PFV Chairman, said: ‘The twelve families in the PFV have worked for generations to achieve excellence in our wines and for the continued independence of our vineyards despite challenges that often looked insurmountable. We created this prize to champion other family companies and to express our confidence in the resilience of family enterprises through good times and bad.’
Further information about the PFV’s ‘Family is Sustainability’ prize can be found here.
