Elephant on a Tightrope was developed by two people who have a passion
for French wines, experience in product branding, and who recognize the need
for a practical approach to branding French wines.
With family ties in France’s Champagne region and in the French wine
trade, Philippe Maffini has a fine-tuned appreciation of French wine. After
15 years in brand design, which led him from Paris, to London and New York,
he returned to his native France to set up a design-marketing firm, and continues
to develop high-end brands for export markets. Cindy Bearce has always appreciated
French wine and the fine art of making wine. After 20 years in design management
and marketing in NYC and Paris, she has made her home in the South of France
with Philippe and their two children.
"From our home in the South of France, we are only a few hours away
from some of the best wines the different regions of France have to offer.
Throughout France there are family-run estates that remain focused on producing
wines according to tradition and with minimum intervention, wines that remain
true to their terroir.
As wine has traditionally been part of a daily meal here, we are able to find
very good, affordable wines locally. Elsewhere, French wines are usually high-priced
and enjoyed only for holidays or special occasions. Drawing from our combined
experience in product marketing and design, we became passionate about developing
a "branded" French wine. Our desire was to create a consumer-friendly
French wine brand that would strike a balance between wine style, price and
packaging without compromising standards, which we like to refer to as "French
wines for today".
All of our wines have been personally selected from family-run estates throughout
France, with whom we work in partnership to market their wines internationally
under our label, Elephant on a Tightrope. The wines from these estates are
produced in limited quantities, and are an exceptional value. Through our
continued relationship with these estates, we are assured of wines of consistent
quality from year to year."
