La brasserie des Voirons was created in 2013 by Christophe and Barbara Grellier. It is located in Lucinges, a 30 minute drive south of Geneva in Savoie. Voirons comes from the name of the valley in which the brewery is located. Brasserie des Voirons produce all year round, following the season of plants and fruits. They also utilize zero sulfites lees collected from only natural winemaking practices. Presently, they produce 60,000 bottles per year, very tiny for a brewery with an allocation divided amongst more than 20 countries. Interestingly, Christophe actually started his career behind the stove working for well-known Michelin star restaurants. These highly regarded locales include La Tour d’Argent and Lasserre in Paris, Marco Pierre White in London, Le Negresco in Nice, Le Cygne and La Resserve in Geneva. Barbara, on the other hand, is originally from the Loire Valley. It was there where her wine merchant father in Poitiers ignited her wine vocation. Initially, Barbara was actually a dancer at the Conservatoire National Supérieur of Paris. After travelling around Europe to perform with the greats including Béjart, Serge Golovine, Jeannine Charrat, Tessa Beaumont, and Redha, she took over her father’s wine shop. That is until she met Christophe.

In 2003, Christophe and Barbara decided to stop their respective jobs to open their own establishment: Le Bonheur dans le Pré. This was a farm to table restaurant in Lucinges surrounded by fields with seasonal/organic produce and a 100% natural wine list. In addition, Christophe decided to start a natural wine distribution company in the Savoie area. He then began supplying well-known producers to retail locations. These included Clos Rougeard, Ganevat, Belluard, Derain, Sarnin-Berux, Pacalet, Durieux and many others.

In 2013, after 10 years with their business, Christophe and Barbara sold their restaurant to start a micro-brewery in Lucinges. This occurred after realizing the extraordinary quality and potential of the water they had in their village. They had a pure, crystal-clear water source. In fact, it is even part of the Evian source stemming from the Alpes’ snowmelt from Mont Blanc. As it’s a surface water source, the limestone component from the rock contact is very low and the acidity remains high. The purity of this water avoids chlorination or any type of correction as most breweries do. In addition to this natural gift of water, they decided to work with organic hop and barley from Germany and Belgium. They also practice natural brewing with spontaneous fermentation and aging period in barrel from 3 to 16 months, according to the cuvee.