Our History.
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Roger ALLARYFOUNDER
The year was 1950 and in the small village of Juillac Le Coq (near Cognac) Mr. Roger Allary married his lovely wife and rented a very old home. The winters were quite cold, the home was not well finished and the young couple could see the sky through the ceiling. Mr. Allary and his wife well remember the long, hard nights together and dreaming of a better home.
Roger always had a talent for woodworking and was lucky enough to be mentored by a master cooper in the region. At this time the training was called "hand-made trainee cooper". Roger had to craft a 400L barrel alone and only by hand. A very difficult task indeed. Normally the training lasts 3 years but Roger was a talent, he learned quickly. After learning the art he enrolled in “service militaire” (mandatory for 3 months in the early 1950's and Roger stayed an additional 2 years until the year 1952). After his military service was completed Roger came back to Juillac Le Coq where he started his own cooperage as a craft job. Roger made barrels and large-sized tanks of 30HL, 60HL and even sometimes 120HL with only the help of his wife. The Allary Tradition would not be possible without the years of help and support of Mr. Roger Allary's wife. Through years of hard work, skill and determination Mr. Roger Allary pruchased his own land in 1971 in Archiac, France where Tonnellerie Allary is now located. To this day Mr. Roger Allary still works in our cooperage and overseas the artisan workshop. |
