Veuve Clicquot almost didn't exist. Uneducated single mom saved the day
Madame Clicquot not only took over the champagne business in 1805 but built it into a global brand, standing as a model for female leaders to this day
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A special occasion calls for a glass of bubbly, and one of the most widely known luxury champagnes is Veuve Clicquot. But the brand almost didn’t exist.
Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, more commonly known by her succession name, Veuve Clicquot, (veuve being the French word for widow), was born in December of 1777 and became known as the Grande Dame of Champagne when she became head of her suddenly-deceased husband’s wine business when she was only 27 years old. But first, she had to convince her father-in-law not to liquidate the company.
The company under her leadership established a revolutionary way to develop early champagne known as ridding (creating a clearer, cleaner bubbly) and took bold steps to enter the Russian market, among other ambitious entrepreneurial moves. It thrives to this day as a globally recognized luxury brand.
Women in succession can learn a great deal from Madame Clicquot, according to champagne and family enterprise advisors alike.
“But for an exception in the Napoleonic Code allowing widows to run their own businesses, Barbe-Nicole, who we now know as La Grande Dame of VC, would not have had the opportunity to run her family business,” says Michelle Osry, Family Enterprise Consulting leader and partner at Deloitte Canada.
“On the untimely death of her husband, her father-in-law assumed that a liquidation was the only option. Barbe-Nicole managed to convince him otherwise, agreeing to an apprenticeship to prove she was capable of doing so.
At this time, Madame Clicquot was uneducated, and a single mother. No network. No support. No favours. And yet, she saw the opportunity and was prepared to take on the challenge. VC is now one of the largest champagne houses, fueled by Barbe-Nicole’s bold choices and fantastic inventions.
I think the lesson and opportunity for family businesses is very clear: Don’t overlook the women in your family.
Michelle Osry, Deloitte Canada
“I think the lesson and opportunity for family businesses is very clear: Don’t overlook the women in your family, even if they are not the obvious choice. Remarkably, despite stories like VC, we continue to encounter many families where the women are not actively encouraged and supported to take over the family business, other than as passive owners. There are, of course, many fantastic exceptions that give us hope.”
When Madame Clicquot took over the business in 1805, women were not permitted to open a bank account, let alone work outside the home.
“Before earning the respected title of ‘Grande Dame of champagne’, she had to face countless obstacles,” notes Veuve Clicquot’s official brand website. “A bold woman with big dreams, she dreamt for her Maison to transcend borders: ‘I wish my brand to rank first in New York as in Saint Petersburg.’ (Madame Clicquot, 1831).”
Female business leader awards open to Canadians
To commemorate Madame Clicquot’s skill and ambition, in 1972, to celebrate its 200th anniversary, the Maison created the Bold Woman Award (previously Business Woman Award) to honour female entrepreneurs who have built, taken over or developed a business around the world.
To support female business leaders of the future, in 2014, the Maison created the Bold Future Award (previously New Generation Award). The awards are ongoing and have thus far recognized more than 350 women in 27 countries.
“Madame Clicquot’s success was exceptional, given the early 19th century’s oppressive, Napoleonic expectations of women in which they were expected to stay home, have children, and keep quiet,” says Liz Palmer, wine journalist and author.
“They did not have the right to vote, could not attend university, nor open a bank account in their own name. None of that for La Grande Dame Barbe-Nicole.”
In addition to having the courage to approach her father-in-law with the proposal to take over her husband’s business, Madame Clicquot also rose to the challenge when he imposed the caveat she must go through an apprenticeship. Successful in her apprenticeship, Madame Clicquot become the first woman to take over a champagne house and was the first female champagne producer. There were many company milestones under Madame Clicquot.
These included successfully creating the first single-vintage Champagne in 1810, and launching her own company later that same year, Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin.
In 1816 Madame Clicquot invented the riddling table, used for removing sediment from champagne and making it clearer. By 1818, Madame Clicquot invented the first recorded rosé champagne, and she was the first person to sell champagne in the United States.
In export markets, Madame Clicquot was essential in establishing her Champagne in high society and royal courts throughout Europe. In the history of wine production, she was also the first woman to head an international commercial business. Today, Madame Clicquot’s presence is still felt beyond the Maison.
The strength of women’s networks
According to a Harvard Business Review Study conducted in 2017, entitled, “A Study of the Champagne Industry Shows That Women Have Stronger Networks, and Profit from Them,” one of the findings show that ‘female grape growers in champagne have shown, a network of such relationships can result in tangible benefits,’” explains Palmer, “including not just social support but also the sharing of valuable business information such as the prices being charged in a market.”
And the impact of Madame Clicquot’s strength and innovation can be a mentoring spirit for women in succession, whether they have a date for Valentine’s Day, or are enjoying a glass of “the Widow” in their own company.
“In a letter to her grand-daughter,” adds Osry, “Madame VC wrote ‘The world will always change. We must reinvent things for tomorrow. Be determined and challenging. Act audaciously.’ I think this says it all.
“We’ve come a long way since the 1800s. In Canada, we can vote, go to school and own and run our own businesses. Despite considerable obstacles – uneducated and a single mother to her six-year-old – Madame VC trusted her instinct, sought advice from a trusted employee, and made bold and game-changing bets.
“Madam VC’s story is a wonderful reminder to matriarchs and next-gens in Canadian family enterprises to raise their hand for leadership if this is what they feel inspired to do. Like Madame VC, they have sat at the same family dinner table as their husbands, fathers and brothers, listening to stories of the family business … learning to love the business and imagine the possibilities.
“Unlike Madam VC, we very fortunately have many wonderful role models – as well as fathers, husbands and brothers – in Canada and around the world to support and inspire us.”
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