Building Heritage, Innovation, and Inclusion 

I recently visited Cognac, France, to connect with our partners at Hennessy and to be immersed in their culture as they push forward to be a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization. It’s a proud history . . . Since 1763, and they won’t let you miss that fact.

Their business, their world, is about the passage of time and “savoir-faire”, which sort of means, the tradition, the craft of making the world’s best cognac. And, much as cognac is a blend of different vintages of distilled wine . . . “eau de vie ” (“water of life”), Hennessy is striving to blend the innovation of the future with the art of the past for a more diverse and inclusive culture today.

It was a fascinating and beautiful experience both to understand the process of creating cognac, but even moreso, to be a part of the process of refinement, maybe even transformation, that the organization is undertaking. To understand the people, the company, the “maison,” it is important to understand the passion for what they do – and I was fortunate to be given the most intimate of experiences. 

The process of cognac is a sensory cacophony. The sharp smell of distillation and musk of centuries-old cellars, the tang of eau de vie on the tongue . . .  We sat with the 8th generation master blender, who remarked that it is at least 10 years of practice before the subtleties can be truly detected. And, my favorite, the sound of the cooper’s hammer pounding iron rings to bend oak staves groaning and popping as they are shaped over an open flame. They even let me try my hand.

Baked in beautiful tradition, Hennessy is also whirring toward the future, from a hyper-modern bottling plant, to environmental stewardship initiatives (like ISO certs, commitment to zero herbicides, and promotion of biodiversity by planting alternative crops in fallow land), I witnessed the ways they are continually building a company culture where they take care of each other, lift each other up, and support a workforce of all abilities. 

This wonderful, budding relationship between Hennessy and No Barriers really took root this summer when Hennessy’s President & CEO Laurent Boillot joined us for our annual Summit at Copper Mountain, CO, and it joyfully continued with my visit to Cognac, where we focused on a week of discussions and workshops geared toward elevating diversity and inclusion. I spoke with managers, screened my latest short film, “Soundscape”, and we enjoyed an activity that we did at the Summit – blindfolding everyone and then putting them through a series of sensory experiences to discern smells, tastes, and tactile sensations, before bringing them outside to teach them how to echolocate. 

Our trip to Cognac was, to say the least, a rich and beautiful experience. I came away invigorated by their passion, and in turn, renewed with encouragement for the work we do at No Barriers. The world is crying out for alchemy and we are the alchemists. Accepting that charge does not require a crystal ball to tell the future, but it does require knowing what you value as the Vision for what lies ahead. 

I am so honored to be on that journey with Hennessy and the wonderful friends we have made in France.

À votre santé! (To your health!)

– Erik

Trip Photos

Erik touring the barrel cellars.
Erik touring the barrel cellars.
A close-up look at a barrel from 1962.
A close-up look at a barrel from 1962.
Erik and Skyler touring the barrel and bottling plant.
Erik and Skyler touring the barrel and bottling plant.
A cooper guides Erik's hands over a barrel they are making for the day.
A cooper guides Erik’s hands over a barrel they are making for the day.
A cooper "toasting" the barrel they are making.
A cooper “toasting” the barrel they are making.
A cooper putting the finishing touches on a barrel. A cooper putting the finishing touches on a barrel.
A cooper putting the finishing touches on a barrel.

Video of the bottling plant process.

A close-up of a barrel from 2014.
A close-up of a barrel from 2014.
Erik walking around a table of managers blindfolded as they explore using all their other senses to experience the world around them.
Erik walking around a table of managers blindfolded as they explore using all their other senses to experience the world around them.
Glasses of Hennessy Cognac lined up for tasting.
Glasses of Hennessy Cognac lined up for tasting.
Laurent at the 2023 No Barriers Summit, participating in the blindfold activity.
Laurent at the 2023 No Barriers Summit, participating in the blindfold activity.
Laurent at the 2023 No Barriers Summit, speaking to attendees.
Laurent at the 2023 No Barriers Summit, speaking to attendees.