At Grap Sud, nothing is wasted, everything is distilled
Jérôme Bourdin: Grap Sud is a cooperative group that brings together around 1,800 member winegrowers across the Mediterranean arc.
Our core mission is to collect and process by-products from winemaking—such as grape pomace, lees, and faulty wines—in order to extract as much value as possible at minimal cost.
In practical terms, we handle the collection, processing, and transformation of these by-products to recover all useful materials. This service is often free or very inexpensive for our member winegrowers.
For example, from grape pomace, we carry out several steps:
- Distillation to extract alcohol
- Seed extraction, with the seeds then processed into grape seed oil (virgin or neutral)
- Pulp recovery, used in the production of fertilizers
As for lees and downgraded wines: we also extract alcohol, sometimes food-grade extracts (for use in sauces, for instance), or even compounds used in pharmaceuticals.
And what does Grap Sud mean for the general public?
Jérôme Bourdin: On the finished products side, we’ve developed a range of spirits under the GM brand, intended for our members: vodkas, gins, bitters, liqueurs, and more. The choice of recipes and alcohol bases depends on market trends and specific requests.
All our spirits are made from alcohol distilled from our members’ grape pomace—it’s a true way to add value to the raw material, going far beyond simple industrial recycling. Some of our products are also certified organic, depending on customer demand.
We also offer contract manufacturing: if a member (or even an external client) wants to create their own spirit brand with specific requirements—such as organic certification or a unique recipe—we provide end-to-end support.
So, to sum it up – Grap Sud is…
Jérôme Bourdin: Grap Sud is a cooperative group committed to the circular economy: we transform winemaking waste—which winegrowers are legally required to treat—into value-added products. Everything is recycled or repurposed, including solid and liquid residues, which, once processed, return to the earth as natural soil amendments or fertilizers.
Products derived from grapes, wine and olives – Grap’Sud
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