The release of Family Spirit provides a unique opportunity for Glenfiddich to highlight the importance of family-owned and operated businesses while also informing the world on why enduring family enterprises consistently produce top quality products. Glenfiddich and CIFE conducted an extensive search for companies whose products and services are best in class as a result of remaining family-led, generation after generation. The resulting book showcases the stories of 12 incredible family-run companies as told through direct interviews with family members and company executives. Boasting over 200 images, Family Spirit contains gorgeous full-color and vintage black-and-white photographs from their archives. Participants featured in Family Spirit – all with over three generations as a family-owned business – include:
- Denihan (hotelier)
- Mitchells Family of Stores (clothier)
- Glenfiddich (distiller)
- Moresque / Arabesque (artisan)
- Johnstons of Elgin (weaver)
- Mouawad (jeweler)
- Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. (premium coffee)
- Riedel (glassmaker)
- Lundberg Family Farms (farmer)
- Wirtz Corporation (distributor)
- McIlhenny Company (maker of Tabasco®)
- Young's Market Company (distributor)
The story of Glenfiddich started with William Grant, who after 20 years of learning the skills to produce high quality Scotch whisky at the Mortlach distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, dreamed of starting his own distillery. With a vision in place and the help of his seven sons and two daughters, Grant began building his own distillery by hand. History was made in 1887 when Grant's Glenfiddich distillery was born and the first spirit flowed from the stills on Christmas day. After five generations the legacy lives on in the William Grant & Sons Ltd business, where the traditional production techniques for Glenfiddich – established by William Grant himself – remain in the hands of the family who founded it. Passed on from generation to generation, Glenfiddich believes that it is the underlying values that have kept the company as one of the last remaining family distillers, which have led to Glenfiddich's success as the world's most awarded and best-selling single malt Scotch whisky.
Peter Gordon, fifth generation and Director of Supervisory Board for William Grant & Sons says, "Showcasing the benefits of family-owned independence through Family Spirit is truly fascinating. As a collection, there is a wonderful diversity of approaches and outcomes. Each story, including our own, is unique and each one charts how the families behind their beloved brands meet, match, and overcome formidable challenges."
In the introduction of Family Spirit, Dr. John Davis – Founder and Chairman of CIFE and Professor at the Harvard Business School – remarks, "The world is hungry for responsible companies and business leaders who are dedicated to more than making money and self-enrichment…It's exciting to see the exceptional family companies in this book succeeding against great odds."
Glenfiddich celebrates these accomplishments by laying down a special cask of whisky for fifty years, a process which requires extraordinary vision to the long-term commitment that family ownership offers. The cask is signed by the families and marks their joint commitment to remain family-owned and independent for at least two more generations. Fifty years from now, the families who meet this challenge can celebrate again and share the precious whisky from that cask.
To further champion family enterprises, proceeds from the sale of Family Spirit will go towards the New York Public Library's (NYPL) Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL), and Glenfiddich will make a donation to the NYPL directly. These generous gifts will add value to the NYPL's SIBL members by enhancing resource centers and adding many books and materials to the library's collection.
Family Spirit offers wisdom handed down over generations, contemporary insights, and timely inspiration. Glenfiddich hopes the stories serve as inspiration for other businesses and families who are passionate about what they do.
Family Spirit
Chronicle Books / Publishers
On Sale: Now at Amazon.com
$40.00 | Hardcover | 184 pages
ISNB: 978-1-4521-4176-3
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