Vanguard founder to step away from the business

The founder of Vanguard Luxury Brands, James France, will leave the company he founded back in 2008 and sold to Lion in 2019.

France started the company having spotted a gap in the Australian market when he returned from a six year stint in New York.

"There was no such thing as craft spirits back then, or even cocktail culture, but in the USA I saw all these cool brands that were not in Australia. The market was totally dominated by mainstream brands at that time, and the trade was very thirsty for new and premium products," he said.

France launched his marketing, importing and distribution business, with just one product: Aviation Gin. Today, the portfolio includes 38 brands, Morris Whisky, Four Pillars, Fuji Whisky and Los Siete Misterios super-prem Tequila.

France told Drinks Trade, "When I started the company, I had literally one product which only had one SKU. It was Aviation Gin. It was recommended to me by the New Zealand bartending legend Naren Young. Naren was living in New York at the time and is now in Miami.

"I would go into customers and show them the bottle of Aviation Gin. They would either buy it or not, and then ask what else I had. I said that was it! A few weeks later, in came Flor De Cana rum, followed closely by the spectacular failure that was Trago tequila."

France made the decision to leave after a summer of contemplation, ahead of the year in which he will celebrate his 60th birthday.

France said, “I have come to the decision that it’s the right time for me to leave Vanguard. I have worked closely with the Vanguard and Lion teams to ensure a smooth transition.  With this now complete, I am so happy to see that Vanguard is now standing strongly on its own two feet and ready to enter the next phase of its growth. "

General Manager of Vanguard, Danny Connolly, said: “James is fully supportive of the future direction of Vanguard and is confident that the business has a bright future. I know James will be a Vanguard advocate for life and look forward to him remaining a member of the extended Vanguard family. We all thank James for creating this wonderful company and for the fantastic contribution he has made to the Australian spirits industry.”

As for what is next, France said: “Firstly, I’ll take a few months off just to reset.  Maybe even go to one of those places where you go vegan, do yoga and stop drinking.  Actually, probably not.  But I do know that I’d like to stay in the industry in some capacity because I don’t want to walk away from over 30 years of friendships, experience and fun.  I’ll look at all options maybe even starting up that dog-friendly bar called Sit & Stay.”

We suspect that he'll pour himself a very large cocktail and toast himself for creating a business that completely changed the Australian drinks industry landscape.

France’s last official day at Vanguard will be Thursday, 11 May.