Our Team
Discover the men and women who make Raisin happen, who are there to ensure our data is as pertinent as possible in each country, both for the winemakers and places we reference.
Jean-Hugues Bretin
He didn’t drink wine. In 2010, a friend came to dinner with a bottle of P’tit Blanc du Tue-boeuf by Thierry Puzelat: a revelation! Since then, he reads, lives, drinks, and thinks natural wine. On the internet since 1999, Jean-Hugues created sites as an HTML developer before becoming a search engine optimizer. Raisin is as much a professional project as an effort to defend a certain worldview. Bring on the change!
Nathalie Alves
She was responsible for the launch of On Boit Quoi Ce Soir ? She was also present for the creation of Raisin. No one really knows what we would have done, nor even if these projects could have existed, without her. Consultant, advisor, and editor, her hats and skills are many; and that’s exactly what a young app needs.
Claire Malnis
Claire was born in Lille, raised among the butter and cider culture in Normandy, studied Anthropology in Bordeaux, and moved to Paris where she finally discovered natural wine. Just by luck, she stumbled upon a natural wine shop, had her first bottle, plus a few more, and everything suddenly changed for Claire.
While she was used to drinking oaky, yeasty, full of sulfur, makeup, and wines without soul, this encounter opened her palate up to new, fresh, drinkable, and lively flavors that she could not ignore.
From then on, Claire was inspired to meet the people behind these wines, and experience for herself the vineyards, soil, plants, and ecosystem that make them so special. Learning, sharing, and thanking come naturally to Claire. And as a lover of nature herself, she takes a coherent and benevolent approach to work in all of her wine endeavors. So it is with humble desire that she joins the Raisin ranks, keeping that spirit of sharing her good taste in wine!
Adam Simmons
Born in England, raised in Germany, living between France and Belgium. Adam is a music producer, DJ and founding member of the hip hop group ASM (Chinese Man Records). As a group they launched Natty Rhyme (1 minute rapped natural wine reviews), Origin & Juice (a series based around music and natural wine). Adam fell in love with natural wine in Lisbon after trying a bottle from Partida Creus, he also loves sourdough pizza and vinyl. In fact he often cooks pizza, presents natural wines and DJ's at the same time at his Pet Nat & Pizza parties!
Elena Amprimo and Fulvio De Marchi
It all started at the “Trattoria La Baritlera,” where Fulvio spent 9 years working in Chianocco (Turin). It was there that he discovered natural wine alongside the managers of the restaurant, and helped make the wine list 100% natural. Then, he met Elena…and from there, it didn’t take much convincing! The two traveled from French vineyard to Italian vineyard without stopping – from the Binner's to the Milan's, and many more in between. It is crazy what passion makes you do 😉 They have largely contributed to improving our Italian map of establishments with the help of Christophe. As perspicacity is a shared value at Raisin, it did not take you long to figure out they are also officially our first Raisin couple: high five!
Krystel Nguyen Van Hong
Student at SUPDEWEB in Paris for a master's degree in the mobile sector, Krystel has been studying computer science and multimedia for about 5 years. She was a student-apprentice for a year and a half as a full-stack developer.
As she's looking for new horizons and new experiences, she will be joining Raisin as the project manager's assistant.
She is not yet familiar with the world of natural wine but looking forward to discovering it, she's very interested in the idea of encouraging the consumption of natural products.
Christophe Fustinoni
Born between Mondeuse and Syrah, it's finally in a cellar in Provence that it all started, before a “supernatural" encounter with bottles of Podere Pradarolo in 2010 that totally changed his approach. Since then, between France and Italy, he searches for new bottles and living produce, epicurean addresses and good times with anyone willing to share a glass of natural wine.
Benjamin Dupas
For Benjamin, natural wine is wine… but when there are additives, it's no longer wine. Both can be good, but in order for it to be authentic and true wine with terroir, it has to be natural! “We live in a society where people buy Chardonnay, and think it's only Chardonnay inside the bottle. Unfortunately, the reality is that there are often over a hundred additives in that bottle of Chardonnay alone. I want transparency for consumers, for them to only drink true Chardonnay when they ask for a Chardonnay." Benjamin started his career as a sommelier in a Parisian palace, and now manages the wine cellar of The Royal Savoy Hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland – which has one of the most important natural wine selections in the country. He also happens to own a parcel in Valais, where he enjoys making wine with a friend. Benjamin's passions also include geology, history, and the environment.
Boris Quennehen
As an atmospheric scientist, Boris had his head in the clouds and used to drink wine without caring much about it, until a diner in a restaurant where he found a 100% natural wine menu and a very persuasive team: the virus has been inoculated. A documentary about Alexandre Bain ends to convince him that a good wine is natural… and that the label is not that important! Since then, he explores wine regions by foot, by bike, or more often with his glass but never without his favorite compass, Raisin.
Andrew Krell
In 2007, Andrew took his first sip of natural wine in Paris: a Christian Ducroux Régnié. Fast forward to six years ago, we received our very first message from Andrew, reaching out to meet up during another one of his visits to Paris. So we did, and there was no turning back. We discussed natural wine (of course), and a thousand other topics. This meeting over a couple glasses of wine, was the first of many. From Paris to New York where Andrew lives, it's been an ongoing exchange of enthusiasm for these wines that we love to share. Thanks to Andrew's passion, we are constantly discovering new winemakers and places all over the world.
Makiko Shibata
This natural wine adventure took off at a PNG tasting, with a wine by Thierry Puzelat. For Makiko, it was the story behind the taste that was so inspiring, with a philosophy that lives by respect for the environment and passion for natural wine. Makiko was born in Japan, and only planned to stay in France for a 6 month trip. 26 years later, this passionate sommelier has doubled and flourished as a Shiatsu specialist. Makiko is also responsibile for doing the app's translations in her native language!
Andrea Zambrano Russo:
is a French-Chilean journalist, who is currently working as an editor in France. She originates from Chile, a country where wine has a long heritage.
Several years ago she discovered natural wine and it stole her heart.
For Andrea “El vino es vida !".
Mathilde Arlot:
She had her first wine tasting experience with her father a long time ago: she would challenge herself by testing aromas, memorizing them and their associated stories. The two are now working on converting the family wine cellar to 100% natural wines.
Away from the vines, she grew a career in the digital world by managing learning content platforms in Paris and now in Nantes. A few years ago, she decided to get back to wine and explore a large variety of regions, winemakers, and food pairings. She continually feeds her knowledge with unique tasting experiences (in catacombs…), by carrying out deep dive training in a vineyard, and by participating in harvesting activities. She loves discovering winemakers and wants to connect more deeply with the very essence of wine. It was therefore a natural step for Mathilde to connect with Raisin and offer her digital skillset to help spread natural wine.
But Raisin is also and most importantly you, our users. Your messages received daily, sharing your enthusiasm or keeping us in tune with the latest openings, modifications or closures world-wide are essential to make this app great! So keep writing to [email protected] whenever you think necessary, that’s how we stay up-to-date!
If you want to join the team, write to us explaining what you can bring to the project [email protected]