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.

Laura Doggen
Laura Doggen

I’m Laura, a Dutchy from Amsterdam who's figuring out Parisian life. It's a dream coming true to combine my passion for tech & wine in a professional career. My background is a mix of tech, digital marketing, and innovation management. For the last 3 years, I tried to professionalize my enthusiasm for wine with SDEN 2 and 3 courses, which resulted in many wine trips to winemakers and their vineyards, mainly in France and Italy. I also enjoyed being part of a city vineyard in Amsterdam, learning about growing the grapes and drinking the wine. 

Adam Simmons
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
Elena Amprimo

Elena was born in Piedmont, the region of Barolo and Barbaresco, but the first wine she tasted was wine from the home cellar: fermented grape juice and that's it! Thanks to her friends at Trattoria La Baritlera in Chianocco (Turin), she discovered in the late 2000s that all over the world, many winemakers had abandoned the interventionist approach to produce wine in the most environmentally and consumer-friendly way… and from there, it didn't take much convincing! She quit the company where she had been working for years and started traveling from French vineyard to Italian vineyard without stopping - from the Binner's to Milan's domains in France, from Le Quattro Volte to La Stoppa in Italy, and many more in between. It is crazy what passion makes you do!

Now she is back in Piedmont, works for Raisin, keeps helping some winemaker friends, and enjoys making a few demijohns of wine with her dad.

Benjamin Dupas
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
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 by convincing 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
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
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!

Viktoriia Gauthier
Viktoriia Gauthier

Viktoriia is a Siberian who fell in love with natural wine as soon as she moved to France. This year, she is finishing her Master’s degree in Communications at Sorbonne University and learning a lot about tech while helping Laura with product management at Raisin.
She especially enjoys natural wines that have a clear red color and is always excited to discover new bottles with the Raisin team. Whether enjoying an apéro after work or traveling to wine fairs, there’s always something new to taste!

Calliope Georgousi
Calliope Georgousi

Two experiences and a lifestyle brought me to volunteer for Raisin. Ikaria and Znojmo.
I am Greek, and wine has been an integral part of Hellenic culture for centuries. I briefly lived on the island of Ikaria, which is known for its ancient ties to Dionysus, the god of wine, ecstatic dance, local cuisine, and summer festivities following the harvest season. The island's inhabitants are known for living well into their 100s. One ancient fermentation technique that still fascinates me involves using a stroke to extract wine from clay amphorae buried in the soil.
Years later, during an epic cycling trip from England to Greece, I stumbled upon orange natural wine made using a similar amphorae technique in the UNESCO heritage town of Znojmo, Czech Republic. As someone who is passionate about organic food, I was immediately hooked.
Today, volunteering for Raisin's small team with User Experience Research and Design is an opportunity for me to empower the wider wine community, promote a healthy drinking lifestyle, and enrich your venue-finding experience with natural wine and its food culture.

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]