Photo: Mark Roberts. Image courtesy Cooperages 1912.

Cooperages 1912 announces the appointment of Mark Roberts as general manager, starting from July 1, 2023. He will be taking over management responsibilities for Patrick Schwerdt who served as a General Manager from 1997 to 2023.

Patrick will now be selling spirit barrels. With over 21 years’ of experience working for Cooperages 1912, Mark Roberts was an account manager for Oak Solutions Group, a sister company offering innovative oak products and tannins to winemakers and distillers. With his new position, Mark will be leading both wine barrels and oak products sales management activities in Australia. As General Manager of Cooperages 1912, he will also be responsible for overseeing all aspects of operational functions of the company, including the local production of Heinrich Cooperage barrels. Leading a team dedicated to elevate experiences, Mark Roberts and the Cooperages 1912 employees will work together to deliver high-quality products and services to the winemakers.

Commenting on his promotion, Mark Roberts said: “I am excited to be leading our Australasian team into the future. In this day and age, you need to rapidly evolve, be dynamic and adaptive to succeed. I feel that Cooperages 1912 has been on this trajectory of evolution to be ahead of the curve.”

“We are very pleased to have Mark Roberts and Patrick Schwerdt moving to these new positions and have them representing Independent Stave Company on both the wine and spirit sides,” said Franck Renaudin, Director of Artisan Cooperages and International Sales. “This will benefit both our company and customers, as the need for high-quality oak barrels and other cooperage products continues to grow”.

Before embarking on his career with Cooperages 1912, Mark completed vintages in Australia and overseas before graduating from Adelaide University studying Wine Marketing. Currently, Mark is studying an MBA at Adelaide University.

Cooperages 1912, a subsidiary of Independent Stave Company, offers a comprehensive collection of premium wine barrel brands: Tonnellerie Quintessence, Tonnellerie Tremeaux, Maison Moussié, Heinrich Cooperage and World Cooperage. Cooperages 1912 also offers innovative oak products and tannins with sister company Oak Solutions Group as well as ISC spirit barrels.