
The cooperative movement in France started in 1901 with the Languedoc cooperative of Ensérune (now part of Les Vignobles Foncalieu), supporting rural communities in a post-phylloxera and industrial revolution world, and continuing to keep viticulture alive during world wars and economic recessions.
Cooperatives are diverse in size, type of organisation and philosophy, and appear in every winemaking region in France, producing wines in a wide range of styles, quality levels and price brackets.