An interview with co-founder Camille Jullien Gilardi on popping the bubble of tradition

When most people think of Champagne, the image is almost cinematic: candlelit chalk cellars, impeccably dressed servers, and labels steeped in centuries of tradition. The region has long been defined by heritage, prestige, and rigid rules.

But a conversation with Camille Jullien Gilardi, co-founder and Marketing Director of EPC Champagne, reveals a company determined to rewrite that script and pop that bubble of convention.

Founded in 2019 by Édouard Roy, érôme Queige and Camille, EPC Champagne is not just another Champagne label, it is a startup operating at the heart of one of the world’s most traditional wine regions. Their approach combines entrepreneurial thinking with a deep respect for the land, aiming to create a modern, transparent model of Champagne centered on close collaboration with winegrowers and a strong focus on terroir.

EPC was born from the convergence of three distinct yet complementary talents. Édouard brought both heritage and entrepreneurial drive as the son and grandson of Champagne winemakers, having already launched four businesses by the age of 28. Jérôme contributed decades of industry expertise, including thirty years in Champagne sales and a pivotal role in developing the Nicolas Feuillatte label. Camille, the marketing expert of the trio, honed her skills at Procter & Gamble before seeking an entrepreneurial venture, eventually connecting with Édouard and Jérôme through a professional networking organization. Together, their blend of heritage, industry knowledge, and marketing acumen laid the foundation for a brand that challenges tradition while bringing a fresh, innovative perspective to Champagne.

For generations, the Champagne industry has followed a familiar rhythm. Large houses and cooperatives source grapes, or sometimes base wines, from thousands of growers across the region. These components are then blended to create a consistent “house style” that consumers around the world recognize year after year, alongside other cuvées in the portfolio. The system has long been designed for scale, reliability, and strong brand identity.

At EPC Champagne, however, Camille and her partners chose to challenge that model. Rather than purchasing grapes in bulk, EPC works directly with winegrowers who remain involved throughout the entire process, from tending the vines to crafting the final bottle. The relationship goes far beyond a simple supplier arrangement; it is a true collaboration built around a shared vision for the wine.

In this approach, growers are not simply selling their harvest and stepping aside. They remain part of the journey, contributing their expertise and deep knowledge of the vineyard at every stage of production. That level of involvement not only strengthens the identity of each cuvée but also allows growers to be more fairly compensated than in the traditional system.

The result is a different philosophy of Champagne-making. Rather than blending grapes from dozens of villages to achieve a uniform flavor profile, EPC chooses to highlight individual places. Each cuvée focuses on a single terroir, allowing the unique character of the vineyard to shine through.

In the end, the idea is remarkably simple: one cuvée, one place. Every bottle tells the story of a specific landscape, and of the people who work it.

In its early days, EPC Champagne experimented with what Camille describes as an “incubator” cuvée, a way to build the brand by collaborating closely with a single winegrower rather than working with a broader group. These early partnerships were carefully chosen and carried symbolic weight within the Champagne world. Among them were respected figures such as David Léclapart and later Franck Pascal, widely regarded as a pioneer of biodynamic viticulture in Champagne.

For EPC, working with Pascal was especially meaningful. The collaboration allowed the team to associate the young brand with one of the most influential voices in sustainable winemaking, while also testing their collaborative model: purchasing a defined number of bottles and working side by side with the grower throughout the entire production process. For a new house seeking credibility among serious Champagne enthusiasts, these partnerships were more than just cuvées, they were foundational steps in shaping EPC’s identity and values.

Another idea at the heart of EPC Champagne is transparency, an approach shaped by the way a new generation thinks about what it eats and drinks.

Camille explains that EPC naturally speaks to Millennials. Not only are they becoming an increasingly important group of buyers, but they also tend to influence the purchasing habits of their parents and older friends. Their expectations are different from those of previous generations. They want to know where products come from, who made them, and how they were produced.

EPC answers that curiosity with what the team calls an “identity card.” Printed on the back of every bottle, it offers a level of detail that is rarely found in Champagne. Instead of just a brand name, the label tells a fuller story: the village where the grapes were grown, the grape varieties in the blend, the name of the grower who worked the vineyard, and the dosage level (always Extra Brut) reflecting the house’s preference for a drier style.

For Camille, these details transform the experience of opening a bottle. Champagne becomes more than a symbol of prestige or celebration; it becomes a story rooted in a place and in the people who cultivated it.

While older generations often choose Champagne based on the reputation of a label, younger drinkers tend to look for something they can talk about. When they bring a bottle to a dinner party, they want to share not just the wine itself, but the narrative behind it, the village, the grower, and the character of the terroir captured inside the bottle.

Innovation at EPC Champagne doesn’t always come in grand gestures. Sometimes it appears in the smallest details, like a tiny blue dot on the bottle.Camille explains that one of the team’s simplest ideas has also turned out to be one of its most practical. Each EPC bottle features a small thermosensitive sticker that reacts to temperature. When the champagne reaches its ideal serving range, between 8 and 12°C, the dot quietly turns blue.

It’s a subtle feature, but it solves a surprisingly common problem. Many people hesitate when serving champagne, unsure whether the bottle is cold enough or too chilled. That uncertainty can make the experience feel more technical and more intimidating than it needs to be. The blue dot removes the guesswork entirely.

Instead of relying on wine expertise or carefully timed refrigeration, anyone can simply glance at the bottle and know it’s ready to pour. For Camille, the goal is clear: strip away the unnecessary rituals and make high-quality champagne feel welcoming rather than exclusive.

As EPC Champagne continued to gain recognition, success brought a new challenge. Growing demand meant the company needed to increase production, but doing so without losing control over quality, or the philosophy behind the wines, required a long-term solution.

That moment came with the acquisition of Champagne Charles Mignon, a respected family house located in Épernay, one of the historic centers of the Champagne region. The move marked an important step in EPC’s evolution.

By bringing Charles Mignon into the fold, EPC secured something essential: its own production base in Champagne. The acquisition provided the infrastructure needed to support growing volumes while maintaining close oversight of winemaking. It also opened the door to a network of established vineyard sources, including prestigious Grand Cru sites, ensuring access to high-quality grapes rooted in some of the region’s most prized terroirs.

Despite the new partnership, the two houses remain distinct in spirit. Charles Mignon continues to embody the traditional side of Champagne, offering wines built on heritage, consistency, and classic craftsmanship. EPC, meanwhile, retains its role as the more experimental counterpart, pushing boundaries in transparency, storytelling, and modern wine culture.

“We will always stay true to our DNA: one cuvée, one terroir, one winegrower. We are constantly on the lookout for hidden gems, exceptional terroirs that may not be the most famous but deliver remarkable quality. The acquisition of Charles Mignon also gives us an incredible playground to explore more of the Côte des Blancs and the Marne Valley,” said Camille.

Today, EPC’s ambitions extend far beyond the vineyards of Champagne. Although the brand was founded only a few years ago, it has already expanded into more than twenty-five countries, with particularly strong growth in the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The international response suggests that their approach, combining authenticity, innovation, and respect for growers, resonates far beyond France.

For Camille and the team, the mission is not to replace tradition but to reinterpret it. They want to show that Champagne can honor its history while speaking to a new generation of drinkers who value transparency, aut...

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