The parent company was founded by Norbert Gardet in 1929.
Commercial activities were initially developed with wines and spirits from France, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia and Greece until the opening of the common market in 1969. Throughout time, CIVS has always worked with groups of producers, mainly from France, Italy and Spain. The company benefits from a rich experience, close relationships with selected producers, reliable bottlers and supply channels based on the quality of products.A subsidiary was opened in the US in 1967 in order to sell bottled French and Italian wines coming from wine cooperatives or private estates which, at the time, were not exported. Several of these producers are now famous worldwide for their brands.CIVS started developing and marketing SOMMELIERE, ALAIN LONGCHAMPS and FRAGONARD Cognac X.O in 1975 for the American market. In 1984, as a result of a significant sales increase, a trade organisation was created on the US market.

Since 1996, CIVS has been specializing in the top-of-the-range wine and spirits sector. In 2009, CIVS implemented a new strategy consisting in both broadening the supply sources and offering new services to its clients. This new strategy allowed us to generate more added value for our clients who already have, in addition to wines from California and Australia, a multidisciplinary team at their disposal enabling them to manage complex projects in a multicultural environment. With its 85-year experience, CIVS uses its expertise to focus exclusively on high quality products and has become a major reference in that field. Our market approach consists in listening to our clients’ specific needs and offering custom products to match their demands.
The company head office is located in Marseilles, the strategic centre of the wine producing regions of France, Italy and Spain.