It's been a big year for Julien Hervet, newly elected president of the French American Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest, FACC-PNW for short, a 501(c)(4) trade association to promote business and cultural relations between France and Washington (and Oregon). Primary benefit, you'd think, would be for the heavy hitters (Boeing, Microsoft, Tektronix) and their related law and accounting firms, but the Frenchies have significant investments over here, too: Air France, Safran, Dassault, Sagem Morpho, Sodexo hotels, even Airbus. Over 100 companies and several hundred members are now on the books.
Hervet earned a law degree in international business in France, went on to an MBA from the University of North Carolina, then moved to Seattle for series of high level jobs at Microsoft, which he left in 2012 to set up a wine-importing business (50 to 60 small producers across France). Now he's added a retail wine business as well, named Cépaé, located in the new Soma Tower in Bellevue. It's a legit wine bar. with dozens of wines available for half-ounce tastes or 5-ounce glass pours. So far, Hervet is the only holder of dual importer and retail licenses (aside from Costco, which twisted the right arms to get the liquor board to change the law).
Cépaé shares the space with a new branch of Belltown's French bakery La Parisienne. Patrick Morin bakes the savories in Belltown; the pastries are produced on-site in Bellevue.
Two videos are projected into the wall in 10-minute loops; one is about wine and wine making, the other about Paris. But earlier this month they showed the World Cup. Cépaé had only been open a week, but over 300 people found their way to the store to cheer for Les Bleus. And were well rewarded, n'est-ce pas?
Cépaé, 258 106th NE, Bellevue.
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