Our story
During a trip to the United States, Valérie, founder of JNPR, discovered a beverage offering far more diverse and sophisticated than what was then available in Europe: subtle flavors, natural ingredients, and products designed as true everyday companions. This experience marked the starting point of the first reflections behind JNPR.
As she delved deeper into her research, she immersed herself in the history of plants and distillation. She discovered that in the 15th and 16th centuries—long before the rise of spirits as we know them today—distillation was primarily an art applied to plants, roots, flowers, and spices. Foundational works such as Liber de arte distillandi by the Strasbourg apothecary Hieronymus Brunschwig (1500–1512), and later The Art of Distillation by John French (1651), describe distillation as a rigorous method for extracting essences and active principles, used for medicinal, culinary, and aromatic purposes.
At that time, botanicals such as juniper berries, coriander, and various roots were already being distilled and recognized for their properties. Alcohol was not an end in itself, but merely one technical medium among others, serving extraction, preservation, and stability.
This historical perspective strongly resonated with JNPR’s founding intuition.
Meeting renowned bartender Flavio Angiolillo marked a decisive turning point. Together, they took on an ambitious challenge: to carry forward this tradition of distillation while anchoring it in a contemporary approach, and to demonstrate that it is possible—even without alcohol—to achieve genuine mixology properties. After months of reading, research, experimentation, and encounters with artisan distillers, JNPR was born.
As she delved deeper into her research, she immersed herself in the history of plants and distillation. She discovered that in the 15th and 16th centuries—long before the rise of spirits as we know them today—distillation was primarily an art applied to plants, roots, flowers, and spices. Foundational works such as Liber de arte distillandi by the Strasbourg apothecary Hieronymus Brunschwig (1500–1512), and later The Art of Distillation by John French (1651), describe distillation as a rigorous method for extracting essences and active principles, used for medicinal, culinary, and aromatic purposes.
At that time, botanicals such as juniper berries, coriander, and various roots were already being distilled and recognized for their properties. Alcohol was not an end in itself, but merely one technical medium among others, serving extraction, preservation, and stability.
This historical perspective strongly resonated with JNPR’s founding intuition.
Meeting renowned bartender Flavio Angiolillo marked a decisive turning point. Together, they took on an ambitious challenge: to carry forward this tradition of distillation while anchoring it in a contemporary approach, and to demonstrate that it is possible—even without alcohol—to achieve genuine mixology properties. After months of reading, research, experimentation, and encounters with artisan distillers, JNPR was born.
