15 Years of fatcork … and Counting

At fatcork, we celebrate every day, but August 8 is extra special. 

Dear fatcork friends and family, 

As a tireless 30-year-old, I stepped off a grueling international flight shockingly clear-eyed and alert. I was buzzing with excitement — not from jet lag delirium, but from the promise of adventure and a dream that was taking shape in my mind. My girlfriend, Abby, and I had just landed in Paris, and we were headed straight to Champagne. No detailed itinerary. No grand maison tours. Just a bunch of MapQuest printouts, a tiny rental car and the hope that if we knocked on enough doors, one would open.

It did. Actually, a bunch of them did. 

That trip changed everything. I knew I wanted Abby by my side forever, and I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to working with the incredible families crafting the most unique and delicious Champagne with their own hands from their own land. Abby and I started fatcork later that year — on August 8, 2010 — with a simple but powerful mission: to source the world’s best grower Champagne and deliver it directly to U.S. customers with beyond-exceptional service. 

In those early days, we felt scrappy yet sincere. Our first "cave" was hidden behind a thick tarp and plastic liner, with insulation made from hand-cut packing material stuffed into the window wells to keep the bottles cool. It wasn’t fancy, but the grower Champagne was extraordinary, and we treated it and our growing list of customers with great care. 

Fast forward to 2025 on this 15th anniversary of fatcork, and that spirit and our values are still exactly the same. We still cherish every grower relationship. We still obsess over quality. And we’re still a small business fueled by passion and curiosity. If anything has changed, it’s that our footprint has expanded and our fatcork family has grown — and that’s because of you. 

Whether you’ve been following along with us from the beginning or you found your way to us just this week, thank you! Thank you for supporting grower Champagne, for trusting us with your celebrations and for being part of this amazing journey. Here’s to 15 years of fatcork and many more ahead! 

Cheers!

Bryan Maletis
Founder of fatcork