Our History
Friarwood was founded in 1967 by the late Peter Bowen. Having worked as a young man at many of the preeminent Chateaux in the Bordeaux region of France, Peter's passion drove him to create Friarwood as a fine wine trade from which to supply London and the rest of the UK with the best Bordeaux wines. His friendly relations with many chateaux owners gave him a valuable edge in the marketplace. Since the early 1970's, Friarwood has been one of the largest importers of Bordeaux wines into the UK, an exclusive distributor of many famous estates, and a major supplier to many of the top restaurants and hotels throughout Britain.
2010 is when Ben Carfagnini joins Friarwood, after moving to London from Canada, turning his back on a previous career as a landscape architect. He initially took an unpaid internship role, and as his passion for wine grew, Ben decided to pursue an MBA in Bordeaux. After completing his studies in 2014, Ben was welcomed back to Friarwood, taking over the on-trade sales side of the business. Sadly, Peter's health began to decline and following his death, the Bowen family were keen to see Ben take on the business.
Ben Carfagnini took over Friarwood in 2015 and expanded the business by growing the team, building an e-commerce platform, opening a second retail location and generating over 200 on-trade clients. Friarwood is still very much in touch with its heritage, continuing to cherish its long standing relationships with distinguished producers in Bordeaux and Burgundy, but has since expanded its portfolio to include talented, independent producers from the rest of the world!