Oak Stave

On Graf Brothers site, logs are transformed into luxury flooring, furniture-grade lumber, and high-end stave wood. Since 2009, Graf Brothers has been supplying premium American white oak staves to the wine, sherry, and spirits industries. In 2023, Graf Brothers became the largest single-site stave mill in the United States. In 2024, the company joined the Charlois Group, strengthening its value chain through an integrated, sustainable, and circular model for sourcing and transforming American white oak.

Unique Expertise in Selection and Transformation

Each log is rigorously sorted according to: its fine grain, straightness, absence of defects, and high radial yield for stave production.

All sawing operations are carried out strictly along the grain, ensuring:

• optimal stability,

• controlled penetration of the spirits,

• and increased longevity of the barrels.

Stave Production

Each step is carefully carried out to ensure consistent quality:

Cutting staves to variable widths in order to optimize the use of the raw material.
Quality control: each piece is inspected, rejected, or trimmed again if necessary.
Natural air-drying on ventilated pallets for 6 to 36 months.

American white oak is renowned for:

Its high lactone content (coconut and vanilla notes)
Its medium porosity
An aromatic structure particularly well suited to bourbon, whisky, wine, rum, and now sherry as well.

Preparation and Assembly of Stave Sets

After the drying period, each piece undergoes a new quality check, then is jointed and hollowed to form the staves destined for the cooperages.
A barrel set includes the full set of jointed staves as well as the two assembled heads.