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Heroing Italy’s heritage

Ask most in the drinks trade how to inspire and engage when it comes to marketing and sales and the invariable answer is ‘stories, stories, stories’, which abound when it comes to distributor Amber Beverage UK’s (ABUK) newest supply partner, Zanin. Beginning with limoncello, sambuca, aperitivo and amaretto, this selection offers a modern taste of a more traditional Italy, being just part of the medley of individual drinks that make up the distiller’s broader portfolio. And, working closely with ABUK, Zanin has crafted a fresh look to help bring these drinks to a new cohort of drinkers.

Back to stories, and it’s worth recounting how this fourth-generation company grew from humble roots in the small settlement of Zugliano in the Veneto. CEO Alessandra Zanin’s great grandfather, Bartolo Zanin, who had a traditional locanda, along with a small plot of vines, set up a small grappa distillery. He’d reckoned this rural spot, which happened to be on a seasonal cattle route, would deliver custom and, reckoning correctly, the fledgling business soon thrived.

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“It was very popular for people to drink grappa then,” says Zanin, “even in the morning with coffee, a tradition with the farmers, who would come in at 8am having already worked for a few hours.”

This was the beginning of a business that has grown, via the second generation and a licence to distil at scale, to its current multifaceted form. In addition to the above-mentioned spirits, there are bitters, grappa (of course), cocktail mixes, zero-alcohol options and something called latte di suocera, which translates as mother-in-law’s milk, plus more. And, for the past 10 years, following some serious investment, all is distilled at a modern site with the latest technology, and now with a helping hand by harnessing AI.

Zanin may be producing traditional Italian drinks, but where it gets really interesting is in its philosophy, guided by Zanin herself. She wants the company and its products to “be a bridge between history and the present”, to tap into evolving trends in the spirit and liqueur markets, where authenticity, originality and quality are the driving triumvirate.

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Compelling design

To do so, Zanin has worked hard on the design and packaging, developing labels featuring ‘historical pioneers’ who forged cultural links between Italy and the UK. Each tells a story and the cool, modern but retro-nodding design is compelling.

ABUK MD Sam Thackeray says: “There’s stunning work that Alessandra’s team has done on these bespoke labels for the UK market, in terms of finding a unique bridge between the UK culture and Italian culture.”

Zanin’s products are already in some 65 markets globally, which begs the question as to why the current boss is so keen to drive sales in the tough and crowded UK arena. And also why ABUK sees so much potential in its portfolio.

“We are a relatively small company, we approach each market depending on what’s going on and decide how to increase in that market,” says Zanin. “We met each other and started to talk about an approach to the UK. We knew the history of spirits in the UK is a given, started by Italian bartenders, and with Amber we can demonstrate what we are able to do. It’s a challenge, but we can really push the accelerator together.”

From the UK perspective, where there have been some signs of a recent uptick in liqueur sales, Thackery adds: “The UK often acts as a blueprint for other markets, and has a good reputation, because if you can succeed here, you should succeed in other markets, even if in a different way.

“It’s an interesting dynamic here, because while the traditional liqueur market has declined, down to environmental factors such as the nightclub sector disintegrating, there are opportunities and occasions to create new drinks moments.”

ABUK agreed to start with the aforementioned drinks, but Thackeray is keen to drive excitement around the category, to “start doing some really cool stuff around the edges” with other styles, such as a (very Instagrammable, green) pistachio liqueur and other niche flavours in Zanin’s portfolio.

All this has fed into the Heroes of Italy design and marketing that both companies are now beginning to roll out in the UK, with a kind of ‘back to the future’ vibe. Certainly, all the ducks are in a row, so the hope now is that – backed by a lot of market nous and knowledge – Zanin will make the splash ABUK believes it deserves.

“What you’ve got here is an emotionally rich product, also very commercially powerful, with the price points making it an obvious opportunity for buyers, and that will reflect itself at the consumer end,” concludes an ever-bullish Thackeray. For Zanin and its importer, time will tell.

• Spirits
• Liqueurs
• distribution
• Sam Thackeray
• ABUK
• Amber Beverage
• Zanin portfolio
• Alessandra Zanin