The Caffo 1915 Group represents a more unique than rare case in the Italian panorama of liqueurs and spirits for how it has managed to become the leader in the Amari category over the course of about ten years. It has in fact overtaken consolidated and well-known brands, which have much larger national and multinational companies behind them such as Ramazzotti (Pernod Ricard) or Montenegro (Gruppo Montenegro), to give just two examples.
The Caffo 1915 Group has been participating in Vinitaly for many years, to remember the contiguity between the wine and spirits markets, and therefore it may be interesting to study the reasons behind its success also in a logic of transfer of experiences.
Territorial craftsmanship.
The basis of growth is given by Vecchio Amaro del Capo, an unequivocal expression of Calabria thanks to the 29 native botanicals (herbs, flowers, fruits and roots) that make up its recipe.
This combination of craftsmanship and territoriality is found in all the Group’s products, both those of the original Caffo Distillery and those of the companies acquired in recent years such as Borsci, Felice Bisleri, Petrus Bonnekamp and Mangilli.
Focus.
The acquisitions mentioned above which formed the Group over the years were concentrated in the Amari (bitters) sector, creating growing synergies in the segment of Caffo expertise recognized internally and by the market.
A not so obvious choice. It is often preferred to diversify into different segments to avoid creating internal competition. In this case, however, the company’s culture and strategic attention are often dispersed, with the result that the main proposal is weakened without being able to enhance the others.
Caffo was able to recognize how organoleptically different products, even within the same category, which respond to different moments, situations, and consumption styles, addressing different consumer targets, can not only coexist but thrive.
Dynamism towards the market.
Focusing does not mean fossilization. Without betraying the positioning described above, Caffo has the ability to respond to signals coming from the market. With Capo Ghiacciato it has spread a new way of drinking amaro, with Amaro del Capo Red Hot Edition has been able to go beyond its iconic product to satisfy a taste trend, keeping intact the territorial bond on which its positioning is based.
The same logic is found in the single-varietal grappas of the Calabrian vines or in the craft beer brand Calabrau.
When the identity of a brand is clear, strong, and shared (first of all within the company) it can evolve and change to respond to market demands (or seize opportunities) without weakening itself, but rather strengthening itself because stays in tune with customers and consumers.
Variety
This is an element that partly derives from the previous one of dynamism, but in the case of Caffo it is also due to another important factor: the push to use products in mixing.
A less obvious choice than it may seem today, it is no coincidence that the use of Amari is very limited in classic cocktails. Until a few years ago, manufacturing companies did not encourage the use of their products in mixing for fear that the perception of the organoleptic characteristics would be lost. Understandable fear, but on the other hand it limits the experience of the product.
Mixing allows us to offer people the variety of experiences they ask for (of flavors, colors, densities, etc.) using the same basic product. In other words, it multiplies the opportunities for consuming the product.
At Vinitaly we interviewed Fabrizio Tacchi, Amaro & Spirits Ambassador of the Group who, from his observatory, confirmed the positive trend of mixed drinking, tracing it to the spread of the aperitif ritual in Italy and throughout the world.
A ritual which, it is worth remembering, was born with Vermouth, that is with a (flavoured) wine.