Davide Campari-Milano N.V., trading as Campari Group, is an Italian company active since 1860 in the branded

beverage industry The drink industry (or drinks industry, also known as the beverage industry) produces drinks, in particular alcoholic beverage, ready to drink and soft drink products. Drink production can vary greatly depending on the product being made. Manuf ...

. It produces spirits,

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

s, and non-alcoholic apéritifs. From its signature product,

Campari Campari () is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an aperitif, apéritif of the ''bitter'' variety (and not an amaro) by Italians while considered an apéritif of the Amaro (liqueur), amaro variety by Americans, obtained from the infusion of ...

, its portfolio has been extended to include over 50 brands, including

Aperol Aperol ( , ) is an Italian bitter apéritif and digestif, apéritif made with Gentiana, gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona, among other ingredients. It has a clear orange hue. Its name comes from ''apero'', a French slang word for 'apéritif'. Histo ...

, Appleton,

Cinzano Cinzano () is an Italian brand of vermouth, a brand owned since 1999 by Campari Group, Gruppo Campari. History Cinzano vermouths date back to 1757 and the Turin herbal shop of two brothers, Giovanni Giacomo and Carlo Stefano Cinzano, who creat ...

, SKYY vodka, Espolón,

Wild Turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey (''M. g. dom ...

Grand Marnier Grand Marnier () is a French brand of liqueurs. The brand's best-known product is Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, an orange-flavored liqueur created in 1880 by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle. It is made from a blend of Cognac (brandy), Cognac brandy, ...

, and Forty Creek whisky.

Group profile

Founded in Milan by

Gaspare Campari Gaspare Campari (12 March 1828 – 14 April 1882) was an Italian drinks manufacturer. Born in Cassolnovo, Italy,Sesto San Giovanni, the Group is now a global company (sixth-largest spirits group worldwide), marketing and distributing its products in over 190 countries. Production is concentrated in 22 manufacturing plants. Campari Group employs approximately 4,000 people and has its own distribution network. The company operates in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Russia, Switzerland, the UK and Ukraine in Europe; Argentina, Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico and the United States in the Americas, as well as in Australia and China. Sales for 2012 amounted to €1,340.8 million, 76.7% of which was in spirits, 14.6% in wines, and around 8% in soft drinks.

History

The first century

Campari Group traces its beginnings back to 1860, with the birth of its flagship brand and signature, red aperitif beverage Campari. Born in 1828, Gaspare Campari, the inventor of the recipe, was the 10th child of a farming family. Deciding to open his own bar, it became so successful that he opened another in the heart of Milan, making his own cordials, cream liqueurs and bitters in the basement. His choice of location near the Duomo coincided with the opening of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, contributing to the fame of its bar and its bitters, then called Bitter all'Uso d'Olanda, which became extremely popular at the time. In 1904 the historic production site at Sesto San Giovanni was inaugurated. It would remain in operation until 2005 when a new production site was opened in Novi Ligure. In 1926 Davide, Gaspare's son, transformed the company by dropping the production of all drinks other than a Campari bitter and Cordial Campari. Davide dedicated his considerable energy and determination to making the brand known across the world. In 1932 Camparisoda, the first single-serve aperitif in the world, was launched. The bottle was designed by Fortunato Depero, one of the most famous

Futurist Futurists (also known as futurologists, prospectivists, foresight practitioners and horizon scanners) are people whose specialty or interest is futures studies or futurology or the attempt to systematically explore predictions and possibilities ...

artists of the time. The iconic bottle, unchanged to this day, has become a symbol of everyday "usable" design objects in Italy and the world. Depero's invention had many highly innovative features. It was the first single-dose product, it was ready for consumption and it contained the perfect pre-dinner drink mix of Campari and soda. The bottle's striking design resembled an upside down glass. Davide Campari died in 1936; ten years later, the company incorporated as Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. The company remained concentrated on this core product for most of the rest of the century, even after Domenico Garavoglia gained control of it in the 1970s.

1990-Today

In the 1990s, the consolidation of the global drinks market led Campari to build its own portfolio of brands. In 1995, Campari acquired the Italian branch of the Dutch Group BolsWessanen, which distributed Crodino, Cynar, Lemonsoda, Oransoda, Biancosarti and Crodo. In 1998, Campari acquired a minority stake in Skyy Spirits LLC, owner of SKYY vodka, along with the world distribution rights (except for the USA). In return, Skyy Spirits LLC became the distributor for the whole Campari portfolio in the US. Campari acquired the Italian distribution rights of Lipton Ice Tea (1998), the anise-based Greek spirit Ouzo 12 (1999), the Italian vermouth

(1999). In July 2001, the group completed its IPO on the

Borsa Italiana Borsa Italiana () or Borsa di Milano (), based in Milan at Palazzo Mezzanotte, Mezzanotte Palace, is the Italy, Italian stock exchange. It manages and organises domestic market, regulating procedures for admission and listing of companies and i ...

, in Italy's biggest IPO of the year. The shares were priced at the lower end of the indicative price range of 30 to 38. The initial public offering was three times oversubscribed. The group later acquired leading brands like the Dreher aguardiente, the Old Eight, Drury's, Gregson's and Gold Cup whiskies and Liebfraumilch wine. Campari acquired Zedda Piras S.p.A. (Mirto di Sardegna), owning a majority stake in Sella & Mosca S.p.A. (2002), the sparkling white wine Riccadonna (2003), Barbero 1891 S.p.A.owner of brands Aperol, Aperol Soda, Barbieri, Mondoro, Enrico Serafino (2003), and the Tuscan winery Teruzzi & Puthod. In 2006, Campari Group entered the Scotch whisky segment by acquiring from

Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard () is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis (often referred to simply as ''Pernod'' or '' Ricard''). The world's second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also produ ...

the brands Glen Grant (including its distillery), Old Smuggler and Braemar, and the tequila segment in 2007 with the acquisition of

Cabo Wabo Cabo Wabo is a nightclub, restaurant and bar company founded in 1990 by American rock musicians Sammy Hagar, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony (musician), Michael Anthony, (the band Van Halen's lineup from 1985-1996) and business ...

tequila (founded by

Sammy Hagar Sam Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose before launching a ...

). In 2009, the Campari Group bought the Kentucky bourbon whiskey group

and its distillery in Lawrenceburg from Pernod Ricard. In 2010, Campari Group announced an agreement to acquire Carolans Irish Cream, Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur and Irish Mist Whiskey Honey Liqueur. On July 6, 2011, Campari Group celebrated the tenth anniversary of its listing on Borsa Italiana. In December 2012, Campari Group announced the successful acquisition of Lascelles deMercado & Co. Limited, including four brands: Appleton Estate, Appleton Special/White, Wray & Nephew, and Coruba, the related upstream supply chain and the local distribution company. In 2014, Campari Group announced the successful acquisition of Averna, Italy's second best-selling bitter, at 103.75 million euros ($143 million). The Averna group owns a portfolio of premium brands, among which are Braulio, a herb-based bitter, and Grappa Frattina, through which Campari entered the grappa category. In March 2014, Campari Group purchased Canadian whisky producer Forty Creek Distillery Ltd. for $185.6 million (Canadian). The sale included 100% of the distillery, including all Forty Creek facilities and whisky stocks. Founder John Hall stayed on as master distiller and blender. Campari Group's biggest acquisition to date was of

in 2016. In 2017, Campari acquired Bulldog London Dry Gin and then acquired French brand Bisquit Cognac in 2018. In 2019, Campari Group purchased Rhumantilles, maker of French rums Trois Rivières and Maison La Mauny; as well as Licorera Ancho Reyes and Casa Montelobos. Campari Group celebrated its 160th anniversary that year with the ''Infinito Campari'' installation, designed by sculptor Oliviero Rainaldi. The company also curated ''The Spiritheque'', an editorial collection of illustrated and animated stories relaying anecdotes behind the main brands of Campari Group's product portfolio represented in a virtual art gallery. 2021 marked Campari Group's 20th anniversary on the Italian Stock Exchange. In August 2022, Campari Group acquired a 15% stake in Howler Head, a flavoured bourbon brand from Catalyst Spirits. In October 2022, the Campari Group had acquired a minority stake in the global spirits incubator Catalyst Sprits for an undisclosed sum, and 70% stake of the Wilderness Trail Distillery for $420 million. In December 2023, Campari bought the cognac Courvoisier from

Beam Suntory Suntory Global Spirits Inc., formerly known as Beam Suntory, Inc., is an American beverage company that is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings, a Japanese multinational beverage conglomerate. The company produces alcoholic beverages. It is the th ...

. The purchase was completed in May 2024.

Brands

Campari's beverage brands include:

References

External links

*
Angelo Dringoli. "Corporate Strategy and Firm Growth: Creating Value for Shareholders", 2012. (p.174-190)
{{Authority control Alcoholic drink companies Distilleries in Italy Soft drinks manufacturers Food and drink companies established in 1860 Multinational companies headquartered in Italy Italian companies established in 1860 Companies in the FTSE MIB