Mineral water

Ferrarelle lands in US supermarkets with flavoured waters

Sales start in July: so far in the US only in the out-of-home channel. Turnover at 250 million: target for this year is 4% growth

by Silvia Marzialetti

28 April 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Ferrarelle is preparing to jump into US retail with flavoured waters and is pushing into the domestic market with soft drinks and canned waters. In the meantime, it is preparing to close a turnover growth to 250 million euros.

Marco Pesaresi, general manager from 2021, tells Il Sole 24 Ore about the plans of the company, which in the world of mineral water is the third largest group in Italy by value and volume in the horeca sector (bars, restaurants and eating out) and the third largest by value and fourth largest by volume in retail sales.

"For 2026, we have set ourselves a growth target of around 4 per cent in turnover," Pesaresi says. "These are estimates from the beginning of the year that did not take into account the current complexities, but in the first three months we are in line with this target and we believe we can achieve it, perhaps with a different mix, a little more export and a little less domestic market." The international situation is certainly not helping: 'It is too early to revise estimates, but we are confident.

Today, Ferrarelle is only present in the US with catering, but next July it will make its debut in the large-scale distribution channel with canned flavoured waters, a segment that is growing strongly in the US, but has little appeal in Italia. "We are building a partnership with a major retailer to launch three references," reveals Ferrarelle's general manager.

The long wave of tariffs, especially in a compressed market like the mineral water market, is being felt, but 'Italian mineral water in the US is mineral water by definition, so there is a lot of room for development'.

The company - owned by the Pontecorvo Ricciardi family - also owns the Vitasnella (mineral water and functional drinks), Fonte Essenziale, Maxima, Boario, Electa and Santagata brands. In addition, it is the exclusive distributor for the Peninsula of the Evian brand (Danone group). Having put behind it the identification of the brand with the unique product, the iconic claim 'smooth sparkling or Ferrarelle', the company has decided to focus on soft drinks as well, with a premium line based on quality ingredients and without preservatives: lemonade made from Sicilian lemons, orangeade from Calabrian citrus fruits, chinotto from Savona, and gassosa.

An innovation that is part of a broader relaunch project that began in 2022 with the new positioning based on the concept of pleasure and well-being.

The debut was in 2023 with a range of 25 cl cans in copacks. "The cost structure was rather complex and the price rather high on the market," says Pesaresi. Since this year, production has become in-house, thanks to the new production line for cans. "The liberation from co-packing," explains the general manager, "has allowed us to review both the format (33 centilitres like all the other players) and the price, which will be more competitive: now we can aspire to a bigger launch, even if we are still talking about small volumes. Water in cans, which has just debuted in the new 33 centilitre format, also represents a new market in Italia and is destined for hotellerie, transport, and vending machines.

The can line arrived after the installation of two new PET bottling lines: one in the Riardo plant, in the Caserta area, and one in Darfo Boario (Brescia). "In recent years we have invested an average of 20 million euro per year in capital expansion, i.e. in production assets,' Pesaresi explains. 'Not only lines, but also technology, digital transition. And that is what we count on continuing to develop at least for the next three years'.