Grappa, revenues grow for Bonollo. The 'Of' collection turns 25 and renews its look

With a turnover of 80 million in 2023, up 10% on the previous year and about 60% on the pre-Covid figure, the Distillerie Bonollo continues to focus on excellence, research and sustainability to maintain its leadership in the spirits sector.

Elvio Bonollo, the fourth generation of the family at the helm of the Padua-based company founded in 1908 and now employing 120 people, does not commit himself to the final balance for 2024 - "the second half of the year is fundamental both as regards the period of highest consumption and for gifts, it is too early to make estimates", he explains - nor to the years to come: "The desire to continue improving and the spirit of initiative are not lacking," he says, "then, if you do things well, the results usually come.

And about foreign countries, which at the moment are worth about 20% of the business, he adds: 'There is certainly potential for further development, but don't expect quick results because our products need to be explained and understood and therefore it is a growth process that takes time.

A milestone in this journey that continues in the marked attention to every detail is the new packaging and communication campaign for the 'Of' collection. The Of Amarone Barrique grappa, 25 years after its birth, "is still a point of reference and its new look is the result of a restyling project that began almost three years ago and was realised in collaboration with Robilant Associati - Elvio Bonollo tells Food 24 -. It is a project that aims to further enhance the perception of the product and the intensity of the sensory experience associated with it. We have revisited the decanter (the bottle, ed.) which is the distinctive and iconic element that has characterised us since the 1990s when we overcame the stereotype of the classic cylindrical-based bottle: soft but decisive lines that want to communicate authority but also composure and preciousness. We worked on the stopper, on the part of the plate that recalls the still, all in the name of elegance. Characteristics also taken up in different colour tones by 'Of Dorange' with orange and 'Of Amaro' with green that recalls the botanicals. Of is a work of art from a sensory point of view and we want to express this also in the packaging'. To quote the pay-off of the new OF campaign, it becomes "Taste OF Beauty".

"In reality we are continuing along the path that has always characterised us," continues Bonollo, "namely that of the sensory experience, even more so now with this restyling that leads precisely to satisfying a hedonistic type of consumer need. Our strategy will focus more and more on explaining even better the characteristics of this particular grappa, which has an international character on a par with the great foreign distillates and which allows us to intercept a consumer who is looking for a pathway of sensory, experiential and emotional enrichment".
"The domestic market remains the first and therefore the reference market, but the international markets have good potential. The 25th birthday is in any case a moment in which we take stock of what we have been able to do, also for the flagship brandy, because in these 25 years Of has become the qualitative benchmark in a segment, that of brandies, which did not exist before. Thanks to the combination of three factors: our Unique Bonollo Distillation System that enhances the very special richness of aromas of Amarone marc and the skilful ageing in barriques. Of course, at the end of the day, it remains her and woe betide us if we try to distort her, because there is still so much to discover and to communicate to enthusiasts and those who have to advise consumers. In this sense we are geared with our network of 150 agents to explain the product, to make it thoroughly understood. This is not something so common in our world, we will also hold master classes precisely to make people understand what is behind this sensory process'.