Edizione

Berta Grappa - Exchange at eye level

Berta Grappa - Austausch auf Augenhöhe

It's no secret ; Berta and Vergani, the two family businesses, have not only been working together since 1989 , they also give each other new ideas. This year the new Berta generation visited Zurich . What's going on ?

Gianni Vergani is touched and you can see it when he welcomes Annacarla and Giulia to the first grapperia in Switzerland, at Vergani on Zentralstrasse in Zurich. There is a lot to talk about because Giulia, who joined the company in October 2020, is in Zurich for the first time. Annacarla, who has been working for Berta for 10 years, knows the city on the Limmat. "But we're not coming for the lake and the mountains," she jokes. Of course, they're coming to finally get to know each other properly. The new generations. 

A little Berta family classification: Giulia, who is responsible for communication, is the daughter of the well-known, popular and sought-after Enrico, known as Chicco. Annacarla, who is responsible for administration, is the daughter of Gianfranco, who died in 2015 and whose spirit lives on today in the foundation, the incredible cellar and a special grappa. Solo Per Gian. Together with their mother Simonetta and Chicco, Annacarla and Giulia are leading the Berta distillery step by step into the future. The women are taking the helm. "Not true," Annacarla immediately counters: "Women have always held key positions at Berta. That's why we have equal pay and a very social attitude." 

The Berta distillery and its philosophy of quality, including barrel aging, no longer need to be explained to anyone. Berta is the undisputed number one in the world of Italian distillates. There is hardly a classy restaurant without Berta. But that was not always the case, and certainly not in Switzerland. Here, Vergani plays a major role in ensuring that the image of grappa (in general and that of Berta in particular) enjoys such a high reputation. "The Swiss market is very important to us. We want to sell half of our production in Italy, after that Switzerland is the most important sales market, followed by Germany, Canada and Japan," says Annacarla. "Vergani and Berta - this is a historic partnership," she adds. "Together we have already and hopefully will realize many more impressive projects," says Gianni. 

"Speaking of reputation. I noticed it," explains Giulia, "when I heard a guest in a restaurant ask, 'avete una Berta?'". What she means by this is that Berta is now used as a synonym for good grappa, just as Tempo is used for paper tissues. Young guests in Italy are more likely to order a Berta Tonic. A drink consisting of 4 cl Berta Amaro d'Erbe (Il 28 di Via San Nicolao), 2 cl gin and tonic with an orange zest. "This shows that we as a brand have managed to anchor ourselves in the minds of connoisseurs," she adds. And to keep it that way, she has lots of ideas in her head. She studied communication and philosophy in Milan and is now bringing a breath of fresh air to the Berta world - on all channels. "Berta was and is definitely an outstanding product, elegant design and packaging, but Berta is much more than that today," she says enthusiastically and without stopping. "The eye for beauty, not just for good, i.e. for art, that is also an aspect that belongs to Berta," she continues. That was also a key reason why they were present at the Salone del Mobile in Milan as guests of the designer furniture brand Lago. "Cooperation in another brand world that shares our values ​​takes us further," says Giulia and Gianni smiles because he sees it that way too. Annacarla jokes and says: "Gianni knows us and copies us." 

And there is something else that connects them. For both Vergani and Berta, personal attention and hospitality remain central parts of the company philosophy. "We try to offer feedback at all touchpoints. Chatbots are out of the question for us; we respond personally, on Instagram or by email; this human interaction is enormously important to us," she says, and Gianni nods. "In addition, we have around 350,000 visitors a year," says Annacarla. "We are not in the city center of Milan, and yet so many people want to visit the Berta distillery, which makes us happy. And our answer to that is hospitality," she says. As a result, this means that her business is open seven days a week, that visits and tastings are free upon registration, and a guided tour lasts around an hour and a half. "We have become a small tourist attraction and our guests become our ambassadors," she says. 

Anyone who visits the Berta world today will be slightly surprised to see that over time, the production of distillates has been joined by a number of new aspects, such as the Villa Castelletto with 12 rooms or the feudal Villa Prato with 14 rooms, wellness, spa and two restaurants, as well as the Castello di Monteu Roero. "Yes, we have done a lot," says Annacarla: "to be able to welcome our customers in a stylish place." Not to mention the newest part, the event area for 200 people, which can be reached in a ten-minute walk from the distillery through the 8-hectare park. "We have always been a hospitable family," says Giulia, "just like the Verganis, we like to share the beautiful moments in life with the people who are dear to us. For us, that is part of the business." 

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