Grappa, Castagner in continuous growth, driving the barricades | Data from the research company CircanaT released

For Castagner, 2023 is a year to remember. The numbers say it. Despite a continuously declining grappa market, the climb of the Treviso distillery does not stop with barricaded grappas driving growth together with Prosecco Ice and the company objective of reaching the top national positions in the grappa market in the next 2 years brand. In recent days the Vazzola company has released, as a preview, the latest data on the grappa market processed by the research company Circana™. The results confirm that innovation, development and vision, like the investments made 26 years ago in aged grappa, are today the key factors in the success of the Treviso company. Roberto Castagner, one of the most famous and important names in quality grappa in Veneto, reels off the data, both from the sector and from the company. «In 2023 - he explains - we have gone from 12 to 15 percent of national grappa production».

With approximately 9 million and 400 thousand bottles sold in 2023 and a turnover of 102 million and 600 thousand euros, large-scale organized distribution represents the main market for grappa which closes the year with a minus both for pieces sold, -4.5 percent, than for turnover, -0.6 percent. The Castagner brand goes against the trend with a growth of 1.6 percent in pieces and 3.4 percent in turnover, reaching 3rd place in terms of pieces sold and 4th in turnover. Going into the detail of the analysis, Castagner notes an improvement of one percentage point of pieces in the branded grappa market, going from 11 percent in 2022 to 12 percent in 2023. «The company objective in the next 2 years - explains the founder and CEO of the company, Roberto Castagner - is to make a leap of 3 percentage points and reach 15 percent in the branded grappa category, bringing us into the top three positions at a national level". Castagner records the best performances especially in Central and Southern Italy, areas mainly suited to the type of aged/barricaded grappa, stable in the North West and North East which due to their historicity are, however, more suited to white grappa. Driving the growth: Grappa Barrique Ciliegio which with 6.73 percent of pieces is the 10th best-selling item in Italy in the grappa category, Grappa Amarone Barrique which with 3.22 percent of pieces is the 12th item best-selling product in Italy (in the 0.50 l format it is the first best-selling product in Italy in that price range), Prosecco Ice (to be drunk iced is the Castagner innovation) which with 14.5 percent of pieces is the 62nd best-selling item in Italy and is one of the few white grappas to grow in our country where the type loses 6.3 percent of pieces.

The "away from home" market, which represents 27 percent of the Italian grappa market in terms of number of pieces and 31.3 percent in terms of total turnover in Italy, is stationary in terms of number of pieces, 0.3 percent, and in growth in turnover, 3 percent, due to the price list increases in 2023. In this channel Castagner recorded an overall growth of 1.5 percent in number of pieces and 5.5 percent in turnover. Driving the growth is Grappa Riserva 18 months Cherry Barrique with 40 percent in terms of number of pieces and Linea Fuoriclasse Leon, an exclusive line for the Horeca and wholesale channel, which remains at the levels of 2022, the year of recovery.

Important numbers for the Treviso club. In recent years the Castagner Distillery has focused heavily on diversification by offering a wide range of products with modern packaging that is easily recognizable on the shelf, it has been able to create a unique brand for the elegance and taste of its products which represent accessible luxury in line with the spirits international competitors for the world of grappa (worth 30 million bottles) and which today represents a quality niche compared to cognac (160 million bottles), whiskey (around 1 billion bottles), rum and vodka (around 3 billion bottles both). «But above all - adds Castagner - what rewards us today is having believed for 26 years, when the market was still asking for white wines, in barriqued grappas, a category that grows annually having planned the future in the barrique cellar founded in 1998. At present the The barrel cellar's capacity is estimated at 1 million and 300 thousand bottles in total. This allows us to offer the consumer a wide range of products aged from 1 year to 24 years. Our average customer is medium-high and 1 out of 4 consumers is a woman."

«We are one of the few companies that has grown in Italy - concludes Castagner - by launching products capable of anticipating changes in consumption and we have never given up on white grappa which with Prosecco Ice is giving us great satisfaction»