The circular economy drives the growth of the Castagner Distillery: the turnover went from 13.60 million euros in 2021 to over 15 million in 2022 to reach over 16 million in 2023. From the Vazzola headquarters, the these days, the data on the turnover of the Venetian company, which has just closed the 2022-2023 fiscal year (July 1st-June 30th).
Grappa is still worth 70% of turnover, but a good 30% is represented today by the enhancement of by-products which alone have grown by 55% in the last two years. Circularity thus also becomes an economic advantage for the Castagner Distillery which has been investing for years in sustainability and energy self-sufficiency thanks to the enhancement of the residual materials of the distillation.
The founder of the Vazzola Distillery, Roberto Castagner, explains in detail how they are used: «With grape skin flour we make biofuel for self-consumption and the surplus is sold to feed mills for the production of food for animals, the virgins (extracted before the fermentation of the white grapes) due to their extraordinary properties are used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry, the seeds from red grapes, after distillation, are instead sold to the oil mills that obtain the grape seed oil. These businesses have grown by one million euros in the last two years».
In the meantime, the grappa market recorded a slight decrease of 2.9%, but the Castagner brand grew by 3%. «The most interesting prospects - explains Castagner - are represented by foreign markets where aged grappa is starting to be appreciated on a par with cognac and where, over the next 5 years, we expect to triple the turnover».
The Vazzola distillery has also studied solutions for placing lighter and therefore more sustainable bottles on the market because they reduce CO2 emissions by bringing their weight from 800 to 600 grams with a 30% glass saving, while preserving the aesthetic aspect, a very important element in the spirits sector.
«In terms of energy efficiency - adds Castagner - today we are able to cover 25% of our electricity needs thanks to the installation of photovoltaic systems which will be further implemented in 2024 to cover 35/40% of what we consume".
Roberto Castagner, one of the most famous and important names in quality grappa, has a clear vision of the road to follow in the name of the "zero waste" principle to enhance, through reuse, the excess materials derived from the production of his fine distillates. In fact, grappa, a symbolic product of Made in Italy, already represents in itself the recovery of a raw material: the grape skins that arrive at the distillery after vinification. "Creating an authentic circular economy - concludes Castagner - is a duty for us not only to combat the climate emergency, but also to limit the impact of increases in raw materials on the final consumer".
