“The example of Branca, which now has 250 employees and operates in 160 countries, whilst choosing to keep the heart of production in Milan, shows that the average Italian company, including family run companies, can continue to be successful over time and overcome moments of crisis, Italian prejudice and can combining tradition and innovation and adapt their strategies to the changing economic conditions and the current context,” stated Niccolò Branca, president and ceo of Branca, the historic Milanese company in the beverage industry. He wanted to bring the success story of the Gruppo Branca, a family run business, now in its sixth generation and which has this year celebrated 170 years prosperity, to the attention of the business community. The recipe for business success is based on a few effective ‘ingredients’.
“We have always been focused on the acquisition of new products, on investing in innovation and internationalization this has meant that we have covered significant new positions in foreign markets and have strengthened historical brands, first Fernet-Branca which now is the leading Italian brand – fourth in the general classification – in the International Shanken’s Impact Databank classification, dedicated to the top 100 spirit brands and those which have experienced the fastest growth, Niccolò Branca continued. Despite the crisis, the Group’s results in recent years have been good and have continued to grow in all its product segments. Turnover in 2014 was €280 million, with a profit of €63.3 million, an increase of €54.3 million compared to the previous year.”
According to Branca the key to success in the coming years for medium sized made in Italy companies, in the current challenging economic times and with strong international competition, will be the ability to continue to innovate while preserving the quality of the Product and ethics in working relations and the production processes. In short, we must be able to change whilst remaining true to ourselves. “As Branca, said the executive, we will focus on constant pressure to change, both in terms of research and development, and in terms of production systems, and the internal organisation. Another key point of our growth strategy will be acquisitions.”