San Benedetto is, in the world of beverages, the first capital group that is entirely Italian; their turnover is 725 million euro, they are commercially present in over 100 countries, they have 11 plants, six of which are in Italy, and 1,800 employees. “Our 44 bottling lines produce 19 million bottles per day,” adds Enrico Zoppas, illustrating the “firepower” of his group with the typical businessman’s pragmatism; four billion (turnover) and 200 million items per year. A “bite of “Made in Italy” would entice many, so much so that a couple of days ago, a rumour of it being for sale started circulating (but denied straight away). “Not only are we not selling, we have set our sights on interesting acquisitions,” Zoppas reiterates. He is getting ready to celebrate the group’s 60th year with a very ambitious growth plan outside Italy.
PLANNED ACQUISITION IN SPAIN?- The company is showing interest in Spain. “We are the third producer in the Spanish market – declared Zoppas – but if the operation we are working on succeeds, we could become the first player within a year”.
THE TARGET COUNTRIES – Italian water is very competitive and rides the “wellness” trend. The sophisticated design of our bottles is very much appreciated abroad, where we grow 20% each year, but not by chance. The growth rate of Italian mineral water sales in the first eight months of 2015 was 20.8%; it is the most sought after product along with beer and San Benedetto is growing everywhere, especially in Arab countries, in Russia, and in the United States. In the Usa the beverage company is negotiating with a very strong distributor. The aim is to set the foundation to create an important market with a turnover (for imported water) of at least 20 million dollars within a couple of years.
