The historic Dutch bitter brand Petrus moves from London to land in Calabria. The iconic drink, owned by the English multinational Diageo, has been acquired by Caffo 1915 which is known for Antico Amaro del Capo, Elisir Borsci S.Marzano, grappa Friulia and Mangilli drinks. The economic entity of the acquisition has not been disclosed.
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THE GROWTH PROJECT OF CAFFO GROUP
“This acquisition – said Sebastiano Caffo, Vice President and CEO of the Caffo Group – is part of a wider project of growth, diversification and internationalization of our group. Petrus Boonekamp is the oldest bitter on the market, certainly the father of all bitters. As we are the Italian leader in this category, we understood the potential of this product. It is appreciated by consumers who choose the so-called ‘amarissimi’ and is therefore not in direct competition with Vecchio Amaro del Capo, our main brand. Petrus belongs to a category of bitters (Magenbitter) that is appreciated in Germany and throughout Northern Europe.”
In fact, the Italian company plans to reorganize and strengthen the presence of this bitter abroad, starting from the Netherlands and neighboring countries such as Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany.
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PETRUS: THE FIRST BITTER DRINK IN HISTORY
The bitter Petrus was born in Holland. Back in the 18th century, the Netherlands had a flourishing traffic of goods with the Indies and the Far Eastern countries. The goods handled were also spices, aromas, medicinal plants, and medicinal herbs. From a selection of these herbs, Petrus Boonekamp obtained a very bitter infusion which, drunk after meals, made digestion easier. It was therefore ‘Petrus’, in 1777, who invented the bitter which is the ‘father of all bitters’, and the forerunner of a tradition of herbal distillates of which the Caffo 1915 Group is, to all intents and purposes, the heir.
