NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The New York office of the Italian Trade Agency announced today the launch of its first-ever public relations campaign to communicate and educate the American trade and consumers on Italian spirits production. "Italy is remembered mainly for Fashion and Food & Wine. We are in the 8th position as suppliers of alcoholic beverages to the USA ($177 Million of import). While the biggest numbers in the other countries are done with Whisky, Vodka and Tequila, our production holds its pride in the category of Liqueur and Cordials which represents a rich variety of top quality, artisanal spirits that reflect Italy's unique traditions and terroirs." said Dr. Antonino Laspina, Italian Trade Commissioner, USA.
Key categories of Italian Spirits include Grappa, historically born in the Venetian town of
Bassano del Grappa, now with many successful producers in all the regions so much so that the European Union recognized the whole territory of Italy as an IG production zone. Other important spirits are numerous fruits and spice liqueurs, from the famous Limoncello to other smaller niche ones produced with an array of Italian ingredients such as wild berries, pears, plums, nuts, saffron and even anise. Aperitive and digestive, which include herbal liqueurs like Amaro are becoming more and more popular with the American public. In addition, Italian Juniper is renowned for making the best Gin. Vermouth, at last, being a key ingredient of many beloved cocktails, puts Italy in first place as supplier for the USA with $96 Million in import in 2019, a value ten times bigger than any other country in the world.
The public relations campaign includes industry events such as Bar Convent in Brooklyn and Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, the leading cocktail and spirits events in the U.S., as well as bespoke events with the United States Bartenders Guild in multiple cities. The target audiences include bartenders, beverage directors, spirits distributors and importers in addition to cocktail and spirits-loving consumers. Along with the event schedule, there will also be a sustained, proactive media relations campaign targeting key audiences of the campaign. The program strategy is to communicate at every link of the distribution chain to ensure Italian spirits are top-of-mind when purchasing decisions are made, whether by trade or consumers. The Italian Trade Agency has retained leading wine and spirits public relations agency, Colangelo & Partners (http://www.colangelopr.com), to help execute and support the campaign.
"Most of the Italian crafted alcoholic beverages are born from proprietary recipes which are patrimony of small distilleries run by single families from more than a century," continued Dr. Laspina. "Because of increased tariffs and heightened domestic competition in the US, these are challenging times for our producers and the Italian Trade Agency will do its best to support them. In the last 3 years, we have been communicating the existence of more than 500 grapes dotted throughout the Italian landscape which set our wine production as one of the most diverse in the world, now it's time to let people know about all our combinations of herbs, fruits, spices that are the base of our spirits and that add unique flavors to the most loved modern cocktails that the Americans drink".
About the Italian Trade Agency
Since 1926, the Italian Trade Commission, with 79 offices worldwide, has been the Italian government agency entrusted with the mission of promoting trade between Italian companies and foreign markets. The Food and Wine department, based in New York City, works on increasing the awareness of the Italian products in the U.S. by being the point of reference for trade and press and promoting Wine & Spirits through educational events, informational materials, special events and promotions. For all the activities regarding the alcoholic beverages, see http://italianspirits.us/
About Colangelo & Partners
Colangelo & Partners (http://www.colangelopr.com) specializes in premium wine and spirits brands, and has long established relationships with the key press that drive these business categories and help determine the industry leaders. Agency principals have years of experience in retail and distribution as well as communications, a rare combination that gives Colangelo & Partners invaluable insights into consumer purchasing behavior. The agency focuses on 'closing the loop' between creative communications programs, distribution, promotion, publicity and the consumer in order to maximize the efficiency of its communications programs and deliver measurable results. Founded in 2006, Colangelo & Partners was honored as one of the year's top integrated communications firms at the 2013 Agency Elite Awards and for one of the best digital marketing campaigns at the 2014 Digital PR Awards.
SOURCE Italian Trade Agency
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