Fratelli Branca

The Distillerie Fratelli Branca is an important producer on the Italian and international beverage scene. Despite the constant growth and globalisation process, the company has been able to maintain a family-run approach and a spirit connected to the brand's artisanal origins, which are still the Distillerie's main feature today. The motto "Novare serbando" ("To preserve and innovate" in Latin) perfectly sums up this philosophy, which combines a vision of the future with the memory of its traditions. This thought is transferred into the products, with wines that are still made by following old, original recipes created more than a century ago and that prove to be still very contemporary.

The company was founded thanks to the creativity of Milanese pharmacist Bernardino Branca. In 1845, he created a herbal bitter, which he began selling as a tonic with the name Fernet-Branca. It was an immediate success, and in the years that followed, distribution spread from Milan to Lombardy and then to most of Italy. Thanks to the International Exhibitions at the end of the 19th century, Fernet-Branca began to be recognised in the main European capitals and later also in the United States and Argentina. In 1905, the famous logo of the brand, created by Art Nouveau artist Leopoldo Metlicovitz, was born. This image of an eagle clutching a bottle, with the Earth in the background, soon became the symbol of Italy's most famous bitter.

During the 20th century, the company's growth and development continued with the creation of a new plant in the city of Milan, the modernisation of the production facilities and the expansion of the range with new labels. A progressive internationalisation of the company followed, with production sites in the main foreign countries and an increasingly widespread sales network. Following the halt in production due to the bombing of the Milan factory in 1943, the company rose from the ashes of the conflict, taking advantage of the economic boom, the spread of wealth and the boost from advertising campaigns. Today, the company is still famous for its legendary products: Fernet-Branca and Branca-Menta, true cornerstones of production and icons of the company's brand.