Campari Group has agreed to sell two historic Italian liqueur brands, Averna and Zedda Piras, to fellow spirits producer Illva Saronno Holding S.p.A., owner of Disaronno and several long-established Sicilian wine labels.
The move continues Campari’s recent brand portfolio reshaping, narrowing its focus to a smaller number of priority labels. Over the past year, the group has also sold its Australian production and co-packing business, divested its Cinzano business, and exited the Italian wine and spirits e-commerce platform Tannico.
Simon Hunt, Chief Executive Officer of Campari Group, said: ‘The sale of Averna and Zedda Piras is another important step in our portfolio streamlining strategy, aimed at refocusing on fewer bigger bets, while supporting further deleverage, as we outlined during our Capital Markets Day. We are very pleased to execute this transaction with Illva Saronno Holding S.p.A., a strong player in the alcoholic beverages market and the best possible fit for the future development of these brands, especially given their long-standing history of working with Sicilian brands. I would like to express my gratitude to our teams for their commitment and hard work in looking after these brands over the years.’
Illva Saronno will acquire the brands through a newly created company, taking on production facilities in Sicily and Sardinia, intellectual property, inventories, and selected employees. For an interim period, Campari will continue blending and bottling Amaro Averna at its Canale site in Italy and distributing both brands in markets including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland before operations fully transition.
Marco Ferrari, Chief Executive Officer of Illva Saronno Holding S.p.A., said: ‘The acquisition of Averna and Zedda Piras is another step towards strengthening our role as a global spirits player. With their recognized quality and heritage, the two brands are a great addition to our international portfolio, and will significantly reinforce our position in three of our priority markets (US, Germany and Italy). Illva Saronno, with its solid international presence, is proud to promote the Italian culture and way of life around the globe, which is something we share with, and admire of, Campari Group. We are confident that under our leadership the brands will continue to flourish in the coming years.’
Averna, founded in 1868, is one of Sicily’s best-known amari and generates most of its sales in Italy, followed by Germany and the US. Zedda Piras, established in the 19th century, played a key role in popularising myrtle liqueur in Italy and remains largely focused on the domestic market.
The two brands generated combined net sales of €26 million in the year to September 2025. The transaction, valued at €100 million, is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026.
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