Campari Group is one of the world's leading players in the spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 brands. Founded in 1860, it ranks sixth in the branded spirits industry. It has a global distribution network covering over 190 countries worldwide.
For ARTIGIANI 4.0, we visited Galleria Campari in Sesto San Giovanni with the entrepreneurs participating in this acceleration project. Along with interactive installations, the gallery houses iconic original works such as Belle Époque posters, drawings, sketches, and artist's books created by important figures such as Dudovich, Nizzoli, Cappiello, Depero, and Munari.
The aim of the visit to this space was to understand how, in a century, this group has gone from producing an artisanal product, a bitter liqueur used as a base in some of the world's most beloved and iconic aperitif cocktails, from the classic Negroni to the iconic Campari Spritz, to creating a truly sophisticated cultural experience, which we may take for granted today, but which is actually the result of careful cultural and advertising choices.
Bitter Campari has never been a generic bitter; the brand has always been the signature of the product. In 1860, Gaspare Campari invented a blend so distinctive and revolutionary that, since then, its composition and recipe have never been altered.
Bitter Campari quickly became international thanks to the opening of Caffè Campari in Piazza Duomo, in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, in 1867.
To meet the ever-growing demand for the product, Campari opened its factory in Sesto San Giovanni in 1904, now the Group's headquarters, and in 1915 Davide Campari opened the Camparino.
The opening of Camparino was a fundamental step because it revolutionized the way bitter was enjoyed and introduced the aperitif.
From a commodity, or rather a fairly standardized product, Campari also became a service, intertwining its growth with the great artists of the time and marking the beginning of the brand's connection with the world of art.
Leonetto Cappiello's famous poster featuring the iconic Spiritello wrapped in an orange peel appeared in 1921. It depicts a polka-dot figure emerging from the voluptuous spiral of an orange peel, the perfect match for the drink.
Commissioned by Davide Campari, it was intended to represent the spirit of the product: optimistic and irreverent. Thus was born the Spiritello, wrapped in red tights like the bitter with white polka dots reminiscent of Campari Seltz.
From that moment on, for the next 102 years, the poster became the brand's icon in the art world.
Cappiello was the first to create, or rather to use in advertising, a character who embodied the product with a bold and mischievous physicality, reminiscent of the avant-garde spirit of the Futurists and drawing on the great tradition of the Commedia dell'Arte.
Collaboration with artists is important, as in the case of Fortunato Depero, who worked closely with Davide Campari from 1926 to 1936, a company that has always had a pioneering focus on design.
The transition from service to experience has been consolidated over the years, thanks above all to links with the world of cinema and art, and the customer's focus is no longer on the product itself, but on the experience associated with bitter, namely Campari and Seltz.
Campari Soda is also the first "ready-to-drink" aperitif in history, designed to allow you to enjoy Campari Seltz as if you were in one of Italy's finest bars.
After Bitter Campari (a ruby red aperitif) and Cordial Campari (a liqueur with raspberries macerated in cognac), in the early 1930s, Milanese company Davide Campari decided to launch a completely innovative product on the market: Campari Soda, the first single-serve aperitif, which offered bitter mixed with soda directly in the bottle, already in the right proportions, without the need to add seltzer using a siphon. But the product innovation would not have had the impact and success it did without the innovation of the bottle.
From the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in the heart of Milan to the 4,900 people now employed at Campari's 25 production sites around the world in 2024, everything is the result of the brand's extraordinary ability to transform every product into a unique experience.
Visiting the Campari Gallery, it is clear that the experience associated with this product continues to be carefully crafted. It is still very strong and deeply felt today, so much so that you can now enjoy a Campari Spritz in Paris, London, or New York.