Compagnia del Gusto still grows: also the acquisition of Winelivery platform was confirmed

Compagnia del Gusto Holding, an investment and brand development company in the food and beverage sector, inspired and promoted by the Cosulich family and led by ceo Ettore Nicoletto and president Sergio Albarelli, is currently undergoing a phase of accelerated growth. Following its recent acquisitions of Cantine Romagnoli, a historic winery in the Colli Piacentini region (founded in 1857, with 45 hectares of vineyards and a recognized specialization in Traditional Method sparkling wines), and Jascots Wine Merchants, a wine distribution company in the United Kingdom, the Group is now further expanding through the acquisition of Winelivery, a digital and physical platform specialized in the Wine & Beverage sector (confirming rumors that had previously circulated, as reported here).
This represents another step in the industrial evolution of Compagnia del Gusto. Although Winelivery will initially become part of Compagnia delle Vigne, the Group wine division, the platform is expected to gain strategic importance across the entire Group in the future. The company explains that this acquisition is not aimed solely at increasing business scale, but rather at integrating a digital infrastructure, specialist expertise, and innovation capabilities that can contribute to the growth of the various businesses within Compagnia del Gusto.
Founded in 2017 by Francesco Magro, Giovanni Roberto, and Andrea Antinori, Winelivery has developed a “phygital” model which combines a proprietary digital platform with a physical presence across its operating territories. The company operates through the delivery of wine, beer, spirits, and other beverage categories, a network of bars and wine shops, and Wedia, a business unit specialized in digital marketing, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and communication services for the Food & Beverage industry. With approximately 1.7 million downloads, Winelivery also brings to Compagnia del Gusto a significant body of technological expertise and proprietary data accumulated over the years.
“The acquisition of Winelivery represents a different kind of transaction from those we have completed to date and, for that very reason, it is particularly important for our future  - declares Sergio Albarelli, president of Compagnia del Gusto Holding -  we are not simply acquiring a business, but also skills, technology, data, and a customer engagement capability which can become strategic assets for the entire Group. Winelivery is another step toward building an industrial platform capable of creating value through the integration of complementary companies and expertise”.
The value of the transaction lies in the opportunity to transform Winelivery from a standalone platform into a strategic infrastructure serving the entire Group: a new direct point of contact with urban consumers, a privileged channel for understanding demand, rapidly testing products and consumption occasions, developing Crm and media activation initiatives, and accelerating the adoption of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
“Winelivery value for Compagnia del Gusto is, above all, cross-functional  - adds Ettore Nicoletto, ceo of Compagnia del Gusto Holding -  the platform will allow us to strengthen our relationship with end consumers, enhance the value of data, and bring digital and technological expertise into the Group that can be applied across all our activities”.
Winelivery will join the portfolio of the sub-holding company Compagnia delle Vigne, initially contributing directly to the wine division. Looking ahead, however, the benefits are expected to extend far beyond wine, positively impacting many of the other product categories within the Group portfolio.
“Ten years ago, Winelivery was little more than an idea. Today, a new chapter begins, the result of a journey built day by day together with my co-founders, our team, our investors, and the more than 400,000 customers who chose us  - explains Francesco Magro, founder of Winelivery -  joining Compagnia del Gusto provides Winelivery with the ideal industrial environment to maximize what we have built, expand its impact, and accelerate its growth, while continuing to innovate with the same entrepreneurial spirit that has guided us from the very beginning”.
The acquisition further confirms Compagnia del Gusto medium-to-long-term industrial vision: to build an Italian Food & Beverage ecosystem in which companies with distinctive identities and market positions can continue to grow while preserving their uniqueness, benefiting at the same time from shared expertise, technology, commercial development, and managerial capabilities.