Campari shortage in Canada after unexpected sales boom

A severe shortage of Campari liqueur in Canada was caused by “unprecedented growth”, says Campari America’s vice president.

“Unforeseen” growth in Canada has lead to a Campari drought in cocktail bars across the city

Vice president of Campari America, Dave Karraker, says the aperitif is “doing exceptionally well in both the US and Canada”, and believes the rise in popularity is “fuelled by the Negroni, which is now right up there with the Manhattan, Martini and Old Fashioned”.

Karraker advised: “With enhanced commitment to the Canadian market, Gruppo Campari recently set up its own sales, marketing and distribution business in Canada.

“We are seeing unprecedented growth for the Campari brand across Canada; it is up significantly through increased interest in Italian bitters and the return of classic cocktails like Campari’s Negroni.

“The situation was isolated to British Columbia with Vancouver being one of the most affected cities, and one of Campari’s most popular markets in Canada.

“This was an unforeseen issue and distribution challenges were addressed immediately. “

Bartenders in cocktail bars across British Columbia have been struggling to find the aperitif in stock anywhere in the city.

Shaun Layton, the head bartender of L’Abattoir restaurant in Vancouver, told CBC: “There’s a lot of us bartenders that are scouring the city for stuff but there’s zero Campari anywhere now.

“We’ve had to have some friends bring us Campari that they’ve had in their liquor cabinets.”

Campari expects product to land on the west coast of Canada this week, with product on store shelves forecasted shortly after that, and is expecting to be fully restocked in time for Negroni Week from June 1-7.