Campari and Wuliangye form strategic alliance

Italy’s Campari Group has signed a strategic partnership with Chinese baijiu maker Sichuan Yibin Wuliangye Group Co to co-create new products.

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding on 22 November.

The agreement will enable the firms to collaborate on channel expansion, strengthen market cooperation and promote brand culture to support their development in China and globally.

During the signing ceremony, Bob Kunze-Concewitz, the outgoing CEO of Campari Group, reaffirmed the importance of the Chinese market.

Together, the two firms said they would discover growth opportunities while ‘promoting cultural exchange through spirits’, represented by Campari’s portfolio of Western spirits across different categories and Wuliangye’s leadership in baijiu.

The two companies aim to introduce consumers to spirits from different cultures and collaborate on the creation of products for different occasions.

Zeng Congqin, secretary and chairman of the party committee of Wuliangye Group, called the cooperation a “breakthrough in product innovation” from two of the world’s top spirits companies.

In September 2023, Wuliangye and Campari jointly created a new cocktail in Shanghai called the Wugroni.

A twist on the classic Negroni, the serve combines Campari and Cinzano Vermouth Rosso with a special 40% ABV blend of Wuliangye Baijiu that was co-created by both companies to use in the cocktail.

The Wugroni marked the beginning of the partnership between Campari and Wuliangye and represented the ‘fusion of Chinese and Western cultures’.

Campari Group is not the only major spirits company to work with the Chinese baijiu producer. In November 2019, French firm Pernod Ricard signed a memorandum of understanding with Wuliangye to boost its presence across Asia.

China’s alcohol market saw a 4% volume decline in 2022, with baijiu expected to struggle over the next five years as other major spirits segments grow.