SB meets… Anette Lambert, Scavi & Ray

The senior brand manager of Scavi & Ray, Anette Lambert, talks us through the Italian company’s spirits portfolio and increasing exposure for its Crema di Limoncello expression.

Can you give us an overview of your spirits portfolio?

The Scavi & Ray spirits portfolio includes Limoncello, Crema di Limoncello, Grappa, and Sambuca. We cover all the typical Italian spirits in our range.

What are your key products?

The key product is Limoncello, but we trust that our Crema di Limoncello will also become a huge success.

What is special about the Crema di Limoncello?

The base of our Crema di Limoncello is the usual Limoncello but enriched with milk/cream and with a hint of coconut aromas. It is a cream liqueur with 17% ABV.

There are different things that make our Crema di Limoncello special: we are one of the first companies to enter the market with that product, but the first with that slight aroma of coconut. If you compare it with other cremas, you’ll recognise that it is the most charming one.

Also, we only use peels from Italian lemons in the production, which are not sprayed with pesticides or fungicides. So we have a healthy product – if you ignore the alcohol.

How is it performing compared with your regular Limoncello?

We just entered the market with the Crema last year so it is difficult to compare with our regular Limoncello, which has been part of our portfolio for many years. We are still in the early stages of introducing it into the market. Of course, the sales are still lower, but in general it is difficult to compare as you use those two drinks completely differently.

The regular limoncello you usually use to create a Limoncello Spritz – that means that you mix Prosecco Spumante with limoncello. Scavi & Ray was born as a Prosecco brand, so we recommend mixing the limoncello with Scavi & Ray Prosecco Spumante. Our Crema di Limoncello you often enjoy without anything. Just put it in the fridge and enjoy it at 5°C. It is not common to enjoy the regular Limoncello pure.

How are you looking to improve sales for the Crema di Limoncello?

In the past year we’ve started to offer Crema to the on-­trade, where it has been well received, but there is still a huge potential for more sales. We are also starting to sell to supermarkets, therefore we are investing in communication measures in different ways, such as via our social media channels, print, public relations, sampling to opinion leaders, working with opinion leaders in the social media world, creating neckhangers on bottles, recipe booklets, and cross promotions such as ‘buy six bottles of Prosecco and get one bottle of Crema di Limoncello for free’.

How would you say it’s best enjoyed?

Crema di Limoncello is perfect ice­-cold, but it’s also a fantastic component in exotic cocktails.

Are you planning to expand your spirits portfolio?

For this moment we are not. We are an Italian brand – so there are not so many other typical Italian spirits.

What trends are you noticing in the market for Italian spirits?

While regular limoncello is really popular, and our sales for that are growing and growing, the actual trend is varieties of limoncello. That’s why we created Crema di Limoncello, which is a new dimension of limoncello, and a perfect match for creamy cocktails.

What is your primary goal for 2024?

For the two limoncello products we are following two strategies. For Limoncello it is market penetration, and for Crema di Limoncello market development.