Altamura advocates for diversity

Italian producer Altamura Distilleries has launched an inclusivity programme to create a more welcoming and diverse environment in hospitality.

Following its sponsorship of the Women & Hospitality 2024 event in Barcelona, Altamura Distilleries, known for its wheat-based premium vodka, has launched an initiative to advocate for people of diverse backgrounds.

The inclusivity initiative focuses on ‘supporting and uplifting underrepresented groups within the hospitality industry, including women, people of colour and individuals from alternate lifestyles’.

Frank Grillo, co-founder of Altamura Distilleries, said: “At the core of hospitality is the act of being friendly and welcoming to guests and visitors. The term hospitality originates from the Latin ‘hospitalitas’, derived from ‘hospes’, meaning host, guest or stranger. There is no more genuine description of hospitality than the act of welcoming a stranger, underscoring the obligation to be gracious, giving and inclusive.”

The initiative has also prompted the appointment of the brand’s first inclusivity ambassador, Alexandra Purcaru. Purcaru is the creative mind behind Art Cocktail Club recipes, the beverage director of Selva cocktail bar in Oaxaca, and the creator of tableware and jewellery brand Idonthaveasister.

She will oversee the initiative’s implementation across all of the distiller’s forthcoming events and activations.

“Hospitality is about welcoming everyone, and I am honoured to help Altamura Distilleries join the journey of inclusion and diversity within our industry,” said Purcaru.

Altamura Distilleries in Puglia, Italy, was founded to express the flavours and terroir of Altamuran wheat.

According to the distillery, the area’s hard durum wheat imparts a different taste and mouthfeel to the typical soft wheat used in most spirits.

The distillery is also developing a gin and a Bourbon-inspired whiskey.