Typical local products are the basis of the innovation of a traditional product that conquers new markets Nepeta, an innovative start up for the valorization of local products
Nepeta, an innovative startup promoting local products
Federico Tanasi, founder of Nepeta: “We have revisited Nepitella rosolio to create a new bitter liqueur aimed at different markets, both national and international.”
The Company
Nepeta is an innovative startup, founded just over a year ago, whose core business is distillation. The two partners have started producing a bitter liqueur inspired by local traditions. This is an area 500 meters above sea level, among the Hyblaean mountains, where rosolio was produced from nepitella, a wild mint.
The idea in brief
Nepeta, starting from the traditional recipe, has developed a bitter product through the cold infusion of nepitella, IGP lemon peel from Syracuse, and Sicilian bittering herbs, such as Artemisia, Citrus aurantium amara, and Gentiana. These expertly blended flavors and aromas, typical of the nature of the Val di Noto, characterize a new liqueur, with an alcohol content of 28%.
Promoting the Territory
Nepitella is an aromatic plant that grows mainly in Sicily, Tuscany, and Lazio. This Sicilian herb is found in the Iblei area, and the altitude of the land where it grows guarantees a greater presence of active ingredients.
Nepeta has cultivated a 5,000-square-meter field, on which it then developed the certification process.
Another component of the bitter liqueur are Syracuse lemons, with the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) mark. And then the bitter herbs, typical of the area.
Nepeta respects the seasonality of fruits and herbs, so much so that production takes place only from April to October.
The value of Nepeta bitters comes from the balance between its components, but also from the ability to evoke – in its aromas and flavors – a territory that is well known abroad, from Germany to the U.S.A.
An innovation for new markets
Nepeta bitters have conquered new markets thanks to online sales and collaborations with national and international distributors.
Nepeta has also won over younger customer segments, promoting its use among the new generations of bartenders, who have given rise to a trendy way of making and drinking cocktails: Mixology.
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