Oleg Pyatkov

Cinzano - the beginning of the history of vermouth

There are only 2 most famous brands of vermouth in the world: Martini and Cinzano. At the same time, only Cinzano can be called a classic version of these alcoholic beverages, because it all started with him. Cinzano saw the world almost 100 years earlier than Martini and managed to win a lot more hearts.

The brand itself appeared in 1757 and soon began to be sold in more than 100 countries around the world, which included: Russia, South America, Western Europe. At the same time, since its entry into the market of different countries, the famous vermouth has occupied the first or second lines in terms of sales.

Cinzano logo

For the frenzied popularity and fame of the brand, we must say thank you to the Cinzano family, who started their own business. The possessions of this family were so huge that the territory on which the grapes were grown was called the "Cinzano region". This name has been fixed for the territory until now.

The success and demand for the products of the Cinzano family made it possible to obtain a special license from the government for the manufacture of special wine elixirs. However, about 50 years remained until the appearance of the real vermouth.

Cinzano - the beginning of the history of vermouth

Vermouth, as a consequence of experiments

In 1757 the Cinzano company was bought by two brothers Carlo and Stefano Giacomo. They were determined to find a recipe for a unique alcoholic elixir that would lead them to success. In 1786, such a recipe was found. Vermouth was liked not only by ordinary people, but also by representatives of blue bloods. This led to the fact that in 1787 the Cinzano company received official permission to become the main supplier of vermouth to the royal court.

Features of Cinzano

The main feature that distinguishes Cinzano from Martini is the recipe. It includes:

blends of the best grape varieties harvested in various regions of Italy;

herbal tincture, including more than 80 herbs;

sugar;

ethyl alcohol of the highest quality.

The composition of the Martini includes too much extract from herbs, namely wormwood. This makes the taste of the drink brighter and richer. This is partly why the calm and balanced aroma of Cinzano was enjoyed not only by fans of wines, but also by lovers of stronger rum or whiskey.

Cinzano Assortment

Varieties: varieties, brands and their features

Today on the shelves of stores you can find 6 varieties of Cinzano at once:

Bianco (white) is an excellent aperitif with a delicate taste and bright aroma;

Rosso (red) is the most traditional version of vermouth with a very high sugar content;

Extra Dry (dry). This vermouth will appeal to fans of dry wines. Subtle fruity notes made the drink one of the most aristocratic;

Orancio (amber) is a very rare variety of Cinzano, which is difficult to find on sale. The noble amber color and aroma of the peel are highly appreciated by experts;

Limetto (pale yellow) will appeal to those who love citrus fruits, because Limetto is based on lime and lemon extract.

In addition to vermouth, one type of sparkling wine is produced under the Cinzano brand — Cinzano Asti. It is created on the basis of only one type of sweet grapes, which makes the drink very sugary and at the same time natural, because sugar is extracted from grapes, not from sweeteners.

Cocktails with Cinzano

Cinzano and the culture of drinking

The first important rule is the temperature regime. In order for the bouquet of all varieties of Cinzano vermouth to remain saturated and rich, it is necessary to cool the drink to 8-12 degrees.

Some connoisseurs recommend starting acquaintance with vermouth by diluting it with water, ice or juice. Cinzano is also good in combination with other alcoholic beverages, for example, with cognac, gin or vodka.

Finally, for fans of everything unusual, Cinzano has a surprise — a special method of consumption in frozen form. To do this, it is enough to put the drink in a container and put it in the freezer. Cinzano ice cream will not lose its taste qualities, but it will become an interesting way to impress guests.

In addition, the cheapness of the products sold and Ingvar's ability to negotiate with suppliers helped out — some of them cooperated with the young entrepreneur, despite all the prohibitions.

Ingvar Kamprad was born in 1926 and spent his childhood on his parents' farm. Already in early childhood, the boy was famous for his entrepreneurial abilities. At the age of five, Ingvar began selling matches to his neighbors after learning that they could be purchased much cheaper in Stockholm. His aunt helped the boy to buy the first batch of goods. Later, Ingvar will say that the moment when he sold his first batch of matches became the best memory of his childhood.

It will soon turn out that this was just a small warm-up before his further endeavors. Kamprad's biographers say that the ability to trade was passed on to him from relatives on his father's side. Ingvar's grandfather had his own small business - however, in the end he almost failed and committed suicide. The family business had to be restored by my grandmother, who significantly influenced the formation of Ingvar and even taught him several business lessons.

The unusually enterprising boy grew up, and his goals increasingly differed from the interests of his peers. During his school years, Kamprad spent most of his time looking for new ways to earn money and did not spend the money he received on toys and sweets at all — instead, he saved them up. When relatives asked the boy why he needed so much money, he replied: "To expand the business." As a child, Ingvar tried himself in various fields, starting with the sale of matches and ending with fishing.

By the age of 17, Kamprad had accumulated a good amount, after which he borrowed money from his father and opened his own company. IKEA is an abbreviation made up of the first letters of the entrepreneur's first and last name and the names of the farm and village where he grew up. It was 1943, the war was rumbling all over the world, which, fortunately, almost did not touch Sweden. First, Ingvar established a trade in basic necessities. The first model of work was the mailing of goods. The young entrepreneur had to combine work and study at the Getterberg commercial school, in which, as he says himself, he learned a lot.

Writing materials were beginning to be in particular demand at that time. To increase profits, the young man takes a risky step: he takes 500 crowns on credit and orders ballpoint pens from France for them.

When the goods finally arrived, the entrepreneur realized that he needed to sell them as soon as possible in order to pay off the debt. The task was not easy, but Kamprad still found a way to attract customers to his presentation. He gave the newspaper an article in which he promised to treat every visitor with a cup of coffee and a bun. Inspired by the proposal, people literally broke into his presentation. More than a thousand guests gathered, and it was a disaster. The young entrepreneur understood that he definitely needed to treat everyone, otherwise his name would suffer. With great difficulty, having spent a lot of money, he still managed to do it.

The presentation of the pens was a great success, and the product was sold out very quickly. Ingvar first of all gave the loan and never took them again. He began to reflect on the importance of advertising in attracting customers — in the future it will become one of the main factors in turning his company into an empire. Another consequence of this promotion was the mandatory presence of a restaurant in every IKEA branded store.

In 1945, after graduating from commercial school, a young entrepreneur was sent to work as a clerk in the Association of Forest Owners. Ingvar did not waste time here either: he obtained the right to sell saws from one of the managers. The business model has not changed, the young man was forced to deliver the goods for sale on his own. Invaluable help was provided to him by relatives who supported all the initiatives of Ingvar.

A year later, Kamprad was drafted into the army. An active and very executive young man quickly gained the trust of the commander of the unit and received permission to take night leave more often. This allowed him to rent a small office and continue to do his own business.

In 1948, Kamprad started thinking about expanding his business. It dawned on him: furniture is what everyone uses anyway. The problem is that it was quite expensive at that time, and in order to make money, it was necessary to make this product publicly available. According to Ingvar himself, the last argument in favor of working in this direction was that his competitors also tried to do it. In the same year, IKEA is expanding: the head of the company, he is the only employee, desperate to work in so many directions on his own, finally hired the first employee. By 1950, the company already employed four people.

Kamprad spent all his time trying to find cheap furniture - at first it was a variety of small productions that could not break the high price. Its competitors also tried to reduce the cost, but could not offer the same prices as IKEA. Over time, Ingvar's approach changed, and instead of reselling furniture, he started buying individual parts and assembling them at his own small factory, which further lowered prices. Then the famous Kamprad formula appeared — it is better to sell 600 chairs inexpensively than 60 for a lot of money.

Soon a wave of discontent arose, which meant the beginning of serious competition. At first, the company's products were no longer allowed to furniture fairs, where all new products were usually presented. Kamprad had to sneak into these events by stealth, hiding in the back seat of a car. The fight against IKEA reached the point of absurdity: once Ingvar was fined for selling products at an exhibition that took place in his own building.

Kamprad was not going to give up, and the competitors realized that they could not stop him in such ways. They took the last possible step, threatening to force suppliers to declare a boycott of the young entrepreneur. But that didn't help either. The reason for this was Kamprad's original entrepreneurial approach, as well as the unusual popularity of the company's products in Sweden.

Such fame became possible thanks to the innovations that Ingvar introduced into the business. The first of them was the advertising booklet "News from IKEA", aimed at people with a small income — the prototype of modern catalogs, which was supposed to attract customers. For the first few years, the booklet advertised not furniture at all, but the usual pens for writing.

In addition, the cheapness of the products sold and Ingvar's ability to negotiate with suppliers helped out — some of them cooperated with the young entrepreneur, despite all the prohibitions.

In 1958, the first branded store in Elmhult opened under the IKEA sign — although initially it looked more like an exhibition hall than a store in the modern sense of the word. He became widely known not only because of the prices, but also because of the unique approach to customers: in this store you could try out furniture before buying it. If a person wanted to buy a chair— he could sit on it, check the convenience. It is easy to guess that such an attitude towards customers soon bore fruit and people were more willing to come to IKEA than to competitors.

By the end of the decade, problems with furniture manufacturers began to seriously affect the business. The remaining suppliers could not provide the growing company with the necessary volumes. It became clear that we need to look for other options to increase the number of goods. Then the enterprising Kamprad remembered an old story with pens that could be purchased cheaper in France. He decided to buy the components in other countries and resell them at a low price. It took some time to find suppliers, but in the end, in 1961, Kamprad found everything he needed at Polish factories. Now competitors could not prevent him from independently determining the cost of goods, moreover, he could put pressure on companies.

Thus, by the end of the 1950s, Ingvar Kamprad, thanks to his entrepreneurial talent, introduced several key rules that the brand still follows today. In general, everyone who knows the founder of IKEA, first of all, notes in him the ability to grasp the essence of any problem on the fly, as well as the skills of a marketer. Some analysts even believe that it was Ingvar who laid the foundations of this direction. In addition, one cannot fail to note his extreme frugality, for which some even call him a miser. Ingvar has been wearing cheap clothes all his life, and even now, being a dollar billionaire whose assets are estimated by Bloomberg at $51.7 billion, he rides public transport or an old Volvo released in 1993.

Until the late 1950s, the growth of the company continued, and the attitude towards Kamprad also changed. Previously, many competitors considered him to be a kind of ignorant youngster, but now they began to perceive him as a dangerous competitor, able to find a way out of any, even the most difficult situation.

In the early 1960s, IKEA already had several stores in Sweden, and Kamprad was clearly not going to stop there. In 1960, the first restaurant opened in Elmhult in one of the brand's stores, operating as an additional way to attract customers. Ingvar's new goal was integration into the nearby Nordic countries. Many say that this idea was inspired by a trip to the United States, in which he appreciated the peculiarities of this country and its approach to business. One way or another, in 1963, the first foreign IKEA store opened in Oslo.In 1965, another important milestone in the development of the company took place - the largest IKEA store at that time near Stockholm opened its doors. It consisted of a three-story annex that served as a warehouse and a round four-story building. This form was specially chosen by the designer of the brand, because it made it possible to more effectively demonstrate the product. Soon this store gained popularity in Sweden, but before that Ingvar introduced several changes that significantly influenced the further development of the brand in the future.

Kamprad, as usual, approached the opening very seriously: he ideally chose the location - away from the noisy center, - determined the opening hours - from 11 am to 7 pm, when traffic in the capital is calmest and you can easily get to the suburbs. In addition, he finally agreed to the offer to transport and sell furniture in disassembled form, which at the same time saved on assembly and launched a new trend in the industry. From that moment on, the brand began to sell its furniture in this way, offering customers to use a special instruction for faster assembly.

True, during the opening of the store was not without problems. After the goods were delivered, it turned out that, firstly, the area was too large (30 thousand square meters) and the company simply did not have enough names to make it completely, and secondly, the goods sold out too quickly and they needed constantly deliver. In order to provide goods to everyone, it was necessary to turn an ordinary store into a store-warehouse.

Soon, the presence of a large number of goods played a cruel joke with the brand.IKEA furniture was very popular in Sweden, so several thousand people visited the stores every day. The brand had problems with cash registers, and huge queues with a small number of sellers led to the fact that the goods were simply stolen. I had to increase the number of cash desks and improve their location. In addition, a self-service system was introduced, in which the role of consultant was given to the client. I must say that this store specialized not only in furniture and other decorative elements. Kamprad expanded the product line in the early 1970s by adding a tableware department to it.

Among other things, the restaurant of the new store offered several traditional dishes prepared according to the recipes of the city of Småland, where the company was born. By the way, these dishes are on the menu of the brand's restaurants even now.

The opening of the store in Stockholm became an important point in the development of the brand, laying the foundation for the concept of further growth. Already in 1965, the company's management could be convinced that the right approach was chosen: the turnover reached 70 million crowns. Until the end of the 1960s, the brand opened several more stores in Sweden, in addition, integration into Denmark began.

In the early 1970s, Kamprad has a new goal. The owner of the company, which was estimated at about 160 million crowns, wondered what awaits his offspring in the future.