By Tam Allenby, Assistant Editor Beer & Brewer
Asahi Premium Beverages (APB) celebrated the tapping of the first keg of Peroni Nastro Azzurro at Melbourne Public bar yesterday.
Also entering the APB portfolio ahead of the Australian summer are Peroni Leggera and Grolsch Premium.
APB’s position as the permanent distributor of Peroni (Nastro Azzuro and Leggera) and Grolsch follows its acquisition of the beers as part of a global brand acquisition from AB InBev in 2016.
APB’s commercial team (Chief Commercial Officer Scott Hadley, General Manager of Marketing Michael Edmonds and General Manager of Sales Michael Ritoli) raised a glass with one of Melbourne Public’s owners and directors Richard Chatfield in celebration of the occasion.
Chief Commercial Officer of APB, Scott Hadley, says the arrival of Peroni into APB’s stable is transformational.
“This continues to evolve our portfolio, cementing APB as a major player in the premium beverage category. We’ve been enjoying healthy, double-digit growth for the past four years and Peroni provides a fantastic opportunity to continue this trajectory, and to increase our size and scope within the industry.”
APB General Manager Sales, Michael Ritoli agrees: “The arrival of the Peroni into our business is the next chapter in APB’s relationship with both premium beer and our customers. Its charm and allure allows us the opportunity to work with a lot of new customers and to also rekindle some old relationships.”
Michael Edmonds, APB General Manager Marketing, says his team is especially motivated by the opportunity to market this premium Italian beer.
“Fashion goes out of style, but Italian style never goes out of fashion. Peroni is indeed a beautiful, stylish brand. Expect to see us strongly leverage its ties to Italian heritage, celebrate its provenance and bring a slice of the Italian seaside lifestyle into the Australian Summer.”
Melbourne Public’s Richard Chatfield says the new Peroni tap offering is an exciting move for his establishment.
“We’ve stocked Peroni in bottles in the past, but through our APB partnership it’ll now be flowing alongside our premium Japanese offering, Asahi, on tap. It’s always great to see a trusted business partner increase their portfolio and we look forward to selling even greater volumes of premium beer – both Italian and Japanese – through our taps.”