Peluso, founder of L’Aretuseo, a company from Sao Paulo, imports Ligurian wines in Brazil: a growing market
Giuseppe Peluso and Antonio Carlos Pedroni during an event at Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro
Giuseppe Peluso, from Italian origins but resident in Brazil, is a young entrepreneur who, together with Antonio Carlos Pedroni founded several years ago L’Aretuseo, a company which imports Ligurian and Tuscan wines in Brazil. The mission of this company is to “ bring health and quality to connoisseurs of good wine”. L’Aretuseo shows its interest in Europe already in the choice of the name, a Greek nymph, and aims to boost the number of wine lovers in Brazilian cities. We have interviewed him and he answered in the two languages which he knows best.
You founded L’Aretuseo with your partner Antonio Carlos Pedroni. Tell us the story, starting from when you left Italy.
Our company was born with the target of importing Italian quality wines with unique characteristics, to compete with the wines already present on the Brazilian market, mainly coming from the Americas and produced mostly with international grapes such as cabernet sauvignon, malbec, carmenere, tannat and so on. We wanted to surprise our consumers and we stumbled upon the paradise of Liguria’s vineyards, where there are a great number of native varieties which appealed to us, who love good wine. Nowadays we can say without doubt that Ligurian wines are our calling card to gain access to the best restaurants, hotels, wholesalers and large shops.
Antonio, a great wine lover and passionate about wines, with his experience in imports and his knowledge of the Italian territory, was crucial for the launch of the company’s activity and that’s how our research for Italian producers with specific characteristics started.
When we found the Arrigoni family, we started a long-lasting cooperation. Professionalism, competence and reliability are some of the many qualities of this wonderful family, who taught us many things about the enchanting world of wine and who guided all our actions.
Peluso and Pedroni with Andrea and Riccardo Arrigoni
Currently you import Ligurian wine only from this company, Arrigoni Wine Family. When and how did your relationship start?
The relation with Arrigoni Wine Family, as we said, has been there since the beginning of our business activity. At the time of our first imports, we selected mainly wines produced in Liguria, to create our portfolio and extend the interest to products coming from other Italian regions. We are proud to say that we are a company operating 100% with Italian products.
Which are the most famous and appreciated Ligurian wines in Sao Paulo and Rio or in other Brazilian cities?
No doubt, the most sought-after wines are Vermentino, Cilegiolo, Pigato and table wines in general, even if we also have demand for wines produced with Rossese d’Arcola and Albarola. These are all new or very little known grapes in Brazil. Consumers taste these wines with curiosity and usually become very keen on them.
Is it hasty to say that L’Aretuseo may become the ambassador of Ligurian wine in Brazil?
The setting up of the Ligurian wine Embassy in Brazil would allow us to promote several marketing initiatives with the main medias and to organize events, dinners, congresses, symposiums and workshops, with the target to increasingly spread information about wine growing in Liguria to professionals, sommeliers, restaurant owners, specialized journalists and opinion leaders.
Moreover, it would help us to be more present at sector trade fairs, which are already included in our schedule.
It is not an exaggeration to say that wine consumption in Brazil is growing fast, thanks to an expanding wellbeing culture and to the increase in purchasing power of the average citizen.
Just to have an idea of the potential of wine consumption in Brazil, consumption in Europe stands at 45 litres per person per year, while in Brazil it stands at nearly 2 litres. These figures allow us to forecast an exponential growth. The first step will be to reach 4 litres per year per person in the next five years.
Another important indicator is the growing interest for wines among young people aged 18 to 30, who once were only keen on beer. Apart from them, there is the migration of consumers of spirits towards wine consumption, which is healthier and more “intriguing” from the cultural point of view.
Therefore, we have to contribute actively to the growth of this wonderful and fast-growing market.
Don’t you think that Ligurian wine companies, and Italian ones in general, should invest more in e-commerce to become more open towards foreign markets?
E-commerce and social media are today, without any doubt, the best tools for advertising and expansion, together with the publication of magazines focusing on life quality. L’Aretuseo has invested a lot in articles on specialised magazines and this has produced excellent results, given the growing interest of consumers for these products, with Ligurian wines at the top of the list.
