Beniamino Garofalo appointed as new CEO at Santa Margherita Gruppo Vinicolo.
March 2020.
Beniamino Garofalo is a highly experienced manager, having spent many years working for large consumer good multinationals such as Pepsico, Heinz, and Danone, before moving into the luxury market at LVMH and most recently at Gruppo Lunelli. Fifty year old Garofalo comes from Milan and is married with one daughter.
Santa Margherita is today one of the leading Italian companies within the world of wine. The Group’s wine is sold in 94 different countries worldwide and it owns ten different estates in some of the most renowned wine-producing areas of Italy - Santa Margherita, Torresella, Kettmeir, Ca' del Bosco, Cà Maiol, Lamole di Lamole, Vistarenni, Sassoregale, Terrelíade and Cantina Mesa. With over 690 hectares of vineyards, and global sales in excess of 22 million bottles, company turnover stood at more than 189 million Euros in 2019. In addition to its Italian operations, the Group also owns a subsidiary in Miami, Santa Margherita USA, a direct import company which distributes all the Group’s different brands as well as wines from other premium Italian producers, which are destined to see future growth.
«I am extremely proud to be joining Santa Margherita Gruppo Vinicolo» Beniamino Garofalo, the Group’s newly appointed CEO, stated. «This is one of the Italian companies which has changed the fortunes of Italian wine in the global market. For some time now the Group has focused on investing in long term projects and this has produced extraordinary results. Now the time has come to consolidate this phase of expansion, to capitalize on the newest entries to the Group (Cà Maiol in Lugana and Cantina Mesa in Sardinia), to push forward with the strategy of increasing our portfolio of vineyards within Italy and to plan the next phase of growth for all of our brands while taking into account the changing consumption habits of our end customers. All of these things are made possible by our highly-motivated workforce, which now numbers 380, both here in Italy and abroad, and the ongoing, unwavering commitment of our shareholders to the wine sector».
Gaetano Marzotto, President of Santa Margherita Gruppo Vinicolo, added: «The arrival of Beniamino Garofalo signals a new era for our Group because the company, which over the last fifteen years has focused on investing (over 200 million Euros) in the most suitable terroirs, cutting-edge modern wineries, innovative, high-quality wines and enthusiastic, wine professionals, is now able to better face the challenges posed by climate change, with increasingly sustainable production methods which reflect both our values and the desires and tastes of younger generations.
The mission of our Wine Group is to bring the very best of Italian wine to the world, as a product it is increasingly interlinked with other premium ‘Made in Italy’ goods. In entrusting our Group to a manager with a proven track record in other sectors, we want to make Santa Margherita Gruppo Vinicolo even more global, pursue greater vertical integration and align ourselves more closely with our end-consumers».
