The company was founded in 1901 by Luigi Gozio (grandfather, on their father’s side, of the three brothers Giuliano, Antonio and Luigi, who still run the company) at Gussago, a town in the splendid hilly region of Franciacorta, in the Province of Brescia. In these charming surroundings, Luigi Gozio, using traditional methods, began an activity that had already been rooted in the area for centuries, the collection and distillation of pressed-grape dregs and wine sediment. In 1930, the brothers Paolo and Giuseppe Gozio, Luigi’s sons, installed a system consisting of six steam boilers for distilling pressed-grape dregs. This was soon completed by a “sediment” distiller which, thanks to the method they had invented, was able to produce the purest alcohol. Always in the 30s, the founder, whose business had originally been named “Distillerie Gozio”, to distinguish himself from other distillers of the same name, “Gozio”, added the word “Franciacorta”, a word that at the time was of no relevance in terms of image and was used by nobody. Sales therefore began of Gozio products distinguished by the world Franciacorta, which since that time has been used for the entire range of products. The forties marked the start of pressed-grape dreg distillation for the production of grappa. Since then, through three subsequent generations, the company has continued to expand and evolve, while always cherishing and nurturing old traditions. In 1950, following the death of the founder, the company was run by his son Paolo until 1959, the year he was succeeded by his son Giuliano, who remained in charge until 1967. In that same year, Antonio Gozio, one of the current owners of the firm, took over control by himself because his brother Giuliano decided to branch out into other fields. Antonio focused on extending production with a line of fruit juice cordials and another of fruits in alcohol (cherries, plums and apricots). Over the years, he began cooperating in the family firm with his younger brother, Luigi and, meanwhile, the elder brother Giuliano returned. In 1977, the three brothers, together with another partner, decided to establish a joint-stock company, which was given the name “Distillerie Franciacorta S.p.A.”. Distillerie Franciacorta became soon a large industrial concern with all the instruments required to cater for a new production and distribution system and make a name for itself among consumers and within the trade. That year, the company launched into large-scale distribution and began focusing on the production of grappa, aqua-vitae and liqueurs, including the creamy variety. Over the years, Distillerie Franciacorta S.p.A. has acquired a series of modern systems able to ensure large production volumes without in any way sacrificing high-quality product standards. All this was also made possible by the company having moved that year to a much larger facility and to the investments made in terms of cutting-edge technology machinery. Distillerie Franciacorta is not therefore only synonymous with grappa but also with liqueurs. To mention just some, the “Whiskream” brand, a whisky cream liqueur and “Eclisse”, a novel liqueur line that involves and reveals flavours and aromas against the light, like an eclipse. It does this especially with its black bottles animated by streaks of colour and by the quality of the products. Company philosophy involves quality excellence and product characteristics that are unchanging over the years and has always tried to combine as successfully as possible technological evolution with traditional recipes and production methods, to the extent that Distillerie Franciacorta is today a leading brand name in the industry. Something else not to be underestimated in the company’s history is updating to Legislative Decree 26/05/97: HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), UNI EN ISO 9001, IFS, BRC and VISION 2000. The risk analysis and critical control system protects the product throughout the entire production process from start to finish. Finally in 1999 another important milestone in the company’s history was when the Gozio brothers bought out their partner and regained 100% ownership of the family business, focusing efforts on the development of distillation methods and on the quest of new products. The need then arose to re-organise and renew the company creating a system whereby decisions relating to procedures for obtaining sales and/or profitability goals are taken by managers arm with the strong delegation of the directors. Thus began the complicated process of re-organising the firm and developing and strengthening its business.