The Canneto Social Winery has been acquired, with the goal of preserving the historical value of an important wine-growing area and revitalizing its production and social cohesion. ERMES President Rosario Di Maria stated: “We want to engage the former members to develop a new chapter for Canneto.”.
Santa Ninfa (TP), January 30, 2024 – Cantine Ermes continues to establish itself as a multi-regional player in the Italian quality wine sector. Its development and growth strategy is rooted in the value of the territories it invests in, recognized for their history and enological identity. After a series of mergers and acquisitions in Veneto, Puglia, Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo, and of course Sicily (where it all began in 1998), the cooperative is now entering Lombardy, in the DOC area of Oltrepò Pavese.
Cantine Ermes has acquired, through auction, the structural and technological assets of the Canneto Social Winery in Campo Noce, Canneto Pavese (PV), with the aim of revitalizing its activities in the near future.
Today, Cantine Ermes – an agricultural cooperative – is the largest multi-regional wine entity in Italy in terms of total vineyard surface area, holding the national record for organically farmed vineyards as well. Across five productive regions, the cooperative brings together 2,513 grower-members, managing over 13,600 hectares under production (2022 harvest).
Its model of regional vertical integration is focused on the viticultural and enological value of each territory, leveraging local grape varieties and denominations that perform best on global markets.
Respect for each region and its unique characteristics has always been the hallmark of Cantine Ermes, embracing a 360-degree approach to preserving and enhancing local assets, not only in terms of facilities and equipment, but above all, in terms of human capital.
“The gradual growth of Cantine Ermes across multiple regions,” explains Rosario Di Maria, Cantine Ermes President It is the result of a constant effort to identify territories aligned with the original vision that defines our cooperative,” the statement continues. “What drives our corporate mission is the identity potential expressed by the territories in which we have invested – and continue to invest – as well as the ability of the wines produced there to compete in the most important global markets for Italian wine.
Many of the production facilities acquired by Cantine Ermes over the years have been the result of mergers by incorporation, breathing new life and fresh prospects into cooperative wineries that truly represent their local regions, without losing their human and social heritage. Our cooperative project is built on two core pillars: trust and respect.”
This shared vision, according to President Rosario Di Maria, makes all the difference: “Respect for our grower-members, who embrace the project; respect for the distinctive characteristics of each territory. Trust – the kind that, day after day, we have been able to build, and which has allowed us to overcome the initial skepticism that a Sicilian winery often encounters when entering other regions. With Ermes, the paradigm has been reversed: it’s the South investing in the North.”
Cantine Ermes’ interest in Oltrepò Pavese emerged from a careful market analysis, which led the cooperative to submit an offer yesterday for the acquisition of the production facility and brand, with full awareness that the revival will have to start with the involvement of the members of the Canneto Winery.
“With the right practices, rooted in shared goals and collaborative work, we are confident we can rebuild a healthy and competitive quality wine operation – new in spirit, but at the same time able to honor its roots, just as we have done in other regions.”
For Cantine Ermes, fostering dialogue and synergy with other cooperatives in the Oltrepò area will be essential to its success. In recent weeks, Cantine Ermes’ interest in the Canneto Winery had already emerged, sparking a lively debate – one that now, through its actions, the cooperative will begin to address directly.
Ferdinando Calaciura – calaciura@granviasc.it – 338 3229837
Gran Via – Società & Comunicazione – srl
Via Giotto, 92 90145 Palermo
