LAS VEGAS — Castello Premium Lagers is making an aggressive push for market share in the United States, with plans to import six million cases worth of beer in both bottles and kegs in 2016.
Italian Brands and Beverage Company, owned and operated by Adam Patel is the exclusive importer for the Italian brand, which is privately owned by four different Italian Families.
In 2010, Patel imported just 30,000 cases, but is projecting import numbers of at least 75,000 cases for 2011.
Not surprisingly, Patel is targeting Italian Pizzeria’s and restaurant chains as part of a three-step sales program that includes hotels, sports bars and oddly enough, Mexican restaurants.
“Castello also means castle in Italian and in Spanish, so those on-premise accounts seem to come to the brand very easily,” said Patel.
Castello is currently distributed in 25 states, with a good portion of their business being done on the east coast in the Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Virginia.
That could soon change, as the brand just launched in the Las Vegas market on Monday and in San Diego in June.
“We have gone into approximately 50 locations from San Diego to Riverside and within the next four months we are planning to go into at 250 more locations,” said Patel.
Patel also said that Saccani Distributing Company in Sacramento is carrying the Castello line, which includes four brands, and plans to enter 400 new accounts from Reno to Napa over the next six months.
But for Castello, it’s a female clientele that is driving recent success as their Castello Premium, Double Malt and Red have found a particular niche amongst women in the 21-30 age range.
“Close to 50% or more are women drinking our beer,” said Patel.
He believes it could have something to do with the packaging, which was redesigned last year to specifically target that age category.
Currently Italian Brands and Beverage Company only distributes the Castello beer, but is looking into importing various Italian wines, sodas and lemonades.
More information about Castello can be found on their facebook page.