Fratelli Averna, former owners of Amaro Braulio, the Frattina grappa company, and Limoncetta di Sorrento, was acquired by the Campari group in 2015. Fratelli Averna was founded in 1859, when Salvatore Averna sold fabrics in Caltanissetta and did good works in the Abbazia di Santo Spirito convent. Here one of the monks offered him a gift: an elixir of herbs, roots and citrus fruits from a secret recipe. The bitter was good, with therapeutic and invigorating qualities. So shortly after, Averna started his own small production, then his domestic distillery grew quickly into a factory, and in 1912 Francesco Averna was awarded a royal patent. The business upgraded to a limited company in 1958, with large-scale technical modernization and a nationwide sales network. From 1978 the company focused on diversification of its products and entering foreign markets. Its product range, besides the bitter, includes liqueurs, grappa, sambuca, but also brands of rum, gin and whisky.
