The Italian brands and products are synonymous with a unique esthetic appeal and high quality, so that “Made in Italy” has become a sort of brand. The Italian Style is the fruit of years of experience, design excellence and a combination of knowledge and values translated into a value proposition that is able to live up to the highest customer expectations.

During the course “Experience Design & Marketing: the Italian Way” the students of the International Master in Multichannel Marketing Management (IM4) were able to analyze cases and strategies undertaken by paramount Italian brands in key sectors like food & wine, design furniture, fashion, automotive and industrial goods. On this occasion, we had the opportunity to interview Marina Cvetic Masciarelli, CEO & President of Masciarelli Tenute Agricole, a symbol of Italian wine and protagonist of the success of modern wine production in Abruzzo-, and ask her some questions about her company and the main challenges that the so-called Made in Italy will have to face in the future.

  1. Can you please introduce yourself and describe your company?

Masciarelli Tenute Agricole produces top quality wines, oils and Grappa, that reflect the amazing bio-diversity of the territory of Abruzzo. Founded by Gianni Masciarelli, a pioneer of modern viticulture, to express this invaluable richness through his products, the winery mission is still to reveal the hidden potentiality of Abruzzo wines, bringing Trebbiano and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo to the excellence, in a continuous effort to understand and enhance the local winemaking culture and traditions. With Gianni I have started a life and work path that took me to fall in love with this beautiful land and lead the winery today. Over the years I have changed many roles, helping out where it was most needed: in the past, my most significant contribution went to increase export volumes and markets – we have now reached 55 countries – while today my commitment goes to ensure our environmental sustainability and the deployment of a truly managerial organization.

  1. Can you explain briefly the link between Made in Italy and wine?

Wine is one of the highest expressions of our territory and of the Made in Italy. As Italians, wine is a great part of our history, diet and culinary tradition: almost two thousand years ago, the Romans vastly engaged in the production of wine and spread winemaking techniques and culture throughout Europe as an important means of civilization. Nowadays, Italian wine is perceived as part of the “Italian lifestyle” and a genuine expression of our amazing and diverse territory. Italy is a unique country for richness of terroirs, micro-climates and native grapes and there is no other product as the wine to show this richness.

  1. In your opinion, what are the main challenges Made in Italy will have to face in the future?

Many countries are making great quality today: wines coming from the so called “New World” have conquered big space in the markets not to talk about other sectors, like fashion or food. We must continue to communicate Italian lifestyle and unique values of our production to young generations to avoid it becomes an old fashion memory of the past.