Campari's US campaign has entered into full swing, targeting the many areas that are still unfamiliar with theAperol Spritz, with the aim of making it a flagship product, as it is to Milan e Berlin. “The United States represents a great opportunity,” he said. Simon Hunt, Davide Campari's new CEO in an Italian-language podcast Bloomberg (titled “What Money Don’t Tell You”) – half of Americans have never heard of Aperol Spritz.”
The company, through public events and initiatives wants to increase brand awareness, starting from 11 major cities of the United States, including California, New York, Texas and Florida considered "key strategic states," Hunt said. These target cities likely include New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Austin, Denver, San Francisco, Boston, Jersey City, Phoenix and Las Vegas, analysts wrote in a note. Barclays, adding that together they represent 65% of the Aperol consumed in the United States. They also stressed that promoting the brand in the largest cities in the United States could increase liquor sales by 12% in five years, if the company reaches similar penetration levels.
Hunt's goal is to convince customers to order the sparkling cocktail instead of beer.
Campari is also launching premixed versions of Aperol Spritz, Including a on tap, to convince customers to order the cocktail instead of beer. The premixed Aperol Spritz has been featured at music festivals on Lake Como and Puglia, demonstrating that it pours in about nine seconds, as quickly as a pint. “We are competing with beer, "And the beer lasts nine seconds, so we need to be at least that fast," Hunt said. "In other parts of the world where we don't have Prosecco, we might not have the glass, the ice, or the orange; we're evaluating what packaging format is best for us." A pre-mixed version of the stronger Campari Spritz will be available. bottled in the second quarter of next year. To double Aperol sales globally, the company would need to capture approximately 1,5% of the current market for premium beers, analysts say.
Hunt's plans to revive Campari
The plan of Hunt, landed in the company last January, aims to increase cocktail sales in a difficult context, in which in general the consumers they drink less, while they weigh the duties customs from the United States and China and debts resulting from the acquisition of the Courvoisier cognac brand.
The company, whose title has lost more than half of its value in the last two years, is also providing a redesign of its subsidiaries with the aim of divest the approximately 30 least profitable brands to focus on icons like Aperol. After the sale of Tannico and Cinzano, Campari has put up for sale three historic Italian bitters: Averna, Braulio, and Mirto Zedda Piras. Campari's portfolio had expanded under the leadership of the former CEO Bob Kunze-Concewitz, which exited last year after spending approximately €3 billion on more than two dozen deals. Its largest investment was the $1,2 billion acquisition of Courvoisier, announced at the end of 2023. “The timing of the Courvoisier deal was difficult, as the duties on alcohol imported into China, a key market for that segment, were already a recurring theme,” says Mediobanca analyst Alessandro Tortora.
Il net debt to earnings ratio Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization stood at 2,9 at the end of September. Campari had committed to reducing it by 3,5 times compared to the pro forma figure for the same period last year, which is in line with competitors, including Cointreau and Pernod Ricard. However, higher debt levels have pushed up earnings. Financial charges to 80 million euros in the first three quarters of 2025, compared to 56 million euros a year ago.
Although Aperol is the company's top investment priority globally, the strategy "carries some risks," said Margherita Strazzari, asset manager at Sempione Sim SpA. The company's market share in the United States has declined slightly in 2024 and 2025, she added. "Campari is also facing increasing competition, for example from brands like Rémy Cointreau, which are entering the spritz market." Campari's sales growth in the United States is expected to remain unchanged in 2024 compared to the previous year, with a 2% decline in the first nine months of 2025.
The title is trading today at Piazza Affari at 5,91 euros, up 0,58%, but in 2023 it had reached peaks close to 13 euros.
Campari present at major events in the States
Last summer in New YorkCampari sent 100 bartenders to tourist spots around the city with trays of Aperol Spritz. The company then set up a branded plaza at the Coachella music festival in California and set up a patio bar during the US Open tennis"How can we find consumers who aspire to be Italian?" said Hunt, who holds British and Australian citizenship and has spent more than thirty years in the beverage industry. "State by state, city by city, how do we want to spread this concept to the rest of the world? We're working on this process now because we've discovered that there's a global demand for Aperol."
In addition to Aperol, the company's other flagship brands include Campari, Espolòn tequila, Courvoisier, and Wild Turkey, which together account for another 31% of revenue. Newcomers include Crodino, a soft drink, and Sarti Rosa, a fruity pink spritz that is proving very popular in beer-drinking Germany, becoming the country's second-largest Campari brand in the third quarter.
