Campari America is building on its spritzing success to pursue another trend: adult non-alc (ANA). The Italian spirits group announced today it is bringing Crodino, a zero-proof ready-to-serve spritz, to the U.S. as its first Stateside foray into the growing category.
Well known in Italy, Crodino is a bitter soda named after Crodo, a town in the country’s northwest where it was first produced in the mid-1960s. The drink was brought into the Campari fold three decades later, pushing it into mainstream Italy and beyond. Now, Crodino joins Campari America’s House of Aperitifs, alongside the Aperol and Campari brands.
“What’s been particularly exciting is how both consumers and our on-premise partners have embraced iconic Italian brands creating vibrant social experiences centered around the spritz,” said Allison Varone, Campari America’s head of marketing in a release. “With the launch of Crodino, we’re expanding the joy of spritz to even more consumers who seek a sophisticated and flavorful non-alcoholic option.”
Around 2017, orange-hued, ice-filled cocktail glasses emerged as the drink of the summer, the payoff for a decade-plus campaign by Campari that ushered the Aperol Spritz into Europe and the U.S. The spritz has since become one of the top-selling cocktails on-premise. Off-premise sales for spirits-based prepared spritzes have grown 102% in the 52 weeks ending March 22 compared to the year prior, according to NIQ.
But compared to its multinational rivals, Campari has been cautious on transferring that occasion to ready-to-drink, with testing for Aperol Spritz products only conducted in select markets over recent years. Now, it’s betting on its flagship cocktail to make inroads into a category closing in on the $1 billion mark. Within ANA, RTDs are gaining traction, up 167% in sales in 2024.
“It’s a phenomenal product, and so we are really bullish about that opportunity,” teased Melanie Batchelor, managing director of Campari America while on a panel at the Wine & Spirits Daily Summit in January. “We’re being quite choiceful from an innovation perspective, because we know you just can’t go and put something out there and expect it to happen.”
Other major spirits groups have also held back on ANA innovation or extensions, primarily focused on investments. Targets have been all over the map, from Constellation Brands’ acquisition of functional soda Hiyo to Pernod Ricard’s minority stake in Almave. But among the rising number of ANA bottled and canned aperitif cocktails, Crodino now joins The Pathfinder’s Negroni, released in January, and De Soi as the only brands backed by significant distribution.
Crodino is crafted in Italy over a six-month infusion and blending process, featuring aromatics of clove, cardamom, nutmeg, and coriander seeds, along with more than 10 other herbs and spices. Four-packs of 175 ml glass bottles will be available from late May 2025 across California, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, Illinois, Washington D.C. and Maryland, for an SRP of $14.99. Additional markets are to follow.