The origins of the company are closely tied to the history of the Bonollo family, the most important dynasty of Grappa producers in existence today which, as early as the mid-19th century in the Pre-Alps of Vicenza, began experimenting with the centuries-old art of grappa making – just for the love of it. The first accounts of a professional distilling business date to 1908, the year found on the oldest surviving copy of a production statement mentioning family-founder, Giuseppe Bonollo. Umberto Bonollo, one of Giuseppe’s sons, continued the family tradition in Veneto, the most important region for traditional grappa production in Italy.
The company, still successfully run by the family, is based in the province of Padua (Padova) and is comprised of two facilities: the Conselve distillery, where grappas, grape spirits and brandies are produced, and the Mestrino headquarters, where liqueurs are produced and all the company’s products are bottled before being sold and delivered both to domestic and global markets.
However, for the Bonollo company, grappa remains the heart of the product line. In fact, the current chairman, Giuseppe Bonollo (grandson of the founder and Umberto’s eldest son), summarized the family’s mission like this, “To obtain a grappa characterized by a wide range of typical aromas, yet distinguished by a clean and light mouthfeel that satisfies the indulgent demands of the modern consumer. Over the last thirty years, Bonollo of Padua has acquired the brands and methodology of two renowned distilleries in the Veneto region: Modin in Ponte di Brenta (Padua) – a company founded in 1842 – and Dalla Vecchia in Malo (Vicenza) – a company founded in 1890.
