Liquorificio Morelli

OUR HISTORY

“Right from the very first trials, the satisfaction I felt seeing the early results gave me the sensation that this work was where my future lay. It was a revelation for me as I found myself surrounded by respect, new friendships and interests that provided me with decent earnings”.

Leonello Morelli

1911

The site of the Liquorificio Morelli is established in Via Garibaldi, in the centre of Forcoli. With the exception of the war period, the company’s commercial network saw rapid growth. From North to South, Morelli spirits began to delight the taste-buds of Italians. The imaginatively labelled bottles were chosen and created by Leonello himself, demonstrating his unusual marketing talents.

The ‘50s

The Liquorificio Morelli already boasted an extensive catalogue, including sophisticated packaging and cutting-edge products. But not only this: the company already had a structure. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, the Morelli company already employed 25 people and was one of the main driving forces of Forcoli’s economy. Leonello even became Mayor of the Municipality of Palaia, of which Forcoli is a borough. Meanwhile the family was growing. His son Dante and nephew Piero join the company.

1975

Leonello Morelli died in 1975. Yet as early as the ‘80s, Piero’s children began to take his place. Luca, the eldest, followed by Paolo, and finally, in the ‘90s, Marco. Leonello’s great-grandchildren succumbed to the family passion, and at the same time enhanced it, thanks to an entrepreneurial approach in keeping with the times: more quality, a more sophisticated image, and careful selection of clients. The Italian market was expanded and commercialisation began on foreign markets. Morelli exported throughout the whole of Europe, reaching countries such as China and the United States.

2009

The big step: the Morelli company left its historic site and inaugurated a new one, still close to the historic centre of Forcoli, 2 km from the premises where Leonello started to build his entrepreneurial dream linked to the world of spirits. Modernity and functionality were the bywords that identified the new spaces: 1300 sq m, besides the production and storage areas, plus a further 300 sq m for offices, tasting rooms, meeting rooms and chemical analysis laboratories.

2011

Morelli celebrates its 100th birthday, an important milestone and one which opens up a host of new challenges.

2012

2012 is an exceptional year: at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, the world’s most important competition dedicated to wines and spirits, Morelli wins two gold medals and one silver medal with three products presented to the judging panel, a feat unmatched by any other company since the competition began 19 years earlier.

2013

An unexpected gold – again! Again at the Concours and again with one of the company’s products of excellence, “50 and 50 Barrique” grappa, winner of the gold medal in 2012 and again in Taiwan the following year, where the judges award a total of 60 gold medals to 60 products of excellence. Of these, 12 go to Italy. Of the two golds won by Tuscan products, one goes to Morelli’s “50 and 50 Barrique” grappa.

2016

The Grappa Centenario wins Best Gold at the National Association of Grappa tasters organised by ANAG, along with the Grappa 50/50 Riserva and Grappa Cru 98 Invecchiata, which both win the Silver Medal.

2017

“Limoncino Speciale 32°” and “Grappa Centenario” take gold again at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. The Morelli Museum is set up: 110 years of uninterrupted history, at the very heart of a community so closely associated with the company that the two are inextricable linked. In the Museum of the Morelli family, every item forms part of a vivid history just waiting to be told.

2018

Two new products are introduced in casa Morelli: Limoncino DiVino and Gin Aromatico! The triumphs continue: three gold medals in three competitions!

2019

The company becomes a “SRL”, shifting from a purely artisan mindset into a growth oriented commercial vision

2020

The year of the pandemic. The Liquorificio, with the same spirit of the previous generations, doesn’t stop working for a second, and it’s the first Italian liquor producer to start making alcool based hand sanitizing sprays. More than 100.000 of these have been produced in the first 3 months of lockdown and distributed as gifts to hospitals, retirement homes and police forces

2021

The year of the restart, it’s the last part of the pandemic and business is booming again, especially abroad: new clients, new volumes and new awards are coming.

Discover the awards


AWARDS