Aluxion Alliance / House of Vernisse & Vitterra Lyon, France / Torino, Italia Challenge: Create a new super-premium product using Italy’s precious White Alba truffles |
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The venerable House of Vernisse et Vitterra, established by enterprising cousins during the 17th century in both France and Italy, had not produced a new product since its distilleries were destroyed during World War II. Nor did the family’s heirs have sufficient financial means to undertake such an engaging task. |
Once the net product was perfected, packaging design focused on utilizing many of the signature elements of the V&V legacy brand. An antique apothecary-style bottle design was selected, and enhanced with the house’s 17th century seal and leather neck cords. An elegant and more contemporary product name was stylized to appeal to a new international audience. |
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To rationalize such a large investment, ConsuLuxe negotiated with the family’s estate to acquire the historic brand and all its intellectual property rights. Then, product R&D began to explore potential luxury product concepts to be launched under the valuable V&V historic identity. Extensive market research identified ‘super-premium alcoholic spirits’ as the most viable category to be pursued. |
This work was followed by extensive consumer and trade market testing, which refined the packaging design and validated all of the product’s essential elements of flavor profile, positioning, design and consumer pricing parameters. With a consumer-approved new luxury product, ConsuLuxe partnered with Aluxion Alliance S.r.L. in Italy, for international sales and distribution. | |
Operating in this sector required an appropriate laboratory and months of trial-and-error experimentation to finally arrive at a sound method for producing a truffle-infused spirit with enduring aromatic and flavor components. Since the essence of the white truffle is a fragile aromatic gas, organic chemistry needed to find the ‘magical’ ingredient that would bind to the truffles’ organoleptic molecules, and secure them in an appropriate alcohol base. |
The result is an “Authentic European Luxury” that offers a rare white truffle-infused spirit with a cask-aged rum base, featuring all the eloquence of the brands historic origins. The delightfully aromatic spirit combines the essence of white truffles with other subtle botanicals and the rich, smoky underlying character of the distinctive rum. In limited-edition releases, Spirit of Truffles® offers a highly desired and rewarding ‘truffle experience’ for discerning contemporary connoisseurs everywhere. |
