A UNIT of local coffee brand Owl International has signed an agreement to be the sole distributor in Asia of Italian coffee brand Caffe Cagliari's products. Owl International is a subsidiary of Singapore Exchange-listed Super Group.
Caffe Cagliari also intends to make Singapore its regional distribution hub.
Mr Alberto Cagliari, president of Caffe Cagliari, said Asia offers significantly more growth opportunities than Europe as it is a new market for Caffe Cagliari.
He likened the partnership to nuptials. "There are some meetings that are fated. You meet people occasionally... you like each other, you decide to get engaged and then you get married."
Mr Cosimo Pintore, Caffe Cagliari's export director, added that the partnership has the right combination of "Italian experience and Asian knowledge".
Mr Richmond Te, group assistant general manager of Owl International, echoed his views and noted the similarities between the two companies.
"The culture that we have is very similar to Cagliari. Cagliari is a family company and they believe in keeping their tradition alive, and that's exactly what we're trying to do. We're deeply rooted in Asia and they're deeply rooted in Italy, which is why we see a synergy - before business, you have to protect the value."
The distributorship with Owl Beverage Specialist, a subsidiary of Owl International, will see Caffe Cagliari's full range of products made available here.
This includes whole beans, coffee grounds, coffee capsules and machines, biscuits, coffee drinks, coffee sweets and sorbet.
The products will be available first to business consumers - hotels, restaurants, cafes and offices - this month, and available to consumers at the end of the year.
Owl International is also looking to enter the single-serve market, and is in the process of developing a capsule version of its Straits Asian coffee.
