A Full Cup of Export for Batasiolo

SACE SIMEST, the export and internationalization hub of the CDP Group, Banco BPM, and Bank Akros (the corporate and investment bank of the Banco BPM Group) has finalized a € 7 million lending transaction in favor of Batasiolo, longtime producer of wines in Piedmont.

The loan, guaranteed by SACE and subscribed entirely by Banco BPM, will be used to cover the costs of storing and aging fine wines to be sold abroad. Most of the wine production of Barasiolo, in fact, is destined to the principal international markets and distributed worldwide to North America, Asia, Australia, and the principal European countries.

This initiative is part of the collaboration between Banco BPM Group and SACE, initiated last year by an agreement to support the international development of Italian excellence in agri-foods and other key sectors for Made in Italy. The agreement makes available a package of insurance-financial solutions for the warehoused goods and €150 million in lines of credit for development programs abroad. In addition to Batasiolo, the SACE-Banco BPM partnership has benefited several prestigious companies such as Ambrosi S.p.A., leader in the dairy sector. For Banco BPM the initiative is part of a €800 million fund provided to the agri-food sector through inventory loan structures.

For SACE SIMEST the project confirms its support to exports from Piedmont, a region that hosts many excellent Italian food product manufacturers. Through its Turin office, the Hub served over 1,200 local companies in 2017, mobilizing a total of €900 million in resources to support export and internationalization activities.

Batasiolo is a longstanding firm specialized in the production and aging of wines. With over 140 hectares of company vineyards, its production provides a wide range of wines that enhance the rich tradition of the region, with reds such as Barbaresco, Dolcetto d’Alba and Barbera d’Alba and a range of whites such as Moscato d’Asti, Roero Arneis, Gavi, Gavi di Gavi, and Langhe Chardonnay. The pride and leading product of the company is Barolo with five selections—Briccolina, Boscareto, Bussia Vigneto Bofani, Cerequio and Brunate—a Barolo Reserve and a basic Barolo, accounting for 25% of total sales.

Opportunities for the wine sector

2017 was a positive year for the world wine market with trade volume rising to €30 billion (+ 7.6% year-on-year). The United States and Germany alone account for one-fourth of total wine imports, though the sector is expanding rapidly in new markets such as the Far East. In 2017 Italian wine producers had exports of € 6.2 billion (6.4% more than in 2016): half of this volume was shipped to markets outside Europe. Projections for coming years are positive for Italian exports of the sector and the entire food and beverage industry, which SACE SIMEST estimates will grow at a rate of 7.2% in 2018 and an annual average of 5.6% in the 2019-2021 period.