New Hampshire-Based Family Company Specializes In Authentic Italian Limoncello

New Hampshire appears an unbelievable place to search out good limoncello, however Phil Mastroianni and his household have proved that the Granite state truly is a good place to make this storied Italian liqueur.

“New Hampshire is a most unlikely place to discover a limoncello or citrus firm, and I like to joke about it,” says Phil, who together with his brother Nick, based Fabrizia Spirits 13 years in the past, out of their mother and father’ storage. “It’s been a protracted journey.”

The journey began again in January of 2008, when Phil served their Uncle Joe some limoncello Phil had made out of scratch. “He appeared up at me, and he stated ‘You recognize, Phil, that is one of the best limoncello I’ve ever had, and that is what you ought to be doing,’” Phil says.

Instantly, Phil instructed him no, however he stored tossing and turning that evening, and by the morning, he had determined to comply with his uncle’s recommendation. “I couldn’t sleep, and as an accountant, I used to be making an attempt to determine what it may cost a little to provide it,” Phil says. “I chilly’t discover a cause to not do it in order that’s how we obtained began.”

In September of that very same yr, the 2 brothers purchased about $600 price of lemons, peeled them of their mother and father’ storage and set about making one of the best limoncello they might. “We peeled lemons for 2 days, and that’s how we obtained began.”

That first batch took six months to make, they usually made 700 bottles. It took them 4 months to promote their unique batch of bottles, which retail for $17.99-$19.99. At present, their firm sells about 200,000 bottles yearly of their spirits, and their limoncello is now made with lemons imported from Sicily. Their spirits are actually offered in 18 states, totally on the East Coast from Maine to Florida, but in addition Nevada and Michigan. They’ve 25 workers, and throughout the subsequent yr, their distribution will develop to California, Illinois and Arizona.

Whereas limoncello stays their signature spirit, additionally they make a blood orange liqueur, a pistachio cream liqueur, a limoncello cream liqueur, in addition to a complete line of canned cocktails, baked items and extra.

Their firm’s evolution comes from “listening to their prospects,” in addition to trying to cut back waste. “By 2015, our enterprise had grown a lot that it was my full-time job, and we had been throwing away one thing like 150,000 lemons after we zested them,” Phil says. “So, our sister Jenna would make an Italian tackle a margarita, with our limoncello, contemporary lemonade and tequila. Everybody cherished them, and I had a light-weight bulb go off in my thoughts.”

So, the “Jenna-ritas” turned Fabrizia’s Italian margaritas. In addition they make a line of vodka sodas – lemon, blood orange and raspberry, in addition to a line of Italian Breeze cocktails, that are a fruity spin on spirited Italian lemonade. The canned cocktails promote in four-packs for $10.99.“They’re made with all-real, fruit juices, and we’ve develop into a number one canned cocktail producer,” Phil says, including that Entire Meals just lately began carrying them in eight states.

However moreover their complete line of spirits, additionally they produce a complete line of baked items. The pandemic led them to this pivot. “When corona first hit, loads of distributors began reducing orders, and it appeared just like the world was going to finish, and nobody wants a bunch of Fabrizia laying round in a warehouse,” he says. “We made a bunch of hand sanitizer, however we noticed we might take the model additional. I do wish to bake, and I do wish to prepare dinner – I’m Italian, in spite of everything – so I stated, what else can we do with lemons?”

Phil says he used to make limoncello truffles, and he would take them to liquor shops when he did tastings so that they determined to begin a bakery. “Folks don’t drink limoncello on a regular basis, however folks eat cookies every single day,” he says.

So, in November 2020, they launched a direct-to-consumer, Fabrizia Lemon Baking Firm, the place they promote cookies, biscotti, truffles, whoopie pies and extra, beginning at about $10.99. “Round Christmas, we obtained featured on Good Morning America,” he says. “It was an attention-grabbing and wild experience, and we was a 24-hour operation with three shifts for 5 days to fulfill the demand. We didn’t miss one order.”

Their newest enterprise is a Fabrizia lemon vodka, which can hit the shop cabinets subsequent month, they usually’re additionally creating a limoncello-flavored popcorn. “We at all times have some tips up our sleeves,” Phil says.