Compagnia del Gusto Holding, which aims to bring together Italy's premium food & beverage companies under one roof, has acquired 100% of Winelivery. The platform, which provides fast delivery services for wine, beer, distilled spirits, and various beverage categories, will join the group's wine-focused business unit, Compagnia delle Vigne. The purchase price has not been disclosed to the public.

Francesco Magro, co-founder of Winelivery, also confirmed that the transaction encompasses 100% of the company. Founded in 2017 by Magro, Giovanni Roberto, and Andrea Antinori, the company is not just a delivery application today; its digital platform includes a physical bar and enoteca network, as well as marketing, data, and artificial intelligence services developed by Wedia within the same ecosystem for the food & beverage sector.

According to data reported by Gambero Rosso, Winelivery had approximately 4.5 million euros in revenue and 17 employees in 2025. The platform has been downloaded around 1.7 million times and the company reports reaching over 400,000 customers. Startupbusiness indicates that approximately 5 million euros in revenue is expected for 2026. These figures are those disclosed by the company and the transaction side; they should not be considered as an independently audited current financial statement.

What is Acquired is Not Just Delivery Revenue

The most striking aspect of the operation is not Winelivery's current sales volume, but the digital infrastructure that Compagnia del Gusto wants to use across the entire group.

Holding CEO Ettore Nicoletto states that they aim to strengthen the relationship with the end consumer, utilize data more effectively, and incorporate digital and technological competencies that can be applied in other companies of the group. Chairman Sergio Albarelli also describes Winelivery not just as a business, but as an asset that provides technology, data, and consumer relationships.

This distinction is significant in the beverage sector.

The relationship between traditional wine producers or distributors and consumers is often established through restaurants, enotecas, retailers, or importers. The producer sells the product, but information about what the end customer buys, when, at what price level, and with which other products may remain limited.

A digital platform like Winelivery, which works directly with consumers, creates another layer of data.

Information such as which wine category is in demand in which region, which beverages are ordered at specific times, gifting behavior, repurchase rates, or responses to campaigns can be valuable for product development and marketing.

Winelivery Could Become a "Market Laboratory"

Compagnia del Gusto plans to position the platform as a channel where new products and consumption scenarios can be tested for the group's different brands.

This approach is different from a classic product launch.

Introducing a new wine or premium food product to national distribution can create high stock, listing, and marketing costs. Testing with a more limited customer group through a digital platform can provide quicker feedback on price, packaging, product combination, and demand.

Winelivery's CRM and media activation capabilities that can be used within the company also gain importance here. Compagnia del Gusto plans to develop campaigns and corporate gift packages that combine wine, gastronomic products, and seafood around the same customer profile, rather than just selling wine in the future.

However, owning data does not automatically mean successful product development.

The purchasing behavior within the app may not represent the entire beverage market. The habits of urban customers using fast delivery may not be the same as those of restaurant customers, traditional enoteca consumers, or customers in large retail channels.

Therefore, the strength of Winelivery's data lies not in its size, but in its ability to track a specific consumer segment through actual purchasing behavior.

“Phygital” Model is Decisive in Purchase Decisions

Winelivery does not position itself merely as an online platform.

The company uses a “phygital” model that combines digital ordering infrastructure with a physical bar and enoteca network. Winelivery's current site features corporate gifting alongside delivery and tasting events held in physical locations. For example, the Winelivery Bar & Enoteca in Turin continues to sell producer tastings for September 2026.

This structure can create three different touchpoints for Compagnia del Gusto:

the customer can order from the app,

experience the product at a physical location,

and then be targeted digitally again by the same brand.

This model can create an advantage in beverage retail, especially for premium products. Because selling expensive or lesser-known wines online with just a product photo and description can be challenging. Tasting, events, or physical sales points can facilitate the customer's recognition of the product, while the digital channel can accelerate the next purchase.

Compagnia del Gusto Accelerates Acquisition Speed

The Winelivery transaction is not the group's only acquisition.

Founded in 2024 and announcing its growth plan more visibly in 2025, Compagnia del Gusto brings together Italian food & beverage companies in three main business units: Compagnia del Mare, Compagnia delle Vigne, and Compagnia dei Sapori. The holding had announced a revenue target exceeding 200 million euros in approximately five to six years.

The group added wine companies like Cantine Romagnoli to its portfolio in 2026; acquired 100% of Krumiri Rossi and took over the commercial assets of Jascots Wine Merchants in the UK at the end of August. The Jascots transaction expands the group's direct distribution capacity in the UK, while the Winelivery acquisition strengthens the digital channel on the consumer side.

When these two investments are read together, the strategy becomes clearer.

On one side are producers and brands.

On the other side is the international distributor.

On the other side is the digital channel that reaches consumers directly.

If this structure is integrated correctly, Compagnia del Gusto could transform from an investment company that merely builds a brand portfolio into a food & beverage group that can control various commercial channels from production to the end consumer.

Why is it Important for HORECA?

Although Winelivery is primarily known for B2C delivery, the acquisition may also have implications for the HORECA side.

For wine and beverage producers, restaurants and bars are still important touchpoints in terms of product visibility. However, data obtained from horeca sales often remains at the distributor or business level.

A producer group supported by a direct consumer platform may become closer to tracking how the product promoted in the restaurant behaves in home consumption.

Additionally, Compagnia del Gusto clearly states that it wants to grow corporate gifting and B2B projects through Winelivery. This suggests that the platform could evolve beyond being just a last-minute beverage ordering application for restaurants, hotels, event companies, or corporate clients in the future.

However, horeca distribution and consumer delivery are not the same operation.

Restaurant customers expect regular pricing, terms, bulk orders, logistical reliability, sales representative support, and specific delivery windows. The end consumer expects speed, product variety, and easy payment.

If Winelivery is to truly grow in B2B, it will need to correctly separate these two operational models.

The Margin Issue in Last Mile Delivery Continues

Although the strategic value of delivery platforms is high, the fundamental problem of the fast delivery economy has not disappeared.

A promise of delivery in as little as 30 minutes requires keeping stocks close to the customer, planning logistics correctly, and covering delivery costs even with low baskets.

Premium beverages may have an advantage because the average order value for products like wine and spirits can be higher than some classic food delivery categories. However, in areas with low order density, last-mile costs can still challenge profitability.

Therefore, for Compagnia del Gusto, the value of Winelivery may not just be about increasing order numbers.

The use of the platform's technology, data, CRM, and marketing infrastructure in other companies of the group broadens the purchasing logic beyond the delivery operation's own profit.

According to Stafflink

What makes Compagnia del Gusto's acquisition of Winelivery significant is not just a wine group entering the delivery business; it is the product company's desire to have direct access to consumer data.

In our view, one of the most important competitive areas for food & beverage companies in the coming period will not only be who produces or distributes the product but who can better understand consumer behavior.

When a producer sells through a restaurant or distributor, the relationship of the product with the end consumer is largely managed by other businesses. The direct channel can return part of this relationship to the producer's control.

However, there is also a serious risk here: companies mistaking the word "data" for the strategy itself.

1.7 million downloads or 400,000 customer records only create economic value when combined with active user rates, repurchase, basket size, and customer acquisition cost. The real test for Compagnia del Gusto will be whether it can convert Winelivery's existing customer base into sales and loyalty for the group's other brands.

For HORECA, however, the message is different. As producers and distributors strengthen direct consumer channels, restaurants may become more valuable not just as points where the product is sold but as experience channels where the product is tried and the first relationship with the brand is established.

If the Winelivery acquisition is successful, the model established here could be not just fast beverage delivery but a broader beverage ecosystem where producers, distributors, physical locations, and digital customers converge on the same data and trade infrastructure.