(Apr. 24) – Italian Perugina goes 'double digit' on the American market. A growth of 11%, with an increase of 27% for the brand Baci Perugina. The success, says the company, was mainly built in New York, with a market share three times the national average, followed by Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Washington. "This is a return to the U.S. for Perugina,” said Corrado Castrovillari, general manager of Nestlé's confectionery business in Italy. “In recent years the U.S. market has shown a continuous growth and potential development, which led us to develop a growth strategy of the brand that provides, on the one hand, innovative marketing campaigns to support brand awareness and, secondly, the development of distribution channels with the presence in gourmet stores and in supermarkets." (Red/Peg)

BACI PERUGINA CELEBRATES 90 YEARS
This year, Baci Perugina (Kisses Perugina) celebrates its 90th birthdays: born as Cazzotto (Punch) in 1922, from an idea by Luisa Spagnoli, the famous chocolate was later renamed Kiss by Giovanni Buitoni. The scrolls were introduced in the 30s by Federico Seneca, artistic director of Perugina in that period, who had the idea to combine a message of love to the pleasure of chocolate. Over time, Baci Perugina have become an icon of Italian confectionery's history and symbol of Made in Italy in the world.