Melbourne startup Solbevi makes a global splash as liqueur of the year in major US awards

The award left Di Benedetto stunned, not least because of the uphill battle he faced with US Customs when sending a sample of the liqueur to the judges – a nine-week process that eventually cost him $2,500. It was equally surprising Di Benedetto had only just started entering Solbevi's limoncello liqueur in awards. 

The Melbourne-based young entrepreneur’s efforts were richly rewarded when Solbevi was named the world’s best liqueur, with the US award coming on the heels of Di Benedetto securing an award at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London for Solbevi's Limoncello Spritzer.

“We’ve had a lot of people from around the world reach out following the awards, but I am a bit stunned because I’m not sure if winning these competitions is normal or not,” Di Benedetto tells Business News Australia.

His inspiration for Solbevi was triggered during COVID, sitting on a balcony with a mate drinking home-made limoncello and experimenting with the drink as a spritzer.

“It’s always been my favourite drink and I always smash it down straight,” says Di Benedetto, who refined Solbevi from his family’s traditional Italian recipe. “We found something that no one else had done before.”

Since launching in August last year, Solbevi has secured distribution deals for its spritzer in a can with Dan Murphy’s and Vintage Cellars, among other independent deals.

Solbevi limoncello liqueur is predominantly sold on premise, currently across 276 bars and restaurants nationally.

Two weeks ago, Solbevi launched into Qantas First Class Lounges, a deal that Di Benedetto, a platinum Frequent Flyer with the airline, describes as his “dream contract”.

“My dream was always to see my cans on a plane and I got to experience that two weeks ago when I flew to Rome for the launch,” he says.

Di Benedetto created Solbevi limoncello to be a “lighter smoother” interpretation of traditional Italian limoncello – a liqueur made from lemons and often enjoyed as an after-dinner treat.

“Solbevi has a lower ABV (alcohol by volume) than the average of between 34 and 38 per cent found in most liqueurs,” he says.

“This makes it much smoother, giving you that nice linger of alcohol after you drink it that goes away relatively quickly.

“It’s a more ‘sessionable’ drink – palatable from a sophisticated point of view and a definitely a lot smoother without that sickly sweet taste, so it’s easy to consume.

“What we are trying to do is change the perception of limoncello being an after-dinner aperitif. We want people to have it whenever because you can do so much with it.”

Di Benedetto’s vision for Solbevi is big.

“We have found there are so many limoncellos out there but there is no market leader – none that compete with Aperol or Campari – which is a very similar concept as a liqueur and digestive that people end up mixing.

“I want Solbevi to be the yellow on the shelf alongside the orange and red. Ultimately, I would like to lose the limoncello label altogether and be simply known as Solbevi.

“That’s the goal – to sit it next to Aperol and Campari in every single bar around the world.”

There’s no denying Di Benedetto’s commitment to that ambitious goal, after revealing he hasn’t earned an income for the past 13 months “because everything I make, I put back into the business”.

“I work full time six to seven days a week and do a nighttime shift in construction from 6pm to 2am every single day,” he says.

“The money I earn from that goes straight back into the business. The only reason I am doing that is because I believe what I am doing is going to work.”

Di Benedetto is currently working on export markets for Solbevi, initially in Asia where he is finalising deals. The US is also on his radar but not just yet.

The young entrepreneur has hinted at a potential capital raising to drive business growth as he scales with the ultimate strategy to test the appeal of Solbevi in several international markets.

“Obviously we are suitable for many tastebuds and many cultures, not just Australia.

“The strategy is to get into a couple of different markets, prove that it is popular in multiple countries and then go to someone like a Campari and present the opportunity to expand our reach,” he says.

Di Benedetto had been working on developing the Solbevi business for more than two years before the company's official 2023 launch – a major career shift for the young entrepreneur after starting out in construction management from the age of 18, working for Multiplex Constructions on high-rises in Melbourne’s CBD.

“I may be killing myself doing it, but I absolutely love it,” he says.