Exactly. Alberto contacted me to take over the brewery management. He described what he had in mind to create, and I immediately became passionate about the project. Il Viaggio is an impressive and fascinating enterprise, made up of people who dedicate themselves wholeheartedly. I will give my utmost in this new adventure and always seek to improve because what I truly believe in life is that you can always do better. That’s a bit of my philosophy. I’m happy when people appreciate my beer, but what makes me happiest is opening a bottle, sitting down with them for a chat, and gathering their various opinions. Because even though it’s already a good product, it can always be perfected. My motto is do it, do it well, do it better.

My passion stems from my family. My father, as well as my grandfather, moved to Belgium for work. Even though I was still young to drink, I would accompany them to the pubs in the city. In those places, the beer culture was strongly felt, and I noticed it immediately, so much so that my father had a well-stocked cellar himself. This memory stayed with me and resurfaced around the age of 25 when I decided to dive in and start brewing beer in my home garage. It was a trend that was emerging around that time, as the first brewing kits began to be sold. I went to Cremona, to La Fabbrica della Birra, a very famous venue at the time, where they held courses with pioneers of craft brewing, such as Agostino Arioli, who is now a true guru in the industry. After completing the course, I started with my first trials. Along with a group of friends, I enjoyed finding solutions to mechanize the homebrewing process, which was initially done with simple pots and ladles. I was fascinated by the mechanics of the entire process and the machinery used; I am naturally curious, I like to understand every phase that leads to the finished product. And I think it’s this trait of mine that pushed me more than anything else.

It was when I had to pause it. The neighbors had started to complain, and for a while, I had to stop production; but this break didn’t make me abandon it; on the contrary, it made me stronger in understanding what I really needed to pursue this passion. I used that suspension period to better study the necessary equipment and to gather and assemble the various pieces.

In the meantime, I was contacted by the founder of Birrificio Lodigiano when they were still in their early stages. He had purchased a 100-liter plant and needed someone capable of operating it properly. Along with the team, I participated in fairs and events, where I got to know experts in the field and received advice from them. This continued until 10 years ago.

I decided I wanted to take my passion to the next level. It was time to take it seriously and turn it into a full-fledged production business. Unfortunately, my funds were limited, and I couldn’t find investors to help launch the project. At the same time, I continued my home production, first in a friend’s farmhouse and then in a cottage in the Gossolengo area. Alongside me was my neighbor (still my partner in beer production) and a former schoolmate, an engineer who collaborated in building the plant. People appreciated our effort and supported us as they could.