Gruppo Bertolaso S.p.A. (Gruppo Bertolaso) was founded in 1880 in Zimella near Verona, Italy, by Bortolo Bertolaso.
The engineer was a great sponsor of developments and inventions in the fields of agriculture and viticulture. Due to a
strong propensity for engineering, the company increasingly focused on the development of bottle capping machines.
Today, the family-owned company is the market leader in the design and manufacture of bottling machines for wines, spirits
and soft drinks, and supplies companies all over the world, from small family-owned wineries to large global brands.

“We can state that 130 years of history are not a final destination, but a starting point,” says Roberto Tagliaferri, general manager of the group. “We design and manufacture any machine for the bottling cycle: specific plants for single applications, such as rinsing, filling, capping and capsuling machines, but most of all turnkey systems, integrated
and automated, that execute all the stages listed before, plus washing, sanitization and sterilization.”

Models evolve while the guiding principle remains the same: create high-tech machines that deliver highly accurate
results, high production yield, easy control and reliability over time. “For more than a century, our advanced tools have been appreciated especially for the bottling of wine and spirits, but we are increasingly involved in the industry of beer, juices,soft drinks and ready-to-drink products,” Tagliaferri continues. “We are characterized by our ability to adapt to all types of inquiries, and we are ready to listen to everyone and take up challenges that open up new opportunities for our customers and ourselves.”

Modular customization

“Design capacity and product expertise distinguish us from our competitors and have enabled us to develop an interna-
tional organization,” Tagliaferri explains. “We do not make standard machines only, but custom-made plants, highly innovative solutions, created ad-hoc according to the needs of our customers.”

It’s a challenge that Gruppo Bertolaso faces each day, leveraging the talent and professionalism of its research and development (R&D) and engineering team. “We know that each producer is different: each bottle, cap, wine or beverage needs a creative effort to develop technology that improves the speed, safety and efficiency of the bottling process,” Tagliaferri adds. “For the same reason, our plants are modular so we can implement new functions, driven by the emerging needs of the industry.”

Gruppo Bertolaso’s market approach has always revolved around the capacity to build machines to customer specifications.
In recent years, this approach has resulted in modularization, with R&D activity oriented to the definition of standard modules that can be repurposed in different plant versions and configurations. “Designing and building machines to order is more and more expensive, and customers are less and less willing to accept a premium price,” says Cristina Bertolaso, the group’s marketing manager. “To win this challenge, we bet on modularity, applying the ‘Lego brick’ concept to our plants.”