Toccalmatto: 18 years of craft beer, identity, growth and new markets

From Zona Cesarini to Stria, the Emilia-based brewery is looking to the Festival della Cucina Italiana in Svizzera to strengthen ties with the foodservice industry and accelerate its international expansion.

Craftsmanship and independence are the defining characteristics of Toccalmatto, an independent craft brewery founded by Bruno Carilli in 2008 in Fidenza, in the heart of Emilia. Today, the company is run by what can rightly be described as the second generation of its founding partners, with impressive results, as explained by Massimo De Marco, Marketing Manager and the link between the original team behind Toccalmatto and the current management.

“Over the past 18 years, we have grown from an initial brewing system with a 550-litre capacity per brew to our current 50-hectolitre brewhouse, with a cellar capacity of 1,200 hectolitres. Over the past year alone, we have recorded double-digit revenue growth. All this without ever compromising our identity. For us, craft beer should not be a niche product. Our beers have always combined character with drinkability, ranging from the most delicate and elegant lager to the most intense and aromatic IPA (India Pale Ale).”

Let’s start with your flagship beer, Zona Cesarini, which has earned its place in the history of craft beer, not only in Italy.

“First brewed in 2010, it represents the prototype of the Pacific IPA style. Japanese Sorachi Ace hops, combined with a blend of American, Australian and New Zealand varieties, create the tropical explosion that has become its signature. The result is a perfectly balanced beer, with a dry body and a bitter finish.”

In 2025, the beer won a bronze medal in the Pacific IPA category at the Brussels Beer Challenge. Last April also saw the launch of the first Zona Cesarini Day.

“The event involved more than 90 venues across Italy, where a special limited edition of the beer was tapped simultaneously, accompanied by collectible merchandise. It was a success, somewhat unexpected in its scale, which gives us good reason to look forward to the 2027 edition.”

But there’s more to Toccalmatto than Zona Cesarini.

“One of our most popular beers is Stria, the quintessential ‘blonde beer’. Simple but never ordinary, it combines the clean profile and easy drinkability of the German bottom-fermentation tradition with the rustic character of an unfiltered lager. It also has a distinctly accessible, almost ‘pop’ appeal: a rich, crisp malt base with notes of bread crust and wildflower honey, enhanced by delicate, elegant floral and herbal hop aromas from noble European hop varieties.”

Let’s turn to your participation as a Food Sponsor in the Festival della Cucina Italiana in Svizzera.

“Our first objective is to change the current trend. Let’s be honest: the relationship between the restaurant industry and craft beer can be seen as a missed opportunity. From 1996 to the present day, craft beer has accounted for just 3% of beer consumption in Italy, even though twenty years ago you could count the country’s craft breweries on the fingers of one hand, whereas today there are more than a thousand.

This is not about our own performance, as we recorded double-digit percentage growth over the past year. More broadly, however, the craft beer sector continues to suffer from a lack of dialogue with the restaurant and pizzeria sectors, as well as with Italian cuisine in international markets.”

So, with your presence in Switzerland, are you looking to take a new direction?

“This event is an integral part of our market expansion strategy, particularly in international markets. It will allow us to strengthen our dialogue with foodservice professionals and ultimately introduce our beers to a broader audience.”