Born and raised in Melbourne, Salvatore Valvo has been in the alcohol industry for over 20 years, working in all facets, from retail to wholesale to production, in Australia and the USA.
Over the years, he built several wine and liquor brands and eventually decided to make one himself.
In 2021, Valvo launched a vodka-based RTD, Sopra Seltzer, with his business partner Emilio Scalzo and has not looked back since.
“We have always tried to find a timeless but unique style with our products to stand out in a very competitive and crowded market,” said Valvo.
Sopra was the first alcoholic RTD/seltzer product in the market to use 100 percent real fruit to flavour its vodka-based beverages. Valvo said they were still the only ones that did not add artificial or so-called ‘natural’ flavours or sweeteners to the product, just real ingredients.
He found that consumers were looking for quality products with more authentic flavours and moving away from artificial-tasting products.
“The beauty of Sopra is in the delicious fruit we work so hard to source. We source our ingredients from suppliers that use sustainable practices. Because we use natural fruit in our beverages, we juice quite a lot of fruit that would have been discarded otherwise.”
This sustainable aspect is also evident in the packaging. All Sopra beverages are packaged in aluminium cans and are part of the Container Deposit Scheme.
“We are always looking for new ways to implement more sustainable practices and work closely with our co-packers to achieve this.”
According to Valvo, a great beverage is one with refreshing flavour and sessionability. He said nothing could beat a refreshing drink on a warm sunny day, and Sopra’s mission has always been to create the perfect beverage for those moments.
The company has received feedback from its customers, who have incorporated Sopra into their summer routines, festivals, and significant life events.
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