Delicious and authentic—the reason for Tomarchio’s success is embodied in the name of its range of classic Sicilian sodas, which includes traditional flavours like aranciata and chinotto as well as contemporary favourites like cola and ginger beer. From the vintage bottle and label designs to the elegant taste, Tomarchio sodas are a great way to capture the romance of a Mediterranean summer.
Tomarchio’s history runs right alongside the history of Sicilian soda. Filippo Tomarchio set up his business in 1920 in Acireale, an ancient city nestled between Mount Etna and the crystalline waters of the Ionian Sea.
Back then, a sparkling semi-sweet table wine made from 75% wine and 25% gassosa (lemon-flavoured carbonated soft drink) was all the rage, but Filippo spotted a market for gassosa minus the wine. He developed his own recipe and launched gassosa production in a 250ml glass bottle closed with a small glass ball stopper. Tomarchio Gassosa was soon sold door to door in wooden boxes throughout the province of Catania, expanding to all of Sicily in the 1960s.
Cue a change of scene to San Francisco, where new immigrants Rinaldo and Ezilda Torre were seizing on the new American craze for soda fountains to develop “Italian sodas”—carbonated water combined with traditional Italian syrups—for the local immigrant community. Designed for Italian tastebuds, flavours like chinotto and limonata were less sweet than the American versions, even slightly bitter, and also used recognizably natural fruit juices and syrups.
Unsurprisingly, Italian consumers back home were just as thrilled with these new sodas, and local gassosa producers rushed to expand their ranges. Tomarchio didn’t want to be left behind, but neither did it want to give up its roots. It decided to bet on both the land and tradition—which meant forming close relationships with local producers to create sodas based solely on Sicilian raw materials for that taste of Mediterranean sunshine in every bottle.
Today, all Tomarchio’s suppliers lie within 100 kilometres of its production facilities, delivering fruit that is primarily cut from the tree by hand and processed the same day. This very short supply chain is great for quality control, producing juices and concentrates certified to strict Sicilian Citrus District standards.
The water Tomarchio uses is also very authentically Sicilian. Sourced straight from the slopes of the nearby Mount Etna, Europe’s highest active volcano, its rich mineral content and unique flavour profile underpin that unique Tomarchio taste.
Tomarchio’s commitment to quality has really paid off. Not only has it become the market leader for aranciata, limonata and chinotto in its Sicilian homeland, but almost 40% of its earnings come from markets stretching from Europe and the Americas to Asia and Oceania. Once upon a time, “Italian sodas” travelled from San Francisco to Italy. Now, Tomarchio’s Sicilian sodas are finding devoted fans across the world for being, well, delicious and authentic.
