Cocchi appoints brand advocacy manager

Vermouth di Torino producer Cocchi has announced the appointment of Sonia Elia to the newly-created ambassadorial role of brand advocacy manager.

Elia was born and raised in the Sicilian town of Giarratana. She began her hospitality career at Tutton’s Brasserie, in Covent Garden, in 2010, before then working at other establishments in the capital, including Sartoria, Sheraton Park Lane, and Hilton Park Lane. In 2017, she started a sales and ambassadorial role for Franklin & Sons’ premium soda range.

In her role at Cocchi, Elia will be based in London, running trade and consumer tastings and events for the historic vermouth brand, as well as strengthening Cocchi’s relationships with the on-trade sector. A press release on her appointment noted that she will focus on the key European markets of the UK and Italy, and in the former will be supporting the team at distributor Speciality Brands.

Speaking of her new position at Cocchi, Elia said: “I’m really happy for this incredible opportunity. I have made some of the best cocktails of my career using Cocchi so helping to grow such an iconic Italian brand is truly an honour and a dream come true.”

Cocchi export area manager Giorgio Bava added: “For years now we have invested in building our relationship with the on-trade, a sector which in turn has believed in Cocchi and has supported our global growth. Sonia adds energy and creativity to an already very dynamic team, and we can’t wait to toast together in bars across Europe.”