Luigi Moretti’s “Beer and ice factory” was founded more than a century ago in Udine, in the Friuli region. At that time, Udine was a sleepy little town, surrounded by stone walls that had been built by the local community as far back as 1350. Within those old town walls, the people of Udine worked hard for generations, intent on commerce and craftsmanship. During the climate of unrest the then 37-year-old Luigi Moretti—in the same year as the famous battles of San Martino and Solferino—looking to the future with conviction and confidence, decided to build his brewery. Born into a family of wealthy merchants, Luigi Moretti was at that time already familiar with wholesale trading in cereals, wine, spirits, foodstuffs and—naturally—even beer, which his family purchased from nearby Austria. At the time his small factory was inaugurated, its founder certainly could not have imagined how it would grow in the future. The first bottle of Birra Moretti was sold in the summer of 1860. Even if it looked a little different to today’s bottles, the quality of the product has certainly remained the same. The machinery used then was extremely advanced for its time, just as that used today is also at the cutting edge. From the 1990s on, Birra Moretti went from being a Friuli-based beer to a nationally-distributed beer, constantly growing and conquering new fans and admirers. Today Birra Moretti is exported to over 40 countries around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan and has won important international awards. In 2006 Birra Moretti was the only Italian brand to have been awarded both gold and silver medals at the World Beer Cup, the most important international competition in the industry. At the same time, it was awarded 5 other medals at the Australian International Beer Awards—a high level competition in the southern hemisphere—something which confirms the high quality of Birra Moretti beer.