Donnafugata's secrets to success in the wine-industry

Italian genius stands out in the world for a lively mix of vision, ferment and identity, values perfectly embodied by Donnafugata, a historic Sicilian winery that today distributes its wine and family narrative in 60 countries.  At the helm of the winery are Antonio and Josè Rallo, sons of the winery's founders Giacomo and Gabriella Rallo, who united their passion for wine, land and culture by creating in the 1980s a brand that embodied a tradition that has now reached its fifth generation in a product that speaks of identity, history and innovation. We asked them to tell us about the origins, values and perspectives of one of the most important names in the world of wine in recent years, an innovative example of female entrepreneurship.

Behind the international success of Donnafugata, there is the evocative resonance of a name that fascinates and is inspired to one of the masterpieces of Italian literature, The Leopard by Tomasi di Lampedusa. The word donna, known all over the world, combined with the imagery of a female figure in flight conveyed by the illustrations of artist Stefano Vitale, characterize bottles such as Dea Vulcano, Bell'Assai, Sedara, Sherazade, Lumera, Anthìlia, Damarino, Vigna di Gabri and many other labels creating a wide range of artistic appeal that fascinates history and wine lovers from Italy to China, passing by Kazakhstan. Donnafugata tells through its product Sicily in every corner of the world, presenting sensitivity and truthfulness of the territory to elevate it as it deserves, starting from women. Donnafugata bases its business perspective on the females, encouraging entrepreneurship and empowerment since the creation of the brand. 

"My father was the most feminist man I know," says Josè, recounting the founder's willingness to start with the inclusion of his wife and daughter in the company, continued in cascade with female employees because they were seen as capable of stubbornness, precision, determination and above all carriers of values.

"From the 1980s onward, women have witnessed a great desire for redemption and demonstration that they can deserve a place in leadership and the executive class and be considered on merit."

So says the CEO of a company that is not only a representative of innovation and creativity in the eno-verse, but a winning example of female entrepreneurship. 52% of the administrative, commercial and marketing staff are women. Collaboration with colleagues and contamination of the various cultures of the sector is promoted in the company's organization by means of "variable geometry teams", which, thanks to diversified skills and knowledge, create projects embracing different points of view in order to reach the final goal: to tell an Italian and Sicilian story in the world through wine. Further pride for Donnafugata, is that employees are guaranteed equal pay, while the overall gender pay gap in Italy is 43.7% (Eurostat 2014).

For the company, women bring a sensibility in a collaborative and leadership context that brings visible results in creative terms, and the maternal experience is also respected and seen as added value: 

"When I became a mother, I opened our wineries to the public. We enrolled in the Movimento del Turismo del Vino, Since I was temporarily unable to travel, I was more present in the winery and opened our world to wine-lovers,"

says Josè, explaining how for her motherhood and sustainability have in common the same concept of care for the future, of the land of origin and of her company, which is passed on to the new generations. It is essential, in order to work and put down roots for the new generations, that women are guaranteed organization and respect for the private:

"A woman can do everything, but it is important that there is a "from - to". We need organization and well-defined schedules. Everything can be planned, we can do everything, but in respect of the work rhythms". 

The company perfectly embodies the facets of the term sustainability: human, social, economic and of course environmental. Donnafugata is a member of Fondazione SOStain Sicilia, a program promoted by Consorzio Sicilia Doc and Assovini Sicilia with the aim of certifying the sustainability of the Sicilian wine sector. Donnafugata has been committed for 30 years in the field of sustainability which translates into the respect and care of its territory, through good practices in the vineyard, safeguarding of the landscape and biodiversity and the valorization of autochthonous varieties.

In Sicily the winery cultivates its vineyards in the areas with the highest vocation for viticulture in order to allow the land to give only the best: from the estates of Contessa Entellina and Pantelleria to those of Vittoria on Etna  other wines with totally different personalities directly told by the flavors of the land on which they grow. Donnafugata applies its caring approach also in the sphere of wine culture and moderate drinking, linking art and territory to a convivial pleasure capable of nourishing passions and emotions. Donnafugata Music & Wine is the artistic activity resulting from this method of contamination conceived by Josè and her husband Vincenzo, which consists in a tasting guided by singing and live music to accompany wine-lovers to discover the personality of each wine by matching a song that amplifies its characteristics. 

"I love Brazilian music, the power of the rhythm and the complexity of the themes. Thinking about how to best express all the complex characteristics of the wine, we combined my passion for singing and that of my husband's music, crowning it with our shared passion for wine, and created a beautiful event to experience but also to perform live."

The relationship with art and culture also ranges in the support of Sicilian art: the winery has contributed to restore the works of art at the Agostino Pepoli Museum in Trapani, hosted and awarded the writers of the Tomasi di Lampedusa Prize, supported the Entella excavations with the Normale of Pisa and promoted the courses in the field of oenology at the University of Palermo, trying to relate with the values and culture of the territory at 360°.

"It is important for us to represent Sicily, to be an important Sicilian producer in order to bring high traditions and values of excellence and culture of a land which also lived dark moments".

Nowadays, 30% of Italian wine companies are managed by women, and although the number is still low, the prospects are rosy especially for those activities which are able to make a global market fall in love with their values, exporting a product made in the old and in the new world, consumed from east to west in different occasions and with different cultures related to it. Donnafugata is a shining example of this, and by following the family's footsteps of collaboration and vision, with the right method of enhancing wealth, even future generations will be able to enjoy the art of wine and pursue a career in the wine-industry. Sensorial and theoretical-practical training in wine making, transversality of skills and an innovative outlook are the key qualities to be obtained by studying and enriching one's personal passion in order to start a career in the world of wine, a flourishing sector for female entrepreneurship according to Josè Rallo. It is necessary to have the creativity and the courage to carry on one's own ideas in the business field, even in the world of wine, without being afraid to tell a product of infinite poetry.