"FACE TO FACE WITH": HUNGRYCIRCLE

January 2025

Hungrycircle srl was founded in Breganze (Vicenza Italy) in 2019. Its two souls are Gianni Tagliapietra and Alessia Zanin, who balance and harmonise in work as in life. Both are hungry for changes, big or small but in any case incisive, for a pleasant, healthy and efficient daily dimension.

Organic, vegan or vegetarian, plant-based, functional, free from or rich in: which of these product areas does your company fall into and why did you choose to invest in that segment?

SEEP. is in the product area of free from alcohol: it is a non-alcoholic beverage based on must and totally alcohol-free Italian wine. SEEP. was born out of a personal need to reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages. This need encouraged us to create a light, low-calorie, moderately sweet drink that would allow us to experiment with food pairings and maintain the ritual of sharing a bottle.

Through what good practices - also in the way products are delivered and the choice of distribution channels (e.g. Horeca) - can your company be said to be sustainable?

We have always paid attention to the sustainability aspect through the choice of raw materials that are strictly made in Italy and in our commitment to make SEEP. as accessible as possible to end consumers in the Horeca network, avoiding a surplus of individual shipments.

Has the growing consumer demand for healthy/healthy food urged you to provide more innovative solutions?

Certainly, in fact among SEEP.'s main target groups are Millennials and Gen Z, to whom the brand's fresh and playful aesthetics and colours also appeal. These are the two generations that are particularly sensitive to health issues and less tied to cultural preconceptions about alcohol.

How do your solutions contribute to improving the customer experience outside the home?

Among the core values of the SEEP. project are sensitivity and inclusiveness towards those who for temporary or permanent needs have to reduce or avoid alcoholic beverages. The reasons may be many: diets, specific pathologies, pregnancies, cultural and religious reasons (SEEP. is Halal certified), sporting, professional or responsibility reasons (vehicle drivers). With SEEP. we try to make this healthy zero-alcohol choice easy, affordable and as enjoyable as possible!

How do you integrate traceability and transparency into your production chain?

For each batch of SEEP. produced, a production sheet is made for the individual product with declared:

• the origin of the raw materials (with the relevant DDT number),
• the product's characteristics and exact recipe;
• the lot number and expiry date of the product;

The lot number is then stated on all invoices and/or TDs issued, as well as on the labels of SEEP bottles. The traceability of the product then continues until all bottles are sold.

Internationality: Has your company explored foreign markets? If yes, from which countries do you receive the most positive feedback? And for which types of products?

SEEP. currently attracts a lot of interest in European countries, but we would also like to look overseas. In recent years, in fact, dealcoholised wine has received a lot of attention globally, growing by 7% in 2022 in the world's top ten markets, with a market value of more than USD 11 billion.