The company’s origin began with Angelo Molinari. Angelo operated a bar in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when it was under Italian rule in the mid-1930s.When he returned to Civitavecchia, Italy, he began making homemade spirits in his backyard. Already fascinated with perfumes and aromatics, Angelo loved the star anise spice coming in from southern China. Soon, his colorless, anise-flavored liquor captivated all of Civitavecchia, and in 1945, Angelo opened his first sambuca plant.