OUR STORY

IESSI begins as a story of family traditions. It was during long summers spent with my nonni in Udine, a small city in northeastern Italy, nestled between the Julian Alps and the Adriatic sea, that I first learned to make my Nonna Eda’s home-made amaro recipe. A bittersweet and heady mix of herbs, spices and citrus, and served ice cold in tiny eau-de-vie glasses, this was the flavor I always associated with long family dinners and cool, summer nights spent in Udine's Piazza San Giacomo.

Nicolas with his Nonna Eda in Udine, Italy

Later on, as my own relationship to alcohol changed, I found myself craving the same flavors — the pleasure of a deep, layered, complex bitterness — but not necessarily the alcohol itself.

After nearly a year of working with a small, family-run distillery in Trieste, we managed to transform my Nonna’s liqueur into a distinctive and unapologetically alcohol-free apéritif.

IESSI launched in France at the end of 2023. We’re a small, passionate team, proud to be bringing our alcohol-free apéritifs to the most discerning restaurants, cocktail bars, shops and more across Europe — and, most importantly, directly to anyone who loves bittersweet tastes as much as we do.

Santé!

– Nicolas, IESSI founder

OUR NAME

The word 'iessi' is borrowed from Friulian, the language still spoken in Friuli, the northeastern-most region of Italy where we first crafted our apéritifs.

It means to be, to exist.

It's pronounced 'yess-ee'.