Alberto Bertone has died: farewell to the owner of Acqua Sant'Anna, the entrepreneur struck down by a sudden illness.
He was 59 years old
The Stura Valley company, founded in the mid-1990s, is "an example of authentic and generous leadership, and a commitment to the local area." Average turnover over €300 million, approximately 20 million bottles produced daily.
Alberto Bertone , CEO of Acqua Sant'Anna Spa, the company he had brought to national and international fame, was only 59 years old. A sudden illness left him no chance.
He was born in Moncalieri in 1966, graduated in Political Science with a focus on Economics and earned a master's degree from the Polytechnic University of Milan. He started out in Vinadio , in the province of Cuneo . He was the son of a builder. The project had been launched in the late 1990s with his father Giuseppe, who died in a car accident. The Vinadio plant, in the Stura Valley , now employs over 130 people with an average turnover of €320 million, producing approximately 20 million bottles per day, or more than 1.6 billion bottles per year.
Just a year ago, he acquired French company Eau Neuve , a stronger brand in the hotel and restaurant industry. "This first acquisition in France is just the beginning of several operations under consideration: small doesn't get you anywhere; you have to grow and look far ahead," he told Corriere della Sera . "We're buying in Europe to become more international and bring the Sant'Anna model to the shelves of large-scale European retailers ."
"A visionary and courageous entrepreneur, he successfully combined entrepreneurial vision, innovation, and a profound dedication to people, becoming over time a point of reference not only for his sector, but for the entire economic and social fabric of the country," the company emphasized in a statement. Under his leadership, Acqua Sant'Anna "grew to become Italy's leading mineral water company. But his legacy extends beyond financial results: his humanity, respect for his employees, sensitivity to the local area , and constant desire to improve have made him an example of authentic and generous leadership."
He was named one of Fortune magazine's 2020 Business "Person of the Year" top 10 managers in the Food category and had also served as a senior advisor to the Bank of Italy and the CRT Foundation. According to Corriere della Sera Economia , he had kept his illness private at the company. He had only been hospitalized in his final days. In 2016, he lost his wife , Roberta Ruffino, who died at just 40 from an aneurysm, leaving him with a seven-month-old daughter and a twenty-year-old son.
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