Luigi Moretti opened for business in 1859, when he started his brewery and ice factory in Udine. In 1860 he bottled his first beer and began to make a name for himself in the region. In the 1950s the brand's moustachioed drinker appeared on the label, said to have been a regular customer of a trattoria near Udine, whose photograph was taken by Commendator Lao Menazzi Moretti, since he saw him to be the perfect expression of the beer. The Moretti brand spread thanks to advertising but the trademark also sponsors many sporting events. By the 2000s it was exporting to 40 countries and reaching an annual production of two million hectolitres. The range offers various products, from Ricetta Originale lagers to special beers made with pure malts and fine grains selected directly in the field; regional from Piedmont, Sicily, Friuli and Tuscany; Gran Cru and even Zero, an alcohol-free beer. In 1996, Moretti was acquired by Heineken.
