The production of the Pedavena Brewery was inaugurated on March 27, 1897.
Two years earlier, the three brothers, Luigi, Sante, and Giovanni Luciani, originally from Canale d’Agordo (BL), had begun its construction, choosing the locality of Pedavena as the ideal location for building their brewery. Besides the easy access to major communication routes and the convenient supply of ice, Pedavena was indeed rich in spring waters whose properties could confer special qualities to the beer.
The company experienced exceptional growth right from the start thanks to the great entrepreneurial spirit, also receiving several awards for its product. With the outbreak of the Great War and the defeat of Caporetto in 1917, the Belluno area was occupied by Austrian troops who looted and set fire to the facility. Therefore, in 1919, the Luciani brothers found themselves having to start from scratch and decided not only to rebuild the plant but also to expand it by acquiring new facilities.
As time passed, the increasing international competition and the considerable reduction in profit margins led to the sale of the group to a multinational company in 1975.
In September 2004, exactly 30 years after the acquisition, the multinational decided to close the Pedavena plant. Mobilization immediately began by workers and craftsmen against the halt to production with the aim of raising public awareness. Thanks to these reactions, the company opted to sell the plant to the Birra Castello group from Udine, which took over in January 2006, reopening it the following April, nearly a year after its closure.
VISITS TO THE FACTORY AND THE MUSEUM
The Pedavena Brewery, its brewing hall, and the historical Museum,
where old tools and equipment once used for beer production can be admired, are open for visits, by reservation, all year round.
