Local trio launches a lemony Italian liqueur

Right now, a barge from Italy is headed this way, carrying bottles of liqueur made from lemons grown on hillsides of the Amalfi Coast.

Called limoncello, it is wildly popular in Italy, accounting for 35 percent of all liqueur drunk there, according to the U.S. alcoholic-beverage company Constellation Brands.

Limoncello is catching on here, too. Even Danny DeVito introduced his own brand last year.

This month, three Seattle entrepreneurs await the arrival from Italy of their new limoncello brand, which is based on a recipe from the mother of James Vert, CEO of the new venture. Called Finamoré, it is made by a distiller in his mother's hometown of Taurasi, Italy, population 4,000.

"We're their biggest account, and a couple of my family members [in Italy] got jobs" because of the new Finamoré contract, said Vert.

He, Jimmy Stark and Nicole Finamore insist the company is not named for Nicole. They wanted something Italian and romantic-sounding, and they like to think that "Finamoré" can mean "the last liquor you'll ever love," Vert said.

The partners contributed less than $1 million to start Finamoré. Bottles of the 70-proof liqueur should arrive later this month, then appear at Seattle bars and restaurants, including Amber, Venom, Il Terrazzo Carmine and Via Tribunali. Local liquor stores are scheduled to carry 750-milliliter bottles for $34.95.

Although they hope to take Finamoré outside Washington within six months and to California during their second year of business, the partners have not quit their day jobs. Finamore tends bar at Via Tribunali in Georgetown; Vert and Stark are Realtors.

They are targeting "our own demographic," Finamore said. That's hip cocktail drinkers 21 to 40 who want a shot of something besides Jägermeister or tequila.

They also tout the "all natural" angle — unlike some limoncello, Finamoré has no artificial coloring or preservatives.

Bartenders love limoncello, Finamore said, because it doesn't require mixing to taste good.

The taste appeals to drinkers as well, Vert added. "People say, 'I can have another shot of this and not gag.' "

— Melissa Allison

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Athena Partners, the Seattle nonprofit that sells bottled water and donates money to cancer research, began selling Athena-branded truffles and chocolate-covered cherries this week. They cost $4.99 to $17.99 and are available at Safeway and Costco stores in the Pacific Northwest, as well as some Tully's Coffee shops and on Alaska Airlines. Started in 2003 by breast-cancer survivor and former Microsoft executive Trish May, Athena has sold more than 40 million bottles and donated more than $150,000 to cancer-research organizations. — MA

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Spokeswoman Lori Mason Curran said Vulcan has tried to be "a good neighbor," noting that it distributes weekly construction advisories. The Fairmans will keep open another business they own, Honeychurch Antiques, on Westlake Avenue North. — AM

Retail Report appears Fridays. Melissa Allison covers the food and beverage industry. She can be reached at 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com. Amy Martinez covers goods, services and online retail. She can be reached at 206-464-2923 or amartinez@seattletimes.com.