On a warm spring evening, Edarc Publishing house was back at the Palazzi Community Center (PCC) to present their newest offering: ‘Birra Messina.’ The book, written by Giovanni De Lorenzo, was presented to a diverse audience of locals and students on the PCC patio, allowing for a community gathering.

‘Birra Messina,’ tells the detailed story of the rise, fall, and rise again of the traditional Italian brewery. Lorenzo, who was previously an architect, dons the title of writer for his new collection of photography and written history. According to Lorenzo, his new book contains over 300 pages, and 1,000 images. 

As hospitality students served sips of the Messina Beer to the attendees, Lorenzo explained how the project developed, and why it was so important to him. “I was born in Messina, I am a collector, a collector of beer items, especially cans, and I know all the collectors of beer, cans, bottles, glasses in the world. I'm in the BCCA, Beer Can Collectors of America.”

Being a major fan of beer graphics and packaging, as well as being born in Messina, is what led to the creation of Lorenzo’s book. “It was a dream of mine since 15 years old to write this book,” exclaims Lorenzo. While the final product took Lorenzo about two years of writing and research, due to the nature of this project being so ingrained in his passion for collecting, he asserts that the book has really been in progress for a lot longer.

Birra Messina was a beer company founded in 1923. Lorenzo explained to the audience just why this beer company is so special. First, it was the first company to produce beer on an industrial scale in Messina, and secondly, the company was able to go from being first, to being best, through marketing and continued innovation.  

Before Birra Messina, industrial production of beer wasn’t happening in Sicily. Beer was popular in northern Italy, but the heat of the South proved difficult for big production. The company had to build a factory that could both produce beer at a mass scale, and keep it cold, which had up until the invention of refrigeration been a challenge. As Lorenzo explains these details to the audience, he pairs with them photographs of the logos and graphics coming from this company at the time. While Lorenzo is passionate about this company and its effect on Messina, his interest shines on the shifting of the brand's aesthetic choices during this era. 

After being the first, the company began work on being the best. The company helped create their narrative through marketing. Speaking of the advertisements, Lorenzo laughs adding: “the ads from that time are fun — very simple, often promoting beer not just as a drink, but almost as medicine! They’d claim beer strengthened you, nourished you, and even helped with breastfeeding!”

‘Birra Messenia,’ has changed a lot throughout their now over 100-year history. While being careful to not spoil the book, Lorenzo went on, delving deeply into the multiple shifts in ownership, the development of products, consumers, and the beers’ identity itself. As the company was on the up, they moved into a big and beautiful art deco factory and developed new citrus-based drinks utilizing Sicily’s fruit production. Lorenzo reflects on how the company changed the region as a whole. “Industrial production also became a reflection of the area’s agricultural identity,” he explains.

Besides conversations with his collector friends helping him trace the brand's story, Lorenzo did meticulous research himself. Lorenzo consulted the historical archive of Messenia’s newspapers starting with 1923 – the year the brand began.  “I started to consult the newspapers of Messina…And started page by page, finding the news day by day. Every day to find news about Biramissina. Says Lorenzo. This method of intense research led to Lorenzo’s final product, a richly detailed history of a product which is truly important to him; not just as a hobby but as an appreciation of his hometown of Messinia. 

After wrapping up his presentation on the patio of the PCC, Lorenzo makes one more comment about his ability to build a sort of community after putting so much of himself into a product like this. “I communicate continuously with people who buy my books. Maybe on Amazon or at Messina in the library. Every time they write to me, they ask me for information in depth, and I'm in continuous contact with these people. Every time I ask questions, I'm always in touch with different people. Not only in presentations, but with readers of the book, says Lorenzo.