Welcome to Episode 2105 of the Italian Wine Podcast with Stevie Kim’s Ambassadors’ Corner on Clubhouse. In this episode Michele Longari interviews Cecilia Longo of premium Italian wine merchant Longo 1961. These sessions are recorded on Clubhouse and reproduced here on the Italian Wine Podcast!  The focus of today’s conversation is less on the production and more on the commercial, logistics and marketing side of wine. Sometimes, we tend to forget that once the wine has been bottled, there is still a lot of work to be done by many different players before the wine actually reaches our glass. The interview with Cecilia will hopefully give listeners a clearer understanding of what happens behind the scenes! Co-Moderator - Michele Longari Until 10 years ago I was working as a computer engineer in Emilia Romagna. Although my daily job was in a different industry, I already had a deep-rooted passion for good wine and food. In fact, I was spending most of my spare time and holidays traveling around the regions of Italy to learn more about the local cuisine and traditional wines. Since I was becoming more and more passionate about wine, I decided to start the professional sommelier diploma course with the Italian Sommelier Association, with the main idea of learning something more about wine and, at that time, I was not even planning to take the final exams. Then, the more I was involved with wine and the less I wanted to be involved with computers and coding (who can blame me?!), and so I eventually ended up taking the AIS Sommelier Diploma in 2013 then, the very same year, I moved to the UK and started an MSc programme in Wine Business Management at the Royal Agricultural University. While I was finishing my masters dissertation, I accepted a job offer from Hay Wines, a small independent British wine merchants and importers, and now after eight years I am still working for the same company. My official role is purchasing director, and my main responsibilities are purchasing strategy and imports management. Guest Moderator: Michele Longari Facebook: @MicheleTLongari Instagram: @micheletlongari Twitter: @MicheleTLongari LinkedIn: @micheletlongari Website: haywines.co.uk Guest Bio - Cecilia Longo: Born in 1995, Cecilia has a love-at-first-sight relationship with the captivating world of the dining table and joined the family business, Longo, at eighteen years old. The company was founded in 1961 in Legnano (MI) by Consiglio Longo. His vision was passed on to his children, Osvaldo, Giovanni, and Paola, who opened a wine shop and then expanded the business to become leaders in corporate gourmet gift-giving. In 2006, they decided to focus on the commercialization of Italian wine around the world. Today, Longo exports over 40 wineries to 30 countries worldwide. Cecilia oversees product selection, marketing, and international market development, building on the family legacy and keeping the tradition alive while propelling the company toward new international markets. Connect: Facebook Cecilia Longo Instagram @ceci.longo Twitter LinkedIn Cecilia Longo  Website https://www.longo1961.com/ Email cecilia@longo1961.com  _______________________________ Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels: Instagram www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/  Facebook www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast  Twitter www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast  Tiktok www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp  LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast  If you feel like helping us, donate here www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ Until next time, Cin Cin! Follow Italian Wine Podcast for more great content - winery interviews from the Clubhouse sessions! Psssst…FYI, this show is our most popular show, find out why by tuning-in!