Services   /   USA

Angelina Antonio

Key Account Manager - Off Trade West Region

California

USA

Angelina, born near Venice to Filipino parents, discovered her passion for gymnastics and dance at a young age, which inspired her to become a dance teacher. She experienced an identity crisis growing up with both Italian and Filipino influences, driving her to seek self-expression through travel. During university, she studied International Relations and volunteered in Turkey and France. After completing her studies, she worked in the world of events and fashion and gained experience in the wine industry during a harvest in Burgundy. Her desire for growth led her to join Ethica Wines, where she aims to represent Italian culture and deepen her understanding of wine.

Andrea Pucci

Sales Area Manager - OR, WA, AK, MT, ID

Seattle

USA

Ariela Di Marco

Regional Sales Manager LA, AZ, NM

Los Angeles

USA

Ariela was born in Voghera, a small town near Milan, Italy. She grew up between Lombardy and Piedmont Regions and lived in a few places worldwide before landing in sunny Miami. After graduating high school, she moved to Milan where she pursued her studies in Visual Arts and worked for several Italian TV and Advertisement Agencies as a video maker and in the production and camera departments.

After 7 years in the TV business, she headed to Rome where her career veered towards event planning and marketing. While there, she completed a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Communication, she began working as an event and marketing manager for a local agency. Her passion for the Italian Food & Wine industry and desire to expand her horizons lead her to give the US a go. She headed first to NYC, then Washington DC, and Dallas, TX where she spent several years promoting and developing Italian brands in these territories. With Ethica Wines since 2023.

Aurora Gurrado

Sales Area Manager - New England

Boston

USA

Aurora was born and raised in Massafra, a small town in the province of Taranto (Puglia). She pursued her studies in  Languages and communication at the University of Siena in Tuscany before relocating to Verona to embark her Master in Languages applied to International Business. It is during her time in Verona that her passion for the world of wines began to take shape. Working at Vinitaly gave her the chance to observe how wine, in its essence and authenticity, can unify cultures and people from all over the world.

She continued to cultivate her passion for wine by working as export manager at Amastuola Winery located in Puglia. Over the months leading up to her move to the US, she traveled throughout different wineries in different regions of Italy to better study and immerse in the Italian viticulture.

Aurora joined Ethica Wines in October thanks to the World Wine Pro (WWP) program, and now has recently joined the Northeast team as Sales Area Intern based in Boston.

Constant curiosity and eagerness to learn, her everyday attitude is characterized by enthusiasm, passion, and determination. She is very excited to start her journey with Ethica Wines and looks forward to contribute to the Sales force!

Benjamin Burke

Sales Area Manager - CO, WY, UT

Denver

USA

Carolina Cossu

Director of Sales - South East

Miami

USA

Colin Snyder

Sales Area Manager - Mid Atlantic

Washington DC

USA

Damiano Sorato

VP of Sales - On-trade

New York

USA

Edgard Cancelmo

Sales Area Manager - OH

Columbus

USA

Ferdinando Favara

Sales Area Manager - South East Texas

Houston

USA

Filippo Buja

Sales Area Manager - Off Trade Independent Accounts NY, NJ, CT

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut

USA

Filippo was born in Padua, Italy, in 1999. During his fourth year of high school, he had the opportunity to live in Vancouver, Canada, for a year. This experience greatly enriched his perspective and fueled his curiosity about different cultures. Filippo pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Gastronomic Sciences and Cultures at the University of Pollenzo, followed by a Master’s Degree in Food Marketing and Commercial Strategies at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Piacenza.

As part of his commercial experience, he worked at Coca-Cola HBC Italia, where he gained hands-on experience managing a variety of products, from soft drinks to water and spirits.

His greatest passions are food and wine, which inspire his personal and professional journey. Filippo also has a deep love for traveling and discovering new cultures, finding joy in exploring the diverse ways people connect with food and wine worldwide.

Persistence, curiosity, and a love for learning define Filippo’s approach to life and work. He believes in the power of passion, following the philosophy that "when you do what you love, every day feels like a rewarding adventure."

Frank Mirenda

Sales Area Manager - Wisconsin

Milwuakee

USA

Frank was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Through his veins flows an authentic blend of Sicilian and American roots, enriched by the timeless tradition of winemaking. His family's legacy is intertwined with the art of crafting wine, a tradition that found its earliest expression in the cellars of his great-grandfathers' homes. Both Frank’s father and grandfather dedicated themselves to the Wine and Spirits industry for over 80 years and these familial foundations instilled in him a profound appreciation for the finer aspects of life.

Culinary excellence was another cornerstone of Frank’s upbringing, owing to his family's ownership and operation of the renowned Palermo Villa—an Italian restaurant that operated in Milwaukee for over four decades.

His journey within the industry started in 2006, when he moved to Napa Valley with his father, who served as the National Sales Manager for Mario Andretti Winery, here is where Frank embraced a pivotal role. Over three harvest seasons, he embraced the production realm and learned all aspects of winemaking process including selling and educating consumers.

Upon returning to Wisconsin, in collaboration with his father, Frank established their own wine distributorship company, with a strong nine year run by selling Californian and Italian wines.

Frank is beyond excited to start this new chapter with Ethica Wines where he looks forward to furthering the exceptional portfolio of wines thanks to the ten years of experience in sales and the strong relationships he built in this market.

Gianluca La Venuta

Director of Sales - Central

New York

USA

Giovanni Favella

Director of Chain ​- Off Trade - Central region

Houston

USA

Giovanni was born in Trieste, Italy. He had the opportunity to spend multiple summers in the United States before making the decision to permanently move there. After graduating from high school there, he embarked on a career in the hospitality industry. During this period, Giovanni attended numerous courses offered by the A.I.S. (Association Italian Sommelier) and the A.I.B.E.S (Association Italian Bartenders and Supporters). Following nearly two years in Venice, he returned to his hometown to work for a regional distributor specializing in wine, beer, and spirits.

In 2016, Giovanni started working in Aspen, where he worked as a sommelier in a renowned Italian restaurant. During this time, he continued his pursuit of wine studies with the C.M.S. (The Court of Master Sommeliers) and he enrolled in a certificate program for 'Food & Beverage Management' at Cornell University to enhance his skills. At the end of 2021, Giovanni relocated to Houston, TX, where he assumed the role of beverage director for an Italian restaurant group. Subsequently, he transitioned back to the distribution side of the industry, serving as a sales consultant for one of the leading distributors in the United States. He considers joining Ethica a wonderful opportunity for his career as it gives him the opportunity to work with something he truly loves: ‘not just wine, but Italian wine.

Giovanni Lossi

Sales Area Manager - North California

Santa Rosa

USA

Giovanni Triscornia

Sales Area Manager - AZ

Phoenix

USA

Giovanni was born in Verona (Veneto) in a little town right outside the city; after graduating from an agriculture technical school, he pursued his passion for viticulture and winemaking at the university. It was during this time that his love for wine truly blossomed. A pivotal moment came when he embarked on an Erasmus project in Tarragona (Spain), near the renowned Priorat wine region. After graduated he started work in the wine industry as hand cellar and Lab analyst for some wineries in the Valpolicella’s area, he also taken up and completed the WSET level 2. He has always been passionate not only in wines but also in spirits, in fact he worked in several restaurants and cocktail bar joints during university and even after, making him realize that communication and sales applied to wine could be his future.

Therefore, he achieved a food and wine MBA in Bologna business school where he came in contact with Ethica Wines and joined them as Sales Intern for Arizona aiming at becoming the new Sales Area Manger.

Giuseppe Blanco

Director of Sales - Midwest

Chicago

USA

Luca Busso

Sales Area Manager - NV

Las Vegas

USA

Luca was born near Turin and raised in Alba, world‑renowned for Barolo, the “King of Wines.” After earning his diploma in Viticulture and Enology, he immediately embarked on an international journey in the wine industry, beginning in Australia with wineries across Victoria and Tasmania. Driven by his passion for Riesling, he then moved to Germany’s Mosel Valley to work as Assistant Winemaker during harvest. Following his return to Italy, Luca earned his WSET Level 2 certification and joined the historic Cordero di Montezemolo in the Langhe region. He has been part of Ethica Wines since 2025.

Luke Scileppi

Sales Area Manager - New York & New Jersey

New York

USA

Maddalena Pistillo

Sales Area Manager - MI

Grand Rapids, Michigan

USA

Maddalena was born in Schio - Vicenza, Italy. Since she was 15 years old, she has always been a world traveler. She started by joining her father on his business trips, then later she spent some time in China throughout University projects while studying Economics in Milan, and later as export manager at her family’s business. In 2015 she graduated in “International Master in Business Administration” at CUOA Business School in Vicenza: a personal and professional life-changing experience that brought her to meet her husband and up took the management of a challenging tourism project in southern Italy. When in 2017 her husband accepted a job offer in Michigan, she had to start from the ground up once again to build her new life in the US as a mother while holding on to her strong entrepreneurial ambitions. Following her passion for fine products, she founded her own business as “made in Italy lifestyle ambassador,” representing excellence in the wine and food industry. She also partnered with a Caviar import company during the pandemic time, which led her to work in the worst market conditions but with the opportunity to dive even more into the fine restaurant industry and community.  She’s now focusing on wine as it has always been her greatest passion, attending the Champagne Master program at the Wine scholar guild and about to start WSET level 3.

Marco Ballarin

Regional Sales Manager - NY & CT

New York

USA

Marco was born in Italy, in a small town by the sea just outside Venice. His deep passion for wine started in the early years thanks to his family’s restaurant where he immersed himself in the world of wine and gastronomy.

Determined to further his education, Marco decided to attend the university in the US, earning  a degree in biology.

Soon after college, Marco pursued his dedication of wine and completed the 3 levels of AIS certification (Associazione Italiana Sommelier). Then, he enrolled in a Master in Wine & Spirits Management at Kedge Business school in Bordeaux, France.

Upon completion of the master Marco achieved  the WSET Level 3 in wine and focused his research on the correlation between climate change and the return of investment for fine wines.

Soon, his journey led him to London where he worked for Liv-ex , giving him the opportunity to deepen his knowledge of wine trading and the secondary market.

In February 2024, Marco embarked on a new chapter of his career by joining Ethica as Sales Manager of Southern California.

Mattia Magnoni

Area Sales Manager Mountains

Mountains, Colorado

USA

Niccolò Rossi

Director of Chain​ - Off Trade - East Region

New York

USA

Paolo Bressan

VP of Sales - Off-trade

San Diego

USA

Paola Virone

Sales Area Manager - South & East Florida

Miami

USA

Born in Genova into a family of food enthusiasts and avid travelers, Paola’s passion for exploration was nurtured from an early age, fostering a profound adaptability to thrive in diverse, multicultural environments. 

Fueled by an insatiable curiosity for the world of food and beverage, she pursued her studies at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Piemonte, examining the complex relationships that determine methods of production and consumption.

Throughout her academic tenure, she seized invaluable work opportunities abroad, from Finland, where she contributed to a Gin and Whisky distillery, to Copenhagen, where she worked for a Michelin-starred restaurant, then, back to Italy, she immersed in the art of Vermouth production. 

Armed with a degree in hand, she furthered her expertise by obtaining her WSET 2 certification in Spirits, leading her to one of Italy's leading e-commerce platforms specialized in wine and spirits.

Riccardo Giacobbo

Sales Area Manager - San Diego & Orange Counties

San Diego

USA

Riccardo is originally from Veneto, he grew up in a small town near the Prosecco area. Since he was a kid, he has always been surrounded by the wine environment. Since he was 17, he has always worked at the weekends in restaurants and wine bars, driven by his passion and curiosity for everything related to food and wine. After the diploma, he started studying Business Administration and Management in Venice and during his studies, he started traveling and working in the surfing industry in France and Portugal, as he always loved to get in touch with different places and cultures and communicate in different languages.

He then decided to try to turn his passion for wine into an occupation, so he started working for an e-commerce of wine and spirits to learn how to deal with the commercial part of the product and then he did some experiences in the vineyards in Veneto and Burgundy. With Ethica Wines since 2023.

Robert Zaun

Sales Area Manager Central & North Florida

Orlando

USA

Roberto Sanso

Sales Area Manager - South & West Florida

Miami

USA

Sasha Zhang

Sales Area Manager - NY

New York

USA

Stephen Deyton

Saes Area Manager - South Texas

Austin

USA

Stephen is originally from a small town in Alabama called Fairhope. He brings over 21 years of experience in the wine industry. His wine journey began with a four-year immersion in the South of France, where he earned a degree in Sommelier at the Universite Du Vin at Château Suze-la-Rousse.

Following his studies, he honed his skills in San Francisco’s culinary scene, working in several Michelin-starred restaurants. Notably, he served as sommelier for Michael Mina, learning under the esteemed guidance of Rajat Parr, a renowned sommelier and now winemaker in California.

Over the past 21 years, Stephen  been lucky to travel to various wine regions, including California, Oregon, France, Italy, and Spain. In 2019, he had the privilege of participating in a harvest in Oregon with Jay McDonald at EIEIO, a renowned boutique winery.

Transitioning from restaurants to wine distribution, Stephen joined RNDC in 2020, one of our national partners, on the Vanguard Team. Then in September 2023, he achieved his WSET III in Wine.

During Stephen’s tenure at RNDC, he forged a strong professional relationship with Carolina Cossu and his alignment with Ethica is serendipitous, given his profound respect for Italian traditions.  

Stephen is thrilled to contribute his extensive experience and deep passion for the industry to the Ethica Wines team. 

Vito Candela

VP of Business Development

Miami

USA

Vito Candela, originally from Apulia, Italy. After studying Business Administration in the U.S., Vito pursued his passion for wine and built a successful import business in Colombia, working with top Italian producers like Rocca delle Macie and Mionetto. He later took on key leadership roles as North America Export Director at Rocca delle Macie, Farnese Wine Group and San Marzano.

Outside of work, Vito enjoys fitness, fishing, and, of course, tasting wines from around the world.