Maddalena Zanoni

Maddalena Zanoni, who goes by 'la Madda', is from Trentino, Italy, and is the founder of FERAL. She describes the brand's ethos as rooted in Trentino's borderland identity — Austrian grandparents, Italian parents — valuing rural simplicity over luxury.^[1]

Zanoni studied in Milan, Vancouver, Barcelona, and Paris before her career in business. Her professional background prior to founding FERAL included business consulting and a role at Alpro in Flanders.^[2]

At age 32, Zanoni experienced a personal crisis that led her to spend two months at a mountain hut in Trentino caring for goats and medicinal herbs. FERAL credits her experience with wildflowers and medicinal herbs in the mountains of Trentino as the inspiration for the brand.^[2]

In preparation for founding FERAL, Zanoni completed a sommelier course, traveled to Copenhagen to study fermentation, and attended a fermentation workshop with Flavio Sacco in Bologna in late 2021. She discovered the Mezzolombardo warehouse that became FERAL's production facility through a tip from a childhood friend.^[2],[3]

Zanoni is the founder of FERAL, a startup based in Mezzolombardo, in the Piana Rotaliana area of Trentino in the Italian Dolomites, which produces fermented botanical drinks containing no alcohol. The concept originated around Christmas 2021, driven by the question of whether the ritual of wine, beer, and the friendly toast could exist without alcohol.

Zanoni authors FERAL's startup diary blog, launched as a monthly series starting May 20, 2025.

FERAL's first recipe development began in late 2021 after Zanoni met Sebastiano at the fermentation course in Bologna taught by Flavio Sacco. Early recipes were developed together with a Flemish scientist named Floris.