STORY

OUR HISTORIC

TRADITIONS

and innovation

The history of ‘Overhang’ is a long and interesting one, starting before the turn of the last century (circa 1880), when the Vacarra family emigrated from Genoa, Italy to start a new life in Cheltenham, England.

THE QUALITY IS IN THE DETAIL

The original recipe

Antonio Vacarra (Tony) was a man who liked to work hard and play harder. Having grown up in the sunny port city of Genoa, Tony found himself living a very different lifestyle in Cheltenham, UK, where industry and trading were replaced with horse racing and spas.

He soon established himself as a respected businessman with three fish & chip shops, a sweet shop, and an ice cream parlour which brought Italian personality into a very English town.

His success attracted the finer things in life, and Tony's magnetic personality soon charmed a whole host of celebrity friends including the Primce of Wales, Lily Langtree and Charlie Chaplain just to name a few.

To combat a hectic lifestyle, Tony would make a secret concoction to feel refreshed and revitalised. When he was too tired to make the drink for himself anymore, he passed the recipe to his granddaughter Pauline, so she could make it for him.

The story continues…

PRESENT DAY AND BEYOND

The next generation

In 1965, Pauline had a son called Steve. Steve, much like any teenager also led a very hectic lifestyle, often attending music events and entertaining his girlfriend. Much the same as Tony, Steve would resort to the age old family recipe time and time again when he needed a boost.

Forward to 2013…

After months of being on tour with his band , William Wilkinson (Steve’s Son/ Tony’s great Great Grandson) decided the final night should end in style. On a boat in the middle of Bristol, the night quickly faded from memory.

Having checked out of his hotel, nearly 200 miles from home, Will couldn’t quite hone in on a suitable drink to quench his thirst, refresh or revitalise him. He called his dad to discuss the family secret and how to mix it.

Subsequently, Steve and Will talked about the idea of bottling their family recipe and many months were spent researching and perfecting the combination of natural ingedients. Our story is already over 100 years old, but in some ways, this is just the beginning.