Elisa Gera of Acca Kappa: A scentimental modern woman

TREVISO, Italy — Part Italian, part-German, this 5 ft. 9 in. American-educated beauty walks into the room, wearing a big smile, a strand of lustrous Philippine pearls on her neck (“From Greenhills!” she says proudly), a beguiling floral fragrance on her body, and a 142-year-old legacy on her shoulders.

 At 45, Elisa Gera is the president of Acca Kappa, a luxury niche Italian fragrance and body care brand that has stores and outlets all over the world, and whose products are carried by the likes of The Four Seasons and The Conrad hotel chains. Founded in 1869 by her maternal great-grandfather H. Krull (his initials H and K are pronounced “Acca Kappa” in Italian) as a manufacturer of high-quality hairbrushes (reportedly preferred by Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II), Elisa has gone from the roots of her legacy (hairbrushes) to the tips of a new venture — fragrances. And so far, no tangles!

The Boston University-educated Elisa reports for work at 8:30 a.m. every day at her great-grandfather’s original Acca Kappa office and factory in Treviso, a former Medieval town near Venice where the city center is separated from the residential areas by brick walls and watchtowers (a better preserved Intramuros, if you ask me). Working in the same offices built by her great-grandfather 142 years ago perhaps adds to the sentimentality that blends with the sense and scentsibility of Elisa.

The Acca Kappa factory in Treviso, Italy.

“We are a medium family company. Nowadays, it is very important to be involved when one runs a family company. If I weren’t here, not because it’s me, it wouldn’t be the same,” Elisa tells me during an interview in her office where a portrait of her great-grandpa H. Krull hangs proudly, almost watchfully, behind her desk. “You need to bring your own touch to its operations, otherwise, you become like all the other brands that are part of big multinationals. You know, not so personalized? And that’s what people are looking for, the personalized touch. With Acca Kappa, you can find that there is a family behind the brand, which is still active,” says Elisa, the only fourth-generation heir of H. Krull to go into the family business.

“It is difficult,” admits this happily married mother of two. “But if you are a niche brand like Acca Kappa is, you need to be there, every day.”

Acca Kappa’s brushes are still made within those walls, bristle by bristle, in modern work stations. Some of the workers have been with the family for generations. Some, like Elisa, are descendants of the original Acca Kappa team.

There have been juicy offers from multinationals to buy Acca Kappa, but Elisa just won’t let go. “The company and its people are like family,” she once said during an interview in Malaysia, where Acca Kappa has a presence. “How can you sell a family member?”

White Moss, a mixture of lavender and juniper, is an Acca Kappa bestseller to this day, especially in the Philippines.

The big decision to diversify Acca Kappa’s products will be Elisa’s legacy to future generations of H. Krull’s heirs. “I started working in this company 18 years ago. I took up Communications at Boston University and I actually wanted to be a journalist but I felt I had a duty to the family business. I started working when I was 24. The first country where I decided to export Acca Kappa products to was the US. And they started asking me about body care products. And that’s how I started (diversifying).”

It turns out Elisa had more than a nose for news. She has a nose for fragrances, too. For instance, on a trip to Cyprus some 12 years ago, she was so beguiled by a scent that wafted through the island during her sojourn. When she returned to Treviso, she called for a meeting with chemists and then and there they tried to replicate the peculiar, unforgettable Mediterranean scent that was a mixture of lavender and juniper. Elisa and her team came up with a scent they christened “White Moss,” an Acca Kappa bestseller to this day, especially in the Philippines. (Acca Kappa products are carried exclusively by Rustan’s, which has been carrying Acca Kappa for over a decade now. They are doing very well in the Philippines, says Rustan’s vice president for merchandising Rhoda Campos-Aldanese).

Of all the fragrances Acca Kappa carries, it is White Moss that best represents her, says Elisa.

“White Moss doesn’t really exist in nature. Its name is a fantasy,” Elisa laughs. Fragrances spawn fantasies. But White Moss’ success, like Elisa’s, is pure reality.

This writer with Elisa Gera and Luciana Olivotto at the Acca Kappa main showroom.

What is the guiding philosophy of Acca Kappa, from its brushes to its fragrances?

“It is a 100-percent Italian brand. All the ingredients and all the products are made in Italy. When we select fragrances, we try to use flowers that are typically from this region, like the Calycanthus, which is a flower from our gardens during the winter time. So it’s very, very particular to this region. You can’t find it anywhere else.”

A sentimental woman, with a scentimental touch. You can find that anywhere else in the world, too.

(To be concluded)

Acca Kappa manufactures high-quality brushes, reportedly preferred by Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.

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