What would later become a food giant was born over a century ago in a small shop in the historic Modena city centre, a stone’s throw from the Duomo This is the story of Gruppo Fini, an excellence that looks to the future while preserving its past. For FARE INSIEME, Giampaolo Colletti interviewed Luigi Famulari, Marketing and Sales Manager Italy at Gruppo Fini
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Masterpieces are made
of details which can be small, so small that they can be tied around your
little finger. And they are so good. Such masterpieces are the tortellini made
in a shop in Modena’s city centre by a rezdòra that used to roll out the dough and
prepare them to the highest standard. Tortellini weighing two grams, typical of
Emilia and still the smallest size available. It was 1912 and that woman
was called Giuditta. Together with her husband Telesforo Fini, she opened a
small shop in the heart of Modena, in corso Canalchiaro, a stone’s throw from
the Duomo. A shop that soon became a point of reference for all the lovers of
good food. And even more. A place where people could enjoy everything the
Modena area had to offer: zampone, cotechino, sausages and cheese. And then,
the unmissable fresh pasta. There, a company that literally made history was
born from this story. Today, Gruppo
Fini is one of the leading companies in the Italian food sector and includes
the Fini and Le Conserve della Nonna businesses while being fully
Italian-owned. The figures are astonishing and tell the story of a successful
recipe: the company exports to 30 countries worldwide, but remains faithful to
the philosophy of its founder - an accurate selection of raw materials, largely
coming from the Emilian territory, and simple recipes that respect the
ingredients to bring the authentic flavour of Emilia to the table.
Company
profile. But let's take a step back in time. Actually, more than one. In the 1930s, the shop became so
successful that it was no longer big enough to welcome the many customers. So
Telesforo decided to set up the Fini restaurant at the back. The restaurant -
which today would be defined a concept - peaked in the 1960s and was frequented
by many celebrities: Ingrid Bergman, Queen Soraya, Sophia Loren, Anna Magnani,
Roberto Rossellini, as well as countless heads of State and government leaders.
In 1969, its unstoppable success culminated in a Michelin star award. In the meantime, the business passed
on to Telesforo’s son Giorgio, who soon became one of the leading
representatives of Modena in the world, together with Enzo Ferrari and Luciano
Pavarotti. Giorgio Fini understood the great potential of the good things from
Modena and decided to develop the business by turning it into a small food
company located right next to the family villa. House and shop, one might say.
But, after all, this story always expressed a family passion. Under the
guidance of Giorgio Fini, the company quickly expanded throughout Italy, with
shops opening in the main airports, shopping centres and along the motorways,
soon exporting the delicacies to the US and all over the world. Le Conserve
della Nonna was then set up in Ravarino (Modena) in 1973. A record-breaking
idea: it was in fact one of the first companies to produce tomato sauce in
see-through glass jars. In the 1980s, it combined the production of sauces with
that of jam, vegetables in oil and pulses to reach the current 150 products
spanning 8 different categories. “A lot of products yet a single philosophy, i.e. that
of offering products that are good, healthy and genuine as if they were
home-made thanks to the selection of raw materials, which are mainly Italian if
not regional, harvested a few km from the facility and processed as soon they
are harvested, in season, following traditional methods and with a “short and
clean” ingredients list, just like a good home-made product,” illustrates
Luigi Gamulari, Marketing and Sales Manager Italy at Gruppo Fini. The company is
currently a leader in the Italian food sector and combines three historic
brands: Fini, Le Conserve della Nonna and Mastri Pastai Bettini. The headquarters
and production area are located in Ravarino, boasting 150 employees and
an annual turnover of €60 million. “The secret
behind the success and longevity of the Fini brand lies in the fact that it has
always remained faithful to the philosophy of its founder Telesforo. The
mission today is to still bring the authentic Emilian flavour into the everyday
life of people through the accurate selection of raw materials, which are
mostly seasonal and from the Emilian territory, combined with simple processes
that respect the ingredients,” says Famulari.
The characteristics. High quality and
tradition. Two ingredients that have been at the basis of Fini’s success for
the past 110 years, a company that has always focused on high-quality,
tradition and the value of typical local produce. Most of the raw materials used come from
agricultural areas within the region and near the Ravarino facility. “What is
more, we use high-quality ingredients and raw materials that promote Italian
products such as all-Italian flour and eggs from free-range chickens for the pastry,
all-Italian meat for meat-based fillings, and various PDO/PGI products such as
Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, Gorgonzola DOP and Pecorino Romano DOP. The same
applies to Le Conserve della Nonna made up of tomatoes, cherries, sour cherries
and plums all coming from Emilia,” adds Famulari. Future challenges? To continue
growing while remaining the ambassadors of the Emilian culinary tradition. The
best entrepreneurial stories encompass both past and future.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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