Customers at the centre, an extended and involved supply chain and a history that becomes a myth, thanks also to the company museum. A trip to Villani Salumi, the oldest charcuterie business in Emilia and among the longest-running in Italy and now a protagonist in the global food sector. Giampaolo Colletti interviews Giuseppe Villani, CEO, and Carlo Filippo Villani, COO, of Villani Salumi, for FARE Insieme.
di Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
One hundredand thirty-five years and not even feeling them. Or indeed, showing its agewhen it comes to what they do and how they do it, but with the strength of ayoung startupper. Might this be the secret behind the success of VillaniSalumi, a wonderful Italian, or rather Emilian, story? «We actually began as a startup and, nowadays, we have threehundred people working for us in seven production units, each focused on oneproduct. The people are passionate, skilled and meet at work as if they arepart of an extended family,» explainsGiuseppe Villani, CEO of the company boasting a group consolidated turnover ofEuro 135 million, with a constant 10% growth year after year. A success storyfor the production of high-quality cured meats, with the passion of artisansand the guarantees of a modern company. Five generations and a timeframespanning three centuries of Italian charcuterie history. «The majority of this growth is due to innovation and sales abroad- we export 40%, mostly to Franceand Germany. It is a record-breaking figure, but also a sign of the journey weembarked on as a “startuppers”. My grandfather Giuseppe is the one whoinnovated the company the most and who hit the accelerator,» remembers Villani.
The “startupper” grandfather in America
So here’sthe story of Giuseppe Villani which, seen through modern eyes, has all theelements of innovation. After all, he was the one who did not surrender todifficulties, who travelled, experimented and innovated. Thanks to his travelsacross the world, the company soon started exporting, so much so that crateswere destined to “New York” already in the 1930s. «He once returned from the US with a suitcase full of tools and wasthe first to modify the production process introducing trolleys for charcuterie,a technique which was later implemented by all other producers. GrandadGiuseppe decided to go to America because he was a visionary: he saw the“shackle lines” and was the first to implement this method into Italianproduction. But there was more - he shared this innovation with some of hiscolleagues from other companies». Ratherthan competitors, innovation is based on alliances. The linjk with thecommunity has been there since the beginning. 1886 was the year which sawErnesta and Costante Villani buy a facility in the centre of CastelnuovoRangone, a town of fifteen thousand people in the north Modena plain, in orderto set up a business for the curing of salami, coppa, a type of cured meatobtained from the back of the pig, bacon, mortadella and cooked ham. Anentrepreneurial spirit that lived in symbiosis with the town. «Who knows what my visionarygrandparents had in mind? Of course they were willing and passionate about theproduct, obsessed with improving production, upgrading plants and extending theoffer while maintaining quality unaltered. A vision that looked towards massproduction, but with an eye on the environment. The town is now a hub for thesorting and first processing of meat cuts from all over Europe. Many workerswho started in our company went on to become entrepreneurs and founded manyother businesses,» reports Villani.
The client at the centre and an allied supply chain
The valuesthis company focuses on include the humility in listening to the desires ofother people and the pleasure in doing something to satisfy them. A way totruly listen to customers. «Consumerssearch for excellent, unique, even niche, yet practical products,» explainsChief Operating Officer Carlo Filippo Villani. «An immediacy that doesnot neglect product quality. This is why we are obsessed with product quality -in order to obtain increasingly better organoleptic quality and product healthwith a constant reduction of complementary products, we spend 2% of ourturnover on research, which is a lot in our sector.» «Then there are alsotakeaway products, such as cold cut trays sold directly to customers,» addsGiuseppe Villani. After all, we make the majority of cured meat products, with a vast network of agents that supply retailers.They are our ambassadors to the consumer».A company grows ifthe supply chain grows, which must nevertheless guarantee all-around quality -Villani, who is also the president of Consorzio del Prosciutto San Daniele (SanDaniele Ham Consortium), is convinced of this. «Relationships within the chain were once based on competition, asort of love-hate relations. We have since realised that we need to assureconsumers that they are eating a product that is sustainable, so we need towork as a team, even though it can be difficult at times: after all, agricultureis a slow world by definition, other sectors are more fast-paced. Our company embraces the need for swiftdevelopment and for supply chain involvement in order to evolve, making itessential to open up and be transparent,»states Villani.
Looking at the future, while taking advantage of the past. Forthis reason, Villani Salumi has opened a museum that showcases traditions tomake them accessible. The MuSa, i.e. Museo della Salumeria - the first museumdedicated to charcuterie in Italy - opened in 2013 with Massimo Bottura andchosen by Musei Ferrari as a stopover on the tour to discover Modenaexcellencies: visitors are taken on a multi-sensory and multimedia journey todiscover the history, technique and passion of the men and women who have createda gastronomic heritage appreciated all over the world. A way to illustrate the tradition of a uniqueproduction district in the world. Almost four thousand people visit this placeevery year and the next step will be the introduction of a company tour toshowcase the products and production processes. «Consumer involvement is now essential for the choosing andpurchasing process. We try to obtain this via a constant online dialogue, bothas a company and as a consortium. The product must be protected and thereforealso told,» concludes Villani. Opening up toclients and the community - as running a business is increasingly a plural andshared matter.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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