DEC. JAN. 2018
IV
AT PAGE 12
Qi Partners
A future of catering
Fast service, around 4000 quality
products and the achievement of an
ambitious project: to create Food &
Tec, a salon dedicated to catering.
These are the strongpoints of Noval,
the company that for over 40 years
has supplied the whole of Piemonte
By Maddalena Baldini
Noval began its food distribution
activity in Piemonte in 1973. A range
that started with some of the most
common products, such as cured
meats and cheeses, increased with the
passage of time until reaching around
4000 that the group can now boast in
their catalogue. “We specialise in fresh
and frozen food products, but we have
a wide range of preserved products
as well as useful service products in
the kitchens of bars and restaurants,
cuisine and hotels - says Sara Nebiolo,
head of Noval Communication and
Marketing - the choice is vast: rice,
pasta, bakery products, flours, food
for vegetarians and vegans, in addition
to vegetables and frozen fish, without
forgetting the desserts and the whole
line for banquets, catering and street
food. We also give a selection of beers
and excellent wines, especially from
our territory”.
How is Noval logistically
organised?
We have large warehouses where
we store goods, all at controlled
temperatures according to the product
type. As soon as we receive the orders
we have own transport, 11 to be
precise, which divide the deliveries:
24 hours in Turin and its province
and a maximum of 48 hours in the
other towns and cities of Piemonte.
Accuracy is certainly one of our
priorities, coupled with the choice of
quality products. All this represents
the guarantee for our customers to
whom we dedicate the support of our
specialised staff. Today, with pride, for
customer service, we have 15 agents
in addition to the 34 employees in the
company.
Qualified personnel, in which
sense?
As underlined, our customers are
supported by specialised staff who
undergo weekly training and targeted
meetings, completed by a period
of accompaniment. This implies a
remarkable commitment on the part
of Noval but, in the same way, is a
certainty that we work as well as
possible. We consider it an added
value that customers regard it as a
further form of security.
What does customer satisfaction
mean for you?
I would say that is our main goal! We
have been working with this principle
since the 1970s: when we see that the
consumer is content and happy with
the service, we understand that we
have worked well and that our efforts
have been rewarded. This means
loyalty from the head of a locale, a
bar or a restaurant. Those who choose
Noval know that they always have
high quality ingredients because, for
many of our products, we follow the
concept of local produce. In essence,
we give merit to the territory and to
all the small - medium companies that
work in the sector.
A strong commitment and a long
tradition, Noval has created
another dream, that of creating the
first catering salon in Turin. What
does it represent?
For two years we have given form
to Food & Tac by Noval, a salon
dedicated to catering and to all those
who revolve around this world. The
aim is also to give more knowledge
and greater exchange of information
between producer, supplier and final
consumer, through direct dialogue,
concrete demonstrations on the use
and consumption of ingredients with
a network between products and
services. It was an ambitious project
but, the with the excellent feedback,
it pushed us to continue: visitors
and exhibitors have understood the
importance of comparison and what
can lead to positive stimuli and growth.
Compared to the 70s, how has
catering and its demands evolved?
What are the points of modernity that
you can guarantee to the consumer?
Well, the transformations have
been so many, starting from ‘supply
and demand’. Certainly today the
consumer is much more attentive and
curious, a merit of massive media
communication and also of the
attention that is addressed to a proper
health and lifestyle. As a result, we
always try to use quality products,
unaltered or subject to processes that
can give problems in the medium-
long term consumption. Today it is
no longer enough to cook ‘a good
dish’: one tries to entice the consumer
not only with taste but also with
aesthetics. To guarantee this element,
we offer a range of products for
placement effect, from esterification to
appetiser.
What will be the next goal for
Noval?
For sure we will continue to increase
our range, adding more and more
niche products, quality and worth
representing a rich territory such
as Piemonte and Italy in general.
We also want to continue with the
training of our staff, in order to offer
a complete and competent business
card, ready to meet all demands, even
future ones.
AT PAGE 14
CLOSE UP
The climate on a plate:
how we’ll change our
menus
Global warming is disrupting
cultures and threatening production
and the availability of many foods.
Here are the most risky ingredients
and how to react in the restaurant
MAGAZINE




