Qualitaly_107

OCT. NOV. 2018 III AT PAGE 10 Qi Partners A chip off the old block Founded in 1968, Gruppo Alimentare Sardo can now boast a widespread presence throughout the Sardinian territory thanks to a teamwork that now sees the two sons of the founder Vincenzo Murgia in the front line. By Maria Elena Dipace Fizzu ‘e attu, sorighe tenede (Like father, like son), recites a Sardinian proverb that, translated, means a chip off the old block. A fairly common saying that is also used to talk about the skills of entrepreneurs who pass the same business skills on to their children. It was 2001 when Manuel and Giovannino Murgia - in the manner of their parents - joined the family business. “Since then many things have changed”, says father Vincenzo Murgia, owner of Gruppo Alimentare Sardo (and President of CIC). “First of all on the front of technological innovation and information technology, as is normal when younger forces arrive in the company.” What role did your children play when they joined the company? My family, my father first and foremost (Giovannino Murgia who, together with his son Vincenzo and another partner, set up a small cheese distribution company 50 years ago in the north of Sardinia), taught me the importance of humility as a fundamental value. It’s a value I’ve tried to pass on to my children as well. That’s why when they decided to work alongside me in my work, I strongly wanted them to first enter the warehouse, not only to make them start from the bottom, but also because our job revolves around the products. Learning how to manage the range is the ABC of a food retailer’s work. Today, however, it is they who take care of the business... Of course, the goal from the beginning was for me to teach them how to manage their purchases and sales. And this was completely achieved. Today Manuel and Giovannino are skilled businessmen and have been fundamental in changing the DNA of our company. When my father and I started this activity we focused on the distribution of cheeses and cold cuts. The advent of my children has made Gruppo Alimentare Sardo a 360° food wholesaler. Today, among our range, we have products for restaurants, pizzerias and pastry shops; we also deal with beverages, frozen foods and non-food products (detergents, paper, aluminium, films, etc.). In this way you have also expanded the type of points of sale served... Absolutely. Today we are able to serve all Horeca points of sale, including holiday resorts, canteens and hospitals. We cover the whole of Sardinia and a good part of Corsica. How are you structured from a logistical point of view? We have 15 of our own vehicles, but we also use couriers (single agents) who assist us in deliveries. Moreover, Sardinia and Corsica have objective difficulties from the point of view of road conditions. Added to this is the considerable surplus of work we are called upon to do in the warmer seasons when the influx of tourists doubles the number of visitors to these two islands, which are not particularly populated during the winter months. In light of this, how do you manage the range so as to avoid stock shortages? In 2008 we built a new facility located on an area of 12,000 square metres, of which 6,000 are covered, enabling the opening of a Cash & Carry dedicated to the catering sector. This allows us to manage the range without great difficulty, also supported by management software that allows us to keep under control the entry and exit of goods. Let’s go into the specifics of the products covered... Our company, together with the other members of Cooperativa Italiana Catering, promotes above all the CIC brand products that represent our core business. Obviously, we also have in our range local ingredients as well as specific products which are not branded Qualitaly, Tavola Viva, etc. ... How much has the turnover grown with the arrival of Manuel and Giovannino? This new corporate asset has enabled us to double our turnover. We have also managed to extend our scope to the whole of Sardinia and part of Corsica, the latter being a locality that for some time now has specialised in Italian cuisine, thus favouring our distribution work. The new edition of Saporum is just around the corner in February. What is there to say about this event? It’s a full-fledged food fair that my children and I have created to allow our customers to get to know and test the products we offer. Saporum hosts all the companies that produce CIC brand products for us, as well as small local producers and other independent companies whose products are part of our range. It’s a biennial event that’s getting very good attendance figures. We are sure that the next edition, in February 2019, will also give great satisfaction in terms of participation. We’ll be waiting for you!