QUALITALY 142

October/November 2024 II MAGAZINE determination, focus and a shared spirit of growth. Our objective is not only to provide high quality products, but also to support our members in a process of continuous training and innovation. This was demonstrated by the recent training event dedicated to the world of confectionery, an intense two days in which we explored new techniques, trends and strategies to meet the needs of an ever-changing market. Moments like these are not only an opportunity to learn, but also to compare notes, share experiences and strengthen that sense of belonging to a Group that works together for common success. Training is just one of the many levers CIC invests in to achieve growth. Another strong point is our commitment to promoting Qualitaly brand products, a symbol of a unique and distinctive approach. Qualitaly is not only synonymous with excellence, but represents a perfect balance between quality and price, designed to meet the needs of a catering industry attentive to both finances and customer satisfaction. But what makes Qualitaly truly innovative is its attention to food waste issues. Our labels are designed to recommend optimal usage quantities, helping catering professionals to reduce waste and work more sustainably. A small detail that encapsulates a great value: the awareness that every act, even the simplest, can make a difference. Added to this is our constant commitment to a brand image that is both modern and in step with the times. From communication to product presentation, we wish to convey the idea of a dynamic, forward-looking cooperative that is never satisfied with what it has already achieved. Being a CIC member means being part of a Group that invests in people, products and ideas. It means sharing a common vision, in which individual and collective growth go hand in hand. Because together we not only face challenges, but also create a better future. Enrico Schivalocchi, Board Member Italian Catering Cooperative __________________________________ AT PAGE 6 #CICMEUP Know-how, flavours and other remedies TWO DAYS OF TRAINING DEDICATED TO PASTRY AND DESSERTS TO EXPLORE NEW TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES, WITH A DYNAMIC APPROACH TO LEARNING AND INNOVATION. CONTINUOUS TRAINING IS A PILLAR FOR INTERPRETING MARKET CHANGES AND OFFERING VALUE TO CUSTOMERS You really never stop learning! Let’s get rid of the notion that being a professional means being an all-rounder. Markets change, customers change, but above all, consumers have officially changed. New diets, new waves of migration bringing different flavours and culinary cultures, different spending capacities, climate change and geopolitical instability all affect the availability and prices of ingredients. In the face of constant and sudden changes, to remain ‘standing still’ is foolish. Therefore, training becomes a mantra of the Cooperative and its members. Knowledge is not just something one possesses - information one acquires, stores and uses - an accomplished activity in itself, but a continuous drive, a form of exploration. Knowledge is also looking at reality with a different view, not just statically, but also dynamically. A form of ‘vision’ that is inherent to doing business. This is the approach that characterises the #CICMEUP training events. Two days with a packed schedule to capture as much as possible and pass it on to our customers. Useful information and insights to respond to new consumer needs. A full immersion in the world of desserts with an unusual twist, Just a Little Sugar. Authentic ingredients with traditional and tropical flavours, cream, mango, atop a sponge cake base and a dessert is created in just a few simple steps. An easy creation from quality ingredients, in line with our philosophy: ‘Good cooking starts with quality ingredients’. Just like Melinda apples, protagonists of a traditional dessert revisited in a Pop style, for a dessert menu with a new flavour. A choice for every consumer, whether they are looking for authenticity and tradition or originality and innovation, without sacrificing taste. We have a wide and interesting assortment of good quality products, but our range doesn’t stop there. We are reliable partners and offer integrated solutions. Hamburger (not just patties) is our composition of a quality sandwich menu. Different meata, matching cheeses, a touch of sauce, crispy bacon and to complete the dish a potato fry that knows how to stay crispy even at the end of the bun. Tired of the usual burger? We have different options to offer you layer by layer, and we’ve tasted them, or rather, eaten them. To try it is to know! In addition to discovering ‘what it’s like’, accompanied by an experienced pastry chef and cook, we were confronted with numbers, data and opportunities. Once it is established that dessert is only an end to a meal, it can become a brunch course, a quick lunch, a snack, an all-day meal. Did you know that there is a growing demand for quality hamburgers, much more than just a simple hamburger, and that the matching sauce can make your burger international? That even coeliacs or gluten-intolerant people can enjoy a good burger today? “I know that I know nothing” (millennia later we thank Socrates for this) opens up new insights, exchange, the search for new solutions, new horizons. Having abandoned the paradox of form, we at CIC have made the concept our own. __________________________________ BOX Genuine is not naive Who hasn’t grabbed a slice of bread or salami from their grandmother’s cutting board as a child? Maybe on a Sunday just before lunch. All the better if that bread had just been baked, the kind that is eaten before it has even cooled. Crispy on the outside and buttery inside. Admittedly, on those occasions no one would stop to talk about the wheat ecotone, or the meat made using inferior parts, and despite the mouth being closer to the brain than the stomach, emotion would invariably end up taking over from technique. One was satisfied - as long as the person holding the knife didn’t make the infamous “steps”, on pain of being removed from the cutting board - without making too much fuss. Because ‘bread and salami’ after all is not just a natural combination, but a rite of passage, a symbol of the Italian snack. Passionately telling me about it are the hands of a chef who has dedicated his life