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OCT. NOV. 2016
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advantages of the vegan cuisine,
gluten-free ideas based on the Italian
culinary tradition and Guglielmo
Varo, an exceptional host, talked
about the famous Neapolitan pizza.
Italo Nebiolo, Noval’s President,
commented: “The idea of a brand
new fair stems from our attention to
the new trends in the Piedmont food
service industry, where the need for
innovation is the key to success. With
Food & Tech, tradition and innovation
have met and visitors have had the
chance to see winning solutions in the
complex world of food intolerances
and allergies. The intention was
to show restaurateurs an overview
of the main producers and of our
suppliers, with a particular emphasis
on the coeliac disease, on organic
food, on the new market trends
and on the vegan world in order to
change the offer day by day without
compromising quality and taste. I
think our goal has been reached”.
AT PAGE 12
A Passion for
Business – a Family
Affair
From Campania to Friuli, Mainardi
Food means excellence in sales
and stands for high quality Italian
products abroad
By Maddalena Baldini
“I’ve always liked business. It is a
natural predisposition, probably
inherited by my family. We have
always been involved in the fruit and
vegetable market and our name was
already known in the 1800s. For some
time I tried to do something else,
but then I just decided to give in and
follow my family’s footsteps. So here
I am, very proud of my business and
firm, Mainardi Food”. This is how
the conversation starts with Eduardo
Mainardi, originally from Campania
but who has lived in Friuli for over
40 years. He is the CEO of Mainardi
Food, a company that specializes in
the distribution of food products to
the . world.
Mainardi Food is an outstanding
business in the North-East of
Italy and beyond. How did it all
start and did you reach such high
standards?
“Everything started in 1984. My
origins from Campania brought me to
start this profession in The province
of Salerno, dealing with canned
tomatoes. My wife Giovanna was my
business partner and we immediately
got positive feedback from the
market: our product was selling
well and we soon added more to
the range. The turning point was 10
years later, in 1994, when we changed
from a family business into a more
structured business. We now have
45 people in our staff considering
salespeople and specialized workers
at the headquarters. We distribute
more than 6,000 products, including
our own Mainardi brand”.
What differences are there
between the markets you work in
and what is one of the best-selling
products in countries like Croatia
and Slovenia?
We have a good market share in
the countries where our products
are distributed. All our salesforce
speak fluent Croatian and Slovenian,
which is essential to establish good
relationships with customers and
to fully understand their requests.
There is one golden rule common
to the three countries when talking
about good food service: fresh natural
products. Everything that is served in
a customer’s dish (a loyal customer
as well an occasional customer)
must be high in quality, possibly
representative of a certain area.
This is why our Sol De Riso line (a
famous pastry brand from Costiera
Amalfitana) sells particularly well.
MAGAZINE