World Report

Pastries producer Vicenzi has the recipe for success in Europe

Giuseppe Vicenzi: “Europe is our future and has to become our domestic market”

amily-run companies are as much a tradition in Veneto as in the rest of Italy, and not just among small and medium-sized firms.
The Verona-based pastries producer Vicenzi, one of the most familiar and popular brands in Italy, had its origins a century ago in the small bakery run by the grandmother of the company’s present president.
Using the finest natural ingredients, Vicenzi’s products are still created from the original recipes developed by Grandma Matilde, but today the consistently high quality is guaranteed by a fully automated modern production process.

Seven automated lines produce more than 50 tonnes of finished products a year, utilising more than 110,000 fresh pasteurised eggs, 18 tonnes of sugar, 23 tonnes of flour and 2,000 kilos of pure butter. The packaging, palletisation and storehouse management system is computerised and managed by robots.

The company exports to more than 40 countries, and boasts a turnover of £35 million. Vicenzi’s most significant markets are the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East; it also exports to Hong Kong, China and Japan.
“We sell traditional Italian products overseas that cannot be made locally in other countries,” says Vicenzi’s President, Giuseppe Vicenzi. “This is our competitive advantage, and we intend to stick with niche products of the Italian tradition.”

Since August, Vicenzi has embarked on a new campaign to expand in Europe. The company aims to introduce a wide range of products into the biggest European supermarket chains and has recently consolidated its relationship with the UK market through agreements with Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose and Somerfield. One of its biggest ambitions is to break into the French market.

“Export is an essential part of our business,” Mr Vicenzi explains. “We have thought up a new strategy to boost sales in non-US dollar countries and to continue our expansion in the dollar zone areas.
“Europe is our future, taking into account the enlargement of the EU next year. Europe has to become our domestic market, and no longer a foreign market.”

Mr Vicenzi emphasises that the company focuses first and foremost on quality, service and competitive pricing. “This is the winning strategy to confirm a company’s presence on the market and, together with an efficient distribution network, makes you competitive at a global level.”

Part of the strategic plan is to grow through acquisitions. Vincenzi recently took over a company in Firenzuola d’Arda in the province of Piacenza specialising in the production of doughnuts.
“We want to expand our range of products to present a wider choice to our customers,” says Mr Vicenzi.