Good morning Francesco, it is very interesting for me to be able to ask you a few questions about Luigi Bormioli and your corporate role, because I believe that the fascination that a glass exerts on all those involved in food&beverage at various levels is unparalleled, and so I hope that together we can provide blog goers with stimuli, curiosities and interesting news. Let's talk about the company first.
Luigi Bormioli has built the success of its business in the world of glass on Italian style, high aesthetic taste, but also on high quality production standards, technological innovations and recognition of certifications of the highest level. Can you briefly explain the main materials and technologies used by Luigi Bormioli, in what the company excels and differs productively from other competitors?
Good morning Monica and thank you for the opportunity you give us to make our company better known to consumers. Luigi Bormioli manufactures with two types of glass: "SON.hyx" high tech superior sound glass, perfectly clear, sturdy and resistant to 4,000 industrial dishwasher washes, designed for mid- to high-end foodservice and "Sparxk" Ultra-clear glass conforming to ISO/PAS IWA 8:2009, pure and clear, resistant to 2,000 industrial dishwasher washes, completely eco-friendly without lead and other heavy metals and designed for mid-range foodservice and high-end retail. Also on our entire range of stemware is the TITANIUM REINFORCED treatment, this process, patented, gives the glass a hardening on the surface of the stem increasing resistance to abrasion from use thus increasing, the resistance to breakage by 140%.
What are the production strengths, what are the most interesting innovations?
The distinctive skills of our company have deep roots, rooted over the years and developed since 1946, when Eng. Luigi Bormioli, who came out of the family glassworks, created a company founded on the quality of the raw materials used, the research of design, the professionalism of the men and the continuous evolution of technologies for the quality production of stemware, glasses, household objects and perfume bottles. All Luigi Bormioli production is carried out using the purest raw materials from northern Europe, without lead or other heavy metals that are difficult to dispose of, and with electrically powered ovens that reduce CO2 emissions. All this pursuit of quality and concern for the environment that underlies the company's work is attested by the UNI-ISO 9001 Vision 2000 quality certificate and the ISO 14001 environmental certification, which currently represent the highest international awards for company quality.
On your interesting site under "products" opens a long list of goblets and glasses, so many lines, so many shapes ... how do you arrive at the creation of a glass? Based on functional needs that the market solicits or based on creative flair? Who creates the design of Luigi Bormioli's glasses?
The process of creating a new item or range is a long and complex one that involves various company areas at all levels, from marketing to design, from R&D to production. Needless to deny that the focus for our company is always the customer and the market, and it is precisely from the needs of the end customer in our target market that the beginning of any new product development project starts, which is modified and refined at every step and revision even though before it is put on the market it must have the approval of the General Technical Management, recognized internationally as one of the best in the glass world.
Your jugs and decanters carry the Drop Stop logo, what exactly does that mean ?
An important technical plus is the DROP STOP Coating system, a revolutionary "drop-saving" system applied to jugs and decanters that causes the liquid contained inside to flow out without friction and with a perfect pouring flow. With the Drop Stop treatment, wine droplets remain inside the container and prevents droplets from falling and fouling the decanter or carafe externally.
I have heard about your Sparkx glass. What is it all about?
"Sparkx" glass is an Ultraclear glass that complies with the recent European ISO/PAS IWA 8:2009 standard. This standard flanks and reclassifies glass based on "optical performance" unlike the EEC standard which classifies glass based on its chemical composition. Sparkx glass is Ultraclear glass because it reflects the following purity and transparency parameters: Luminosity (L) greater than 98.8, Color Intensity (C) less than 0.5 and Iron Oxide less than 140 ppm (parts per million). Resistance to 2,000 washings in industrial dishwashers and 30 percent greater strength than the old crystalline make it a glass of absolute quality.
As trade marketing Italy for a historic and important company like Luigi Bormioli, you are obviously an expert in marketing applied to marketing and distribution. What is your idea of the Italian market? In your opinion, is the awareness of the difference in quality between one glass and another a topic known by the trade, professional restaurateurs and bartenders?
The Italian market has always been of fundamental importance to the company; it is our home market and represents the company's main market. Despite a structural crisis that has hit our industry, where demand has been weakened by an oversupply first, and a reduction in consumption second, the company is satisfied with the work it has done in recent years, which makes me believe that there is a certain search for quality and professionalism in the search for items on the part of the ho.re.ca. end consumer. In this regard, the activity that we have done, successfully, in recent years has been precisely to create a relationship of mutual exchange with the entire distribution chain, so as to give information about the product, and have it reach the end consumer, and receive back important feedback that has allowed us to better understand the needs of the end consumer and be able to meet them.
And as far as the end consumer is concerned, have you gotten an idea of what is the average level of knowledge of the technological performance that a glass must possess to be of quality?
Every consumer is different and different are their needs, despite the fact that they are all encapsulated in a definition of ho.re.ca. customers. A restaurateur has different needs than a bartender who has even different needs than a caterer. A company that aims to become a leader in the ho.re.ca. channel must have an in-depth knowledge of the characteristics and needs of each end user and create a range of items that satisfies them all, which is precisely why we have just concluded a distribution agreement with the American glassmaker Libbey to distribute its bar items on the Foodservice channel and offer a complete service to the trade by optimally covering a market segment on which we were not present and thus offering the trade a complete service.
From the distribution point of view, I understand that in Italy more or less every Region is headed by an agent, but how do you choose your reseller partners, what characteristics must they have, what kind of resellers do you favor?
Very often it happens that it is the retailers who choose us, in fact the choice is made by the retailer's clientele, our target market is the mid- to high-end catering.
What market segment does Luigi Bormioli currently occupy in Italy both in terms of market and target market?
As I mentioned above, our target market is the mid-to-high end of the catering industry in general; in Italy we are the market leader with an increasing share every year thanks also to the continuous innovations (of product and process) developed in recent years.
If this is not confidential company data, in what proportion are the professional and domestic sectors distributed?
About 80 percent of our turnover is carried out in the professional ho.re.ca. channel, while a remaining 20 percent is developed in high-end retail.
Luigi Bormioli often collaborates with the Centro Studi Assaggiatori, which is certainly the most advanced in Italy in carrying out tests with the final consumer in the perception of products, equipment, services, but has Luigi Bormioli never thought of creating its own school for competent tasters ?
The Centro Studi Assaggiatori of Brescia is the most advanced and complete sensory analysis research unit in Italy, and our intense collaboration for tests on wine and spirits tasting glasses stems from the desire to create a range of professional items of the highest level and to certify them through an accredited body such as the CSA, this is to give further recognition of quality to the consumer, it is important not to forget that all the characteristics of Luigi Bormioli items (SON.hyx, Sparkx, Titanium Reinforced), are the subject of the company's "patent," and in order to be patented, they were first subjected to testing and certification by important external bodies.
Since this blog is mainly attended by professionals, can you summarize for us what are the reasons why a catering or bar professional should choose Luigi Bormioli?
Definitely for all the features listed above, our entire range of items is geared for professional use, and product R&D focuses precisely on continuous product improvement according to industry specifications.
In addition, a protected distribution that does not include distribution in mass-market channels, as well as the fact that we are an all-Italian growing company that offers a strong continuous innovative capacity in terms of solutions as well as a strong focus on product design, proposes us as the main players in the world of professional catering, in Italy and worldwide.
For more insights: www.bormioliluigi.com
Interview by Monica Palla
