Vicenzi’s export strategies

Vicenzi: the Italian pastry protagonist in the festivities in the different cultures of the world

Vicenzi Industria Dolciaria’s export has continuously rising numbers. Export is just one voice but it was worth 30% of the Venetian company’s 124 million euros 2020 total revenue, for a company that can be found in the most important international markets. It is a result of the important promotion work carried out overseas as well, thanks to the most important certifications (among which are kosher, halal and gluten free), fifteen automatized production lines and, mostly, a well-structured marketing department. Strategies were presented by Simona Merolla, Vicenzi’s export marketing manager, during the workshop organized by Cibus Lab and Gdo News “Celebration cakes, the Italian tradition: Outlook and challenges.”

“We do our best to satisfy the needs of consumers everywhere – she said – and to raise our income with a structured presence even outside Italy. This is possible thanks to the strong relationship with our distributors, who we help with dedicated programs and strategies, a strong back office, and a logistic department able to serve our clients in the best possible way. We also have an export area that oversees several parts of the world and, lastly, a specific branch in the United States to satisfy all the commercialized areas’ needs. In the USA, just like in China and Germany, we focused on the social network as well and created dedicated web pages. We reached several countries and the most important chains.”

WATCH THE INTERVIEW TO SIMONA MAROLLA
(Export Marketing Manager – Vicenzi Industria Dolciaria)

From America, to Middle East and Asian East, the famous ‘Matilde Vicenzi’ logo represents the Italian patisserie, and some of its most fascinating sights, like Rome, Venice and the Cinque Terre, are depicted on special metallic packages. The packaging differentiation represents one more added value in the brand’s foreign policy, like the “Season’s greetings” for holidays or religious festivities. Or even the Millefoglie’s – made of 192 layers of pastry – boxes that can be personalized based on the festivity.

“Our graphic designers – Merolla pointed out – designed specific packages for each occasion, like the “Happy Diwali tin” for the annual festivity that takes place in India at the beginning of November. Or the packaging for the Qatar National Day, or the one for the Arabic holiday Eid ul-fitr, the Dia de la Madre for Chile and the Moon Festival in China. Another much-appreciated packaging is the one created for the Eid Mubarak, the most important Middle-East holiday that celebrates Ramadan, which starts in April and ends in May. We are happy to know that many families use this Italian product to celebrate such important festivities, people who live so far away from us, cultures so much different from ours but that appreciate ‘Matilde Vicenzi’ and its history. Like the packaging that features, on its back, the Om-Ali recipe, one of the most important dessert in the Arabian world that can be prepared with one of our products as well. For us, being able to be near to our international clients and their cultures is a source of pride, as is being present in their most important holidays.”

Even non-religious festivity such as the “Tiramisù day”, very famous in the States and unattainable without Vicenzi’s savoiardi. “Another assorted selection – the manager points out – is the one about the seasonal packaging, such as the metallic ones that can be reused as containers and allow people to see our brand every day.”

However, the company’s international breath is not limited to packaging or marketing, because Vicenzi is also aiming toward environmental sustainability. “After the 2019 report, we recently released another one that reaffirms our commitment to environmental impact reduction and the achievement of important goals. “During the next two years – Merolla said – we want to reduce the use of plastic by 25% by promoting the use of mono-materials instead of multi-materials, thus reducing the over packaging as much as possible and utilizing sustainable packaging. For example, the Grisbì selection currently uses recycled paper, and we removed one wrapping from the ‘Vicenzovo’ boxes to reduce plastic by 30%.”

Ideas related to the quality of raw materials as well: “By 2023 – she assured us – we want to reach the 100% of eggs for our productions being free range, while we strive to reach the 30% of total sugar consumption with certified Italian supply. Lastly, we invested over 20 million euros in the modernization of our facilities and in automation systems. We want to be the best of our class – she concluded – in a very competitive environment where our players are very aggressive and structured. Our goal is to always guarantee products’ quality and coherence.”

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