Compagnia del Gusto aims for 200 million turnover in five years

To become a point of reference for the valorisation of Italian agricultural and food excellence, with an expected turnover of 200 million to be reached in five years: this is the objective of the holding company Compagnia del Gusto. The focus will be on three areas in particular:fish (one of the first operations was the acquisition of the Fjord business unit from Agroittica Lombarda and one of the next ones could concern a company specialised in supplying crustaceans and fresh fish to the catering industry), wine (also from an innovative point of view as in the case of the Friuli-based Lea Winery, which is focusing on dealcolati), and other excellent food products (from pastas and condiments to desserts and baked goods). Three distinct business units will take care of this: Compagnia del Mare, Compagnia delle Vigne and Compagnia dei Sapori. Special attention will also be devoted to the world of experiential gastronomic tourism.

Giving life to the new project is a group of managers and entrepreneurs known in the worlds of finance, food & beverage, but also in other industrial fields, united by the idea that there is still plenty of room for growth for the excellence of made-in-Italy agri-foodstuffs, and who were the first to commit to investing in the holding company. The founder Francesco Cosulich - from the ship-owning family and currently a partner in Enfinity Global, a leading global renewable energy company, and a past at Amp Map Capital and Aberdeen Standard, among others, as well as for 30 years active in wine production - is the main architect of the constitution of a team with Sergio Albarelli as president - a manager and advisor with an international career in strategic and financial consultancy and former CEO of Azimut Holding - and as CEO Ettore Nicoletto, with a long experience in the wine world (Angelini and Santa Margherita). Alongside them among the partners of the first hour are Carlo Trabattoni, Carlo Tamburi, Paolo Vanoni, Paolo Intermite, and Gabriele Milani.

The strategy of the new company is to grow through acquisitions of small and medium-sized companies already operating with a turnover of up to about 20 million. Equity for now amounts to 50-60 million for potential acquisitions of a hundred million. They are evaluating operations both in more traditional fields and in more innovative ones to be able to develop their products and services thanks to the contribution of financial resources and know-how that, in the intentions of the founders, will allow them to create economies of scale and strengthen their ability to compete abroad, where they aim to develop at least 50% of the business.

Furthermore development will take place both in retail and large-scale distribution as well as in catering and horeca distribution, also through distribution companies active abroad. realities of absolute excellence often lack the tools and capabilities to develop the maximum business, especially in terms of marginality, and that is where we want to intervene," says Cosulich. "Often the Ebitda is the most disappointing parameter, and although in the food industry it is not easy to have high results, we have the objective of b>bringing it up to 20% on average.

"We want to create a unique ecosystem that not only enhances excellence, but also becomes a structured growth platform for entrepreneurs, communities and territories. Agrifood,' adds CEO Nicoletto, 'is already one of the country's flagships and, at global level, the Food & Beverage sector is expected to grow over the next five years with a Cagr of 6.8%. We believe in a model that combines social responsibility, sustainability, and innovation, capable of intercepting the growing international demand for authentic, healthy, and quality products, leading the excellence of Agrifood towards new goals on international markets".