Pineider grows thanks to the rediscovered pleasure of writing

There are not many brands made in Italy that can boast of being older than Italy itself. Among them is Pineider 1774, whose name already tells its own story: in that year, in fact, Francesco Pineider, having left his native Val Gardena, opened his workshop in Florence, where he made papers, appreciated and sought after for their quality and finesse by the intellectuals who thronged the city, sitting in its literary salons or passing through as a destination on their Grand Tour, with the desire to note down and communicate the marvels of Italy back home. The archive that held Pineider's long and rich history, however, was largely swept away by the flood that devastated the city in 1966.

After years of uncertainties, in 2017 the brand, still based in Florence, was taken over by the Rovagnati family, which is investing in its consolidation and relaunch, entrusting them to general manager Nicola Andreatta, who joined the company about a year ago after a long experience abroad and having led the watch brand Roger Dubuis as ceo.

"Pineider is the Apple of the 18th century, the symbolic brand of a world in which people communicated only by writing,' he notes. 'And after starting with paper, following the evolution of printing and engraving techniques, it offered writing instruments, such as fountain pens, which we seem to have been the first to introduce in Italy with a Waterman patent, up to leather creations to hold one's writings, made by craftsmen in the heart of the Tuscan leather district. Leather with which we now also make laptop cases and tablet cases'.

Il negozio di Firenze

An expansion made necessary by an increasingly digital world, but remaining solid advocates of a slow life that exalts the luxury of handwriting: "We are focusing on personalisation, on increasingly genderless products, and also on a very close relationship with our customers, through our direct shops (in Milan, Rome, Florence and New York, ndr) where we organise special events, calligraphy and creative writing courses, evenings in collaboration with other Italian excellences: together with the Antinori wineries, for example, we told how ink was once made with the tannins of wine. We are very happy, there is always a lot of participation'.

If for some products Pineider relies on its network of small craftsmen of excellence, the production of paper and pens takes place in the Florence factory, and to safeguard these ancient crafts Pineider also involves young people from the academies and the Its: "We are aiming at growth, but healthy and conscious growth," says Andreatta. "We would like to expand the network of shops, especially abroad, even though Italy is our first market, because contact with customers, I repeat, is fundamental. We are thinking of launching a line of instruments for calligraphers and those who use handwriting in a professional fashion, which is still lacking on the market, especially with the quality we would like to offer. We also have satisfaction from our e-commerce, which brings us a younger clientele but still in love with writing, also as a reaction to this increasingly fast-paced time. Today, time is the greatest luxury, and you want to spend it on yourself and what you love'.