Eataly S.p.A. – Oscar Farinetti

Eataly was created in 2007, based on an idea by the current chairman, Oscar Farinetti, with the aim of showing that high quality products are not just the preserve of a privileged elite. The brand brings together a group of small companies operating in various segments of the wine and food sector, and offers the best of artisanal production at affordable prices thanks to direct contact between producers and final distributors. The objective is to increase the percentage of people who practise nutritional awareness, by choosing top quality products and paying special attention to the origin and processing of raw materials. Eataly is currently present in Italy, and the Rome retail outlet will soon be inaugurated in Japan and the United States.

Eataly has adopted a two-pronged approach: firstly, distribution of products and catering; and secondly, educational services including cooking courses, tastings, meetings with great chefs, and free education for children and the elderly.

The second aspect is what makes Eataly truly original: fostering a correct perception of quality among consumers, in the belief that “eating well helps us to live better”.

E. Marinella S.r.l. – Maurizio Marinella

Marinella is one of the most captivating Neapolitan success stories, which began in 1914 when Eugenio Marinella, grandfather of Maurizio who currently heads the firm, decided to open a small shop on the Riviera di Chiaia in Naples where elegant shirts, ties, accessories and perfumes were offered to refined local and overseas customers.

The business lived through important historical events that brought substantial changes to the world of fashion. This is why, with courage and intuition, Eugenio switched from manufacturing shirts to ties, which became Marinella’s flagship product.

Maurizio Marinella took over direct management of the business from his father Luigi in 1980, and gradually developed craft manufacturing of ties. Entrepreneurial flair led him to offer tailor-made ties exclusively made by hand, thereby enhancing the Neapolitan tailoring tradition. Through him, the tie rose from being a mere accessory to become a style icon, emblematic of Italian elegance throughout the world. In addition to Naples, the mono-brand boutique has four other outlets in Milan, Tokyo, Lugano and London, as well as shop-in-shops in prestigious international department stores in New York and Geneva.

Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A. – Ugo Gussalli Beretta

Headed by Ugo Gussalli Beretta, this company is the world’s oldest firearms manufacturer. In business since the 15th century in Gardone Val Trompia (Brescia), it has been owned by 15 generations of the Beretta family. Over almost 500 years, the Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta has built up a vast wealth of experience in its sector, by developing specific technologies in the field of precision mechanics through continuous investment in research and innovation. The production departments are organised around robotized work stations but also count on the presence of the human factor, a necessary condition for obtaining high levels of precision and quality.

Beretta’s current production includes almost the entire range of portable firearms for hunting, trapshooting and defence, with sports firearms accounting for around 90 percent of total revenues. Beretta competition rifles are among those that have won most competitions at international level. In the early 1990s, Beretta complemented its traditional products with a full range of sports clothing, which is characterised by elegance and a high technical content. Originating from the expertise and dreams of a Renaissance craftsman, Fabbrica d’Armi Beretta has based its worldwide success on the high technological content of its products and respect for traditional craft manufacturing.

Kartell S.p.A. – Claudio Luti

Kartell, which is currently headed by Claudio Luti, started out in Milan in 1949 based on the idea of a young chemist, Giulio Castelli, to produce design items made of plastic made entirely in Italy. In 1988 Claudio Luti took over the company and adopted a relaunch strategy based on total quality, creating plastic products with surprisingly innovative shapes and properties by taking advantage of collaborations with leading international designers, including Philippe Starck. After years of research, in 1999 Kartell was the first company in the world to use polycarbonate to manufacture furnishing items. Today, Kartell products are internationally recognised for their high technological content, design and continuous evolution in the use of materials.

With the most recent openings, Kartell boasts 120 flagship outlets, 180 shop-in-shops and around 3,000 multi-brand retail stores in 100 countries around the world. During its 60 years in business, the company has won prestigious international awards, including nine Compasso d’Oro awards, and the Kartell Museum also received the best company museum award from the Guggenheim Museum. Creativity and technology, glamour and functionality, quality and innovation: this extraordinary combination of factors underpins Kartell’s national and international success.

Luisa Spagnoli S.p.A. – Nicoletta Spagnoli

Luisa Spagnoli is an historic Italian company, a leader in the production and distribution of women’s clothing. It started in 1928 with the brilliant intuition of Luisa Spagnoli, a modern and creative woman who established two of Perugia’s most important enterprises, which were pillars in the process of the Province’s industrialisation: Perugina and Luisa Spagnoli.

She was the first person to design and use wool made from Angora rabbit hair to manufacture knitwear garments that achieved immediate success in the world of fashion, and set in motion what would become constant and steady growth.

Since 1986, the company has been managed by Nicoletta and Mario Spagnoli, who are, respectively, its managing director and chairman.

Luisa Spagnoli currently has 153 direct retail outlets in Italy, and 34 mono-brand shops in other parts of the world. Current noteworthy brand objectives include boosting the sales network in Italy and increasing business opportunities overseas. In particular, greater brand presence is planned in Russia with the opening of a new store, and in Lebanon with a third mono-brand outlet in Beirut.