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JUN. JUL 2018 III the corporate image addressed to customer loyalty actions and helping in the penetration of the market through web and social media, without forgetting the realisation of events in the company. In our headquarters there is also a warehouse of almost 2,000 square meters - of which 1,500 are covered - mostly to be used for cold rooms. Finally, we have two external platforms, one in Bari and one in Milan, where we transfer all the major purchases: from which we source, always maintaining the complete range. Finally, what is the advantage of association with the Cooperativa Italiana Catering? CIC has helped us to extend our range of products to include food products, dry products (counter and shelf products) and fresh products, and today we have a complete range with over 3,500 products. The association with the Cooperative is therefore absolutely positive: this choice has proved to be very useful for us, because it has given us the possibility to grow and to insert ourselves in an increasingly demanding sector. We wouldn’t have had the economic and contractual strength to do this on our own. Operating through the cooperative changes the situation: if you buy supplies all together, the economic and structural weight is divided and you can always count on a good rotation of products. Together with CIC, we have also chosen to create and distribute some brands that differentiate us from our competitors and this is a great advantage for us. AT PAGE 14 Qi Partners We are shaping the future A new way to see and face the food distribution sector, increasingly in contact with customers, ready to organise specific courses and demonstrations to discover market trends. Here are the features of the Panconi brothers, a company in step with the times By Maddalena Baldini It was in 1991 that Silvestro Panconi decided to set up his own business, detaching himself from the family business of his uncles and father and taking care of the eating out distribution. After more than 27 years, GF1 is today one of the most important companies in the Apuo-Versiliese and Ligurian area, specialising in food supplies for restaurants, bars and hotels and today GF1 brings with it not only the professionalism, but also the far-sightedness of the two partners that have given it a modern and dynamic impact. A thorough work, aimed at constantly monitoring market trends in order to anticipate and satisfy the various demands of customers, from orders to deliveries. Precisely in this wake of foresight, under the slogan “We are shaping the future”, the Panconi brothers have recorded another great success: April 2018 saw a two-day ‘Open Doors’ of the GF1 store in Carrara. An initiative that has found the total support of the public who have first-hand experience of the professionalism of the group and participation in a real trade fair. A special event, made so also by the collaboration of the international chef Marcello Zaccaria, personal friend of the brothers Silvestro and Stefano, as well as the contribution of other partners such as CS Arredamenti, Rinaldi Supersifoni, Mediatel, Radio Nostalgia and the Italian Barman Federation. “It was a wonderful initiative that recorded a considerable number of visitors all present to experience first-hand the 20 companies that are part of GF1 - says Stefano Panconi - We have prestigious brands of world renown like Barilla, Schweppes, San Benedetto, Bosca and Santal, but also local brands like La Bottega di Adò and Fonteviva; deciding to open the doors was an innovative step, something that made buyers the real protagonists of our catalogue because they could observe our work and all our products.” The real attraction was the showroom of about 150 square meters permanently set up within GF1: here there were demonstrations of cooking and mixology, a space that will always be in operation and available for refresher courses and meetings to present the latest catalogue and products of every brand. A support for all buyers who will be able to choose in a more targeted way the supplies they are interested in after having had a direct demonstration of use. “The showroom will have a great future - continues Stefano Panconi - We are organising an interesting calendar of courses for several participants. We want it to become the active heart of GF1, offering an opportunity for those who want to keep up with the times, testing and experimenting with new foods and new trends.” A result that has not been interpreted as a goal but as a starting point for other initiatives and other future projects.