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Februar y/March 202 2 II MAGAZINE AT PAGE 6-9 CICMEUP #CICMEUP, the begin- ning of a saga COOPERATIVA ITALIANA CATERING’S FIRST 2022 EVENT, #CICMEUP, WAS HELD ON 25 AND 26 FEBRUARY IN MILAN. THE THEME “WHAT’S COOKING IN THE POT?” WAS THE LEITMOTIF OF THE EVENTS. A PROJECTION INTO THE FUTURE ON TOPICS RELATED TO THE AGRI-FOOD SECTOR AND BEYOND “I would like to thank all the members who participated, despite the period, and all the suppliers who support us and have under- stood how crucial it is to have a vision for the future. Thank you to the Cooperative team, which I am presenting to you today, and which will work alongside us”. These are the words with which President Rober- to Zanobi closes the first #CICMEUP event of Cooperativa Italiana Catering held last February. Let’s start at the end. Yes, like those films that are not afraid to find out the ending, because they have a breath-taking plot! If you’ve seen Citizen Kane and Forrest Gump, you know what that means... This is what the CIC event was like, a crescen- do of events dedicated to training and discus- sion. The name chosen by the Cooperative certainly lived up to expectations. #CICME- UP. The solid meaning of a real network of enterprises is the exchange of competences, a meta-enterprise. Which brings us to the plot of the event. A live talk show on the chosen theme: “What’s cooking?”. In February, what is happening today seemed far from imaginary, truly futur- istic! Monitoring the supply chain gives depth of information. This is the value that CIC wants to redistribute to its members and customers. The tensions on ingredients, already foreseen in November, were the main theme of the debate, but there was no lack of opening remarks. Stories of initiatives and businesses were among the event’s highlights. First and foremost, the emphasis was on the CIC and Qualitaly enterprise. An Italian-style enter- prise that will be talked about. Followed by a training programme from theory to practice. Knowing is discovering! Preparation is crucial in our work. Knowledge of the ingredient is the key that opens the door to a well-crafted recipe. A key forged by Qualitaly: the product range with which to make the difference. Since great feats don’t happen in a day, perhaps the most apt comparison to make to the end, or rather the beginning, of this new adventure signed by CIC is a saga. The kind that keeps you hooked, that creates expec- tations for the next episode. One in which the choice of theme makes all the difference (Red Pill or Blue Pill?). One in which director, actors and viewers get mixed up and meet. A saga that has the taste of infinity, because this is what we are dealing with, food: an infinite story. And as with any self-respecting flashback, we return to the beginning. Thank you all for your participation and for being protagonists of the upcoming edition of #CICMEUP. The theme? Suspense.... Who’ll stop us? AT PAGE 10-11 IGF INC, the Ameri- can dream for CIC ALMOST THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND A PREDILECTION FOR QUALITY PRODUCTS FOR ITALIAN MAURIZIO DI BENIGNO. THIS LED TO THE CREATION OF A SUPER SHED IN SPRINGFIELD, USA. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE EXPANSION OF A DISTRIBUTOR AIMING HIGH. AND WHICH HAS ITS OWN MOTTO: “WHERE QUALITY IS NOT A LUXURY”. by Riccardo Sada Maurizio Di Benigno, founder of International Gourmet Foods in Springfield, has been a leading wholesale distributor of gourmet and speciality products in the US since 1987. Through its motto “Where quality is not a luxury” and behind its acronym, IGF INC, it serves a wide range of food businesses such as restaurants, upscale markets, bars, clubs and bakeries. Di Benigno is CIC’s second largest partner in the US. But how did he arrive at these results? “We were looking for better relationships with suppliers. Antonio from Mister Chef introduced us to CIC and from there we realised the value of this Italian brand, which is up to our standards”.