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JUN. JUL. 2017
III
Tuesday 24th October, will celebrate
the appointment with the world’s
leading , Foodservice,
retail, GDO and hospitality chain
event. There are growing numbers
compared to the same period in 2015.
After just under five months from the
cutting of the tape, the numbers of
HostMilano - International Hospitality
Exhibition already speak of success
when compared to the last event: to
date 1,824 companies have confirmed
their presence, of which 1,092 are
Italian (59.9%) and 732 overseas
(40.1%). As for the product typology
of the companies, the macro-sector
Foodservice Equipment and Bread
Pizza Pasta made up 45.7%, the most
represented with 729 participants.
The other two macrosectors answer
for: Coffee Tea-bar Coffee machines,
Vending and Gelato, Pastry, Coffee, at
36.5% and Furniture and Tableware
at 17.8%. Hundreds of meetings
and events, in addition to business,
the 40th edition of HostMilano -
International Hospitality Exhibition is
not only conceived to be a business
opportunity in all the fields of .
Ca, but it is also a place to learn and
inform. In addition to professional
meetings, there will be a high number
of events, including workshops,
training meetings, roundtables and
show-cooking. All supervised by
Host, the hundreds of events can be
followed freely by the event visitors,
who will have the opportunity to
keep up to date on all the “hot”
themes of the moment.
No to the traffic light
label
Coldiretti and Federalimentare have
created the “European Alliance
against traffic light labelling systems”,
with the support of a group of MEPs
coordinated by Paolo De Castro,
vice-president of the Agriculture
Committee of the European
Parliament. The initiative, announced
on the occasion of the recent Europe
Day, wants to counter a misleading,
discriminatory and incomplete
information system that is spreading
in different ways through various
European countries – from France
to the United Kingdom – risking to
undermine the correct information
to consumers and the functioning
of the common market. The aim of
the initiative is to ask Brussels to
intervene by defining a regulatory
framework that guarantees greater
transparency and uniqueness on
European territory, against a system
that ends up suggesting the exclusion
from the diet of healthy and natural
foods, in order to promote artificial
products. According to the alliance,
the idea that going around Europe,
with the same product, the traffic
light can take on different colours
depending on the country that hosts
it is paradoxical in the running of a
“single market”. The alliance aims
to open debate and reflection on
the subject, in order to contribute to
the strengthening of legislation on
labelling information for foodstuffs
on the basis of transparency and the
real interest of consumers.
AT PAGE 10
Qi Partners
When delivery
becomes an art
Thanks to a fleet of latest
generation vehicles, New Vecagel is
able to transport all over the eastern
Sicilian territory fresh and frozen
foods, maintaining a constant cold
chain. To the benefit of the quality
of distributed products
By Chiara Bandini
Daily delivery, local distribution
throughout the eastern Sicilian
territory, the use of refrigerated
vehicles able to maintain the cold
chain and preserve the quality of the
products. And, furthermore, careful
pre-sales and after sales service
assistance. These are the foundations
on which New Vecagel has built its
success in over 20 years of activity.
The company, in fact, started to take
its first steps in the sector
in 1994, when the owner, Vincenzo
Santapaola, driving a van (which he
had been given) began an activity
destined to go far beyond the family
dimension.
How is New Vecagel organized
today?
We count on a fleet of 12 vehicles,
plus 6 cars. We employ 25 staff,
including sales representatives,
administrative staff, warehouse and
drivers. A team nurtured and united,
which has been expanding year after
year, and which can hopefully still
grow.
What types of products are dealt
with?
New Vecagel was founded as a
distribution company for frozen and
deep frozen products. But over time
it has implemented a decisive and
profitable process of diversification.
Today our product range is really wide
and extends from vegetables to fish,
from meats to salami and cheeses
through to desserts, pasta, rice, flours
and confectioned goods, selected from
the best national and international
specialities. But that’s not all. Some
years ago, in fact, we also introduced
an assortment of gluten-free products
that has gathered a wide appreciation.
It is, moreover, a typology of product
that is becoming increasingly
indispensable in the channel:
there is no hotelier or restaurateur
that doesn’t require it. Finally, the
range of our products is completed
with a non-food line intended
for establishment hygiene and
maintenance.
A challenging choice under the
organizational profile...
It is true, diversification has resulted
in many sacrifices. Suffice to say that
we had to expand the storage area,
so that we could have a warehouse
coverage of 900 square meters and
one of the same size planned for
frozen products. And despite this, the
space never seems to be enough.