Good to see you again, Vittorio. When we last spoke, you said that staying true to its original business model was one of the key factors in the success of Alifood. Could you tell us more about it?

“Sure. When we started Alifood there was not as much competition as there is now in this market, yet we wanted to offer something different straightaway. The more our competitors widened their range of products, the more we concentrated on quality. And not just the one of the products themselves but also the high level of service that revolves around every single product we source. I guess we were pioneers in a way, because we anticipated the current trend of satisfying the needs of a client who is mainly looking for solutions”.

How do you envisage the post-COVID market? Do you think that there is a need to act as pioneers again?

“As Albert Einstein used to say, “in the midst of every crisis lies a great opportunity”. We may still not be in the middle of the pandemic but surely we are not out of it yet. Our constructive attitude leads us to think that this is a good time to implement new changes. The customers have changed, especially the younger ones: they do not prefer a product over another just because of the label. They demand green, sustainable, cruelty-free products. They choose brands with values that they recognize as familiar. Although we do not sell to the final customers, we are already working to bring new solutions suitable for this ever-changing market to our clients”.

What kind of solutions does Alifood provide?

“Our goal is to link local Italian producers and manufacturers with final consumers on a global scale. In order to do so in the best possible way, we decided to integrate sourcing, marketing and transportation. We now manage the entire international supply which is the core of our competitiveness. Our clients also appreciate our effort to maximize their respective businesses by delivering clear and up-to-date information both about the products and the operational costs while guaranteeing the full monitoring and tracking of each product in every single consignment. I would say that flexibility, accuracy and effetiveness of our decisions and of our replies are our top skills and by that I mean our ability, developed thanks to our experience, to rapidly provide answers and customized solutions while pursuing top quality in every single project we manage or order we receive”.

Let’s go back to the products offered by Alifood: how important is the role they play in your company’s effort to make your clients successful?

“Vital. There is no point in being so good at delivering if what we deliver is not excellent quality: this is why we only deal with real Made in Italy excellences which we source and select via a long and careful process. Yet we believe that, when the products are meant to travel for thousands of miles across the globe, quality must pair with traceability and appropriate transport solutions: it is the only way to maintain that quality along. In this perspective, the famous Zero-Km supply chain which has been a trending topic in our market for many years now should be replaced by a “True-Km” one, a journey that can be fully traced at all times”.

An what about the journey that your clients make on your platform?

“Interesting question! Even if our business is now service-centered, every improvement we make, every novelty we implement is made with them in mind. Clients nowadays are more sophisticated and have a sound critical sense: their purchasing journey does not go via the funnel anymore, they make their decisions in the Messy Middle. For this reason, we always strive to provide clear information in order to make their journey as pleasant and safe as possible, since our main goal is to support our clients in reaching their business objectives”.

Well, thanks again Vittorio.

“Anytime”