“Passion for tradition, trust in innovation” is the motto of the food packer Salumificio Fratelli Riva, one of the leading producers of cooked ham in Italy. Its CEO, Giuseppe Riva, talks about the past, present and prospects of the company.
1. How was the company founded and what are the main characteristics that define it today?
Salumificio Fratelli Riva has been founded in 1969 in Molteno, via Mazzini 12, by the brothers Luciano and Umberto Riva. At the time the entire working cycle of meat took place in the company: from the slaughtering to the production of different types of cured meats, both cooked and seasoned.
Over the years of activity, the company has gained substantial experience in the production of meat products and, in the early 90s, we made a strategic choice of specialization: we abandoned the slaughtering business and we focused our efforts above all on the production of cooked ham. In 1996 the new factory was built, always located in Molteno, in Via Rossini 10, where the entire production activity currently take place.
Over the years Salumificio Fratelli Riva has constantly invested in technological innovations that, together with the experience and optimization of human resources, have allowed him to obtain a production at sensibly contained costs, allowing him to place on the market products with a good quality / price ratio.
The main customers are represented by large-scale distribution, thanks to the company’s ability to produce large quantities, offering good sales strategies and excellent flexibility. The products are sold both under own brand and private label. The characteristics that differentiate us are summarized in our motto: “Passion for tradition, trust in innovation”.
2. How does ECOSENSE fit into your sustainability plans?
It is now well known that the world is becoming more and more “green”. Environmental protection and eco-sustainability are precious concepts for our company: for us it is essential to guarantee consumers the reliability of their choices through a certification. For this reason, it was for us an important and necessary step to obtain the ECOSENSE certification.
ECOSENSE is in fact a certification that identifies companies that are actively involved in the environment, ensuring the circular economy of thermoformed PET along the entire value chain. We are proud to have joined this project which allows us to send more than 1,500 quintals of plastic for recycling every year.
3. What innovation projects have you developed or are in progress?
In the last year we have truly experienced a without-precedents situation: the Covid-19 emergency had a disastrous impact on all companies and on the global economy, without exception. Despite the difficulties faced, the future development prospects see the company strongly committed to invest in avant-garde technologies to increase and improve production and packaging.
4. What do you think about the mediatic fight against plastics / the plastic tax?
We are aware that the issue is very important and must be faced in order to live the present better and to ensure sustainability and continuity to future generations. It certainly represents a big challenge from a production and commercial point of view..
5. What are your goals for 2021?
In general, our goal is to further increase the sales of high quality cured meats. This goal is in line with the use of packaging with a reduced environmental impact.
6. What are the prospects for the sector in the coming years?
In relation to our product category, we expect an increase in consumption on portioned items in the coming years while for the whole product we assume a mainly static market. It will certainly be our care to implement strategies in relation to the development of even more eco- sustainable packaging.
Salumificio Fratelli Riva
