Article by Matteo Donelli
Quality always as the only point of reference. DNA passed on by the founders from generation to generation.
Production of fresh cream for industry and high quality Italian butter, the raw material of which is only milk cream collected daily by own means in the Parmigiano Reggiano producing dairies in the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia with which the company has relations consolidated and long-lasting.
Dedicated supply chains, created together with farmers, aimed at enhancing indigenous cattle breeds for the production of Parmigiano Reggiano.
The research and selection of biodiversity has led to the creation of unique cheeses, the different Parmigiano Reggiano specialties present in the range are an expression of this, made with the milk of Brown Cows, Red Cows of Reggio and of Bianca Modenese, or even of Mountain Product and the organic Parmigiano Reggiano, for which the company boasts a complete supply chain that is born in the Parma mountains where the stables and the owned dairy are located.
Numbers in continuous growth for Montanari & Gruzza with over 80 million turnover and a staff of 75 people.
Starting from the value that is recognized for its territory and the resources it generates, the company has decided to invest in the care of animal welfare, through projects carried out in collaboration with farmers and research institutions, which aim at breeding models and innovative cow feeding, such as the “Nobile” supply chain which provides for feeding with fresh fodder and linseed, rich in Omega3.
But the link with the land starts from within the company. From the two founding men.
Arturo Montanari and Arnaldo Gruzza joined forces in the 50s, and since then cohesion has always been a crucial element for the survival and growth of the business.
A real extended family. Family and company, one. Saturday and Sunday as well as Monday and Tuesday. There was no difference because the company was the fulcrum of the life of all its members.
The noises of the forklifts and the voices of the workers mingled with the daily family life.
In the seventies the "Montanari and Gruzza family" needed a strong change of pace to be able to withstand the changes taking place in the economy of the time.
Twenty years old, he decides not to continue with the university but to throw all his energy and desire to do in the company with many sacrifices that this would have involved. Leonida Montanari takes over the company of his father Arturo who died prematurely.
It is the facts that give the visionary "stars" to the young Montanari.
He was the first to understand the potential of the modern distribution channel by equipping himself with a system suitable for vacuum packing Parmigiano Reggiano.
At the same time, it invests in the improvement of logistics to guarantee a punctual and reliable service to customers.
Own logistics, not outsourced, and therefore the quality of customer service, will over time become a crucial distinguishing factor for Montanari & Gruzza.
The real turning point in the business model, however, came thanks to another winning intuition: that of creating a capillary collection of the raw material, cream, at the cheese factories that produce Parmigiano Reggiano throughout the territory.
The first to be satisfied were the dairies themselves, happy to sell a waste material, which would otherwise have been treated inappropriately by them, which did not have the necessary equipment to complete the industrial production process of butter.
A solution that has strongly linked the company reality with local producers and has made it possible to invest in diversified product chains both for the range of butter and for that of Parmigiano Reggiano, or to create their own and unique ones such as the organic one.
Montanari & Gruzza has based its business model on trust in its collaborators and suppliers.
Over 230 consolidated suppliers of raw materials in the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia, a control of different sales channels and an export share of 15% that grows every year.
Even if the numbers of staff and turnover are now from medium to large companies, the members of the two families of entrepreneurs remain personally involved to give a vision of the future of the company which is increasingly focusing its attention on the sustainability of the supply chain process. .
By meeting President Montanari, the impact of man surpasses the history and results of his company.
Big hands, lively eyes and that delicacy in measuring the right words during conversation.
The admiring eyes of Margherita, who at his side does not let go of even a blink of her father's eyelash.
There is a strong sense of family. Strong as the scents released by the more than 20.000 cheeses matured in the Gaida warehouses.
The President speaks with embarrassing modesty about his creature. He looks you straight in the eye.
He says that the difference from his competitors has been made by his "word".
“My suppliers are the heart of my success. From the first day I selected and chose them, I owed them total respect. I have been helping them for fifty years and this trust of mine is reflected in the relationship with my customers.
Anecdotes and successes are told "on tiptoe" by the President for over three delightful hours.
But it is at the end of the interview that everything is explained: his strong handshake and steady gaze tell, more than any word, how Montanari & Gruzza has distinguished itself in its sector through the combination of foresight and constant seriousness of its captain. and of the two families whose name the company still bears today.
