Eataly: a unique "Italian style" tour in the US with Dino Borri.

The current episode of Italian Wine Podcast takes us across the ocean, to New York, where more than one of the extra-European locations of the Eataly group is located: for those who are not familiar with this reality, Eataly is a chain of stores specialized in the marketing of Italian food products, with attached spaces designated for restaurants and cooking schools. Founded in the early 2000s by Oscar Farinetti, it is currently a publicly traded company, with stores distributed between America, Europe, and Asia.

Dino, where are the main Eataly stores located today? If I'm not mistaken, there are more than forty by now.

Exactly. Here in the USA, in addition to the Italian Emporium opened twelve years ago, we have Eataly in Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Dallas, and soon also in San José. In 2009, I personally took care of the opening of the Japanese Eataly location, Tokyo Mitsukoshi, as the global partnerships manager of the company; even during the pandemic, we never stopped, to the point of opening the first Eataly store in the UK, in London.

In this phase, the retail sector has helped us a lot, as we could not rely on the restaurant sector and education. It has certainly been a more difficult period, but we weren't scared, and here we are, ready to bring Italian food and wine to ever-new parts of the world!

Speaking of food and wine, you were telling me that the sale of drinks, particularly wine, in the United States is subject to specific regulations. Policies for the distribution of alcohol to consumers vary from state to state, is that correct?

Yes, in some stores the Wine Shop must be completely separate from the grocery store; it cannot be in the same space as conventional retail. Here in New York, for example, we had to separate the two sales areas, although in Downtown during the pandemic we could sell wine since they allowed every restaurant to distribute alcohol as well: at that time, you could buy wine and prosciutto simultaneously, but now you can't!

Chicago and Los Angeles, on the other hand, have regulations more similar to those in Italy, as do Las Vegas and Dallas: we are slowly learning that the era of prohibition is a thing of the past, and having a glass of wine with a meal is not a danger to society. We have 1,500 labels and more available: Eataly is one of the largest importers of Italian wine, working with about 600 producers, and with some, the relationship has been ongoing since 2007, when the very first Eataly store opened in Turin.

Do you also organize events and tasting nights?

Certainly! Right here, every Friday evening, we dedicate space to a specific wine, like Brunello di Montalcino, Barbaresco, Barolo, trying to pair them with the season. Every time we present a product, also in the case of food items, we try to tell its story, its origin, the points of excellence; even the menus provide a minimum of description to pique the consumer's curiosity and inform them.

Our staff must know each product perfectly to contextualize it and give it value: whether it’s beverage or gastronomy, there must be expertise in narrating every dish or drink. Regarding tastings, Massimo Bottura was here not long ago for an evening reserved for about 300 people, although usually, the invited groups are smaller to allow for interaction with the audience.

Did this happen during the Covid period as well?

Not in the same way, but we took advantage of digital technologies to organize virtual tastings or "Italian style" aperitifs, focusing not only on wine but also on cheeses. Also, regarding purchases, we found good success with the delivery service and the online inclusion of product catalogs, which are still used to learn about Eataly's offerings.

To conclude the interview, let's talk about Eataly's latest Italian novelty: the opening of the new location at the former general warehouses in Verona. When will it take place? What more can you tell us?

First of all, I love the location chosen for the new store, not only because the former Specialized Refrigeration Station is located in front of Verona Fiere but especially for being a historical place with considerable architectural value. The location will open at the end of September and will have a hundred employees on its staff, in addition to an art pavilion with an initial exhibition program.

We invite you not to miss the conversation between Dino and Stevie.