Eataly Verona with the words of Oscar Farinetti & Stevie Kim

One month after the inauguration of the new Eataly store in the city of Verona, it is interesting to listen to the words of the brand's founder Oscar Farinetti regarding the successes and failures collected throughout his long entrepreneurial career: if we only looked at this latest opening, we would risk forgetting the journey that led to the global dissemination of the brand, which passed through the sinking of the idea of the “Osterie Fuoriporta” and the franchising of Eataly Japan.

Let’s get to know the life story of Natale (Oscar) Farinetti, also through his books.

Oscar, I have the impression that numbers are very important to you. Are they truly a fundamental element for your way of narrating what you do?

Absolutely yes. As an entrepreneur, I believe that without data, a discourse is just a vain chatter. I have written sixteen books, with a million copies sold in total across the Italian and English markets; with “Store di coraggio” I achieved 300,000 copies sold just in the U.S. market! Without these numbers, I wouldn't know how to quantify reader interest. The same goes for Eataly: I opened forty-two brand locations in seventeen different countries, but five years ago I decided to step back to make room for my three children within the project. As for me, I am currently coordinating two foundations, one related to the world of literature based in Fontanafredda, and a second, arts-based foundation located in Verona.

I am the president of the Amici dell’Università di Scienze Gastronomiche Association and co-owner, along with my partners, of the Holden School in Turin.

You could say that you haven't retired at all! Your projects always reflect your affection for Italy and its cultural and gastronomic wealth: what do you consider to be the greatest virtue of being Italian?

I am certainly proud to be Italian and feel very fortunate to have been born here, in the Beautiful Country. I wouldn't know how to choose just one reason to recognize Italy as an excellence: from UNESCO heritage sites to the vast biodiversity present in the national territory, everything contributes to making the heritage of this land truly irreplaceable and unique in the world. Eataly is a showcase for a part of this heritage.

Coming to the new store, could you provide some more information about its features? For example, how is the staff selected?

As in every Eataly store, employees are selected directly from the local area to ensure that consumers always interact with local people who know its specialties and have a strong connection to the surrounding reality. The reference for the Verona store is the entire Triveneto region, which I love for both the tourist locations and the quality of the gastronomic offerings; adding to the strategic positioning of the store are the presence of Veronafiere and Vinitaly, which you may have already heard of.

Just briefly! Speaking of wines: how many labels will be available in Verona? And how many producers?

I believe we will have approximately 400 brands to offer the public, with a couple of hundred names connected to the territory and 2,000 selected labels for sale. The model that is closest to us is that of Turin, where Eataly has an equally wide range of wines.

To delve deeper into the interview's content, we invite you to check out the full video: if you wish to further explore the life, successes, and failures of Oscar Farinetti, we recommend reading “Never Quiet – La mia storia (autorizzata malvolentieri)”, published by Rizzoli in 2021. 

S&M