3 minuti
Andrea
Everyone talks about the product, but does it have an identity that can speak? With Lucca Cantarin, owner of the historic Pasticceria Marisa, we talk about the value of traditions, communication between stories and relationships, the new balances between companies created by social media, and active listening – both to the market and to employees.
How important do you think the identity of your business is, understood both as the people who represent it and as the path that enhances its products and projects?
Identity and the person are the basis of everything. Let me give you just one example: when we include the image of my mother Marisa in our communication, the appreciation skyrockets. It means that the human component is fundamental.
Do you have a precise method that you use in product development? And does it change according to the type of product?
Comparison with colleagues is the basis of everything. Then it’s about sifting through, looking at and tasting so many products and so much raw material. And finally there is also a need for personal expression. For example, last year I had a mania for caramel: everything I could do with caramel, I did. I think that as long as there are these stimuli, it means that there is a desire to continue.
If you had to describe your identity in three words, which would you choose?
It is trite to say passion and love, so I would choose listening, glasses and family. I listen because I prefer, especially in recent years, more listening than being a protagonist. I have also made this clear to my collaborators by inviting them to be heard, and I like the confrontation that is generated. I have noticed that it pays off more on a personal level too. Then the glasses – they are not for show – represent the will to live as best as possible with an evil that you live with every day. And finally the family, because at the origins of everything there is always the family.
What is your communication strategy and how has it changed over the years?
More than strategy it is almost improvisation and philosophy of life. ‘Do for others what you would like to be done for you’, I tell myself. So communication should not be too intrusive or exaggerated: I communicate as I would like someone else to communicate with me. Over the last few years, we have included in our workforce figures dedicated to the strategic management of Pasticceria Marisa’s communication, who are constantly supported by a team of experts in the field. This type of management allows us to have specialised figures who breathe the philosophy and climate of the pastry shop and, at the same time, stay abreast of trends and techniques in the world of marketing and communication. We plan ad hoc advertising campaigns during festivals and anniversaries and other activities in the long term that are more informative. It is precisely the provision of information that is most lacking in our sector and, if you think about it, it is precisely that which builds customer loyalty, because it is a way of making oneself heard. I don’t perceive much value in saying ‘today we are in the pastry shop and we have baked a new brioche’, that might have been fine when Facebook was born but it is not so today. Another missing element is being able to explain products related to tradition and pastry.
Does the communication you do towards the end consumer differ from that dedicated to the Ho.Re.Ca. sector?
Ho.Re.Ca. is a delicate sector, so we often use representatives. A human figure or voice is still necessary: it always pays off more than something intangible. And even the trust of the call to the owner has no comparison to the response of an employee. But today in general we are really lost with people. Personally, I have limited email communication because I prefer to waste two minutes on the phone rather than texting to say ‘yes’: the phone call is much more immediate and hearing your interlocutor’s voice also creates the desire to get to know him. But today, communication is taking a back seat to what communication itself is, understood as dialogue and not simply the transmission of a message. One forgets that sometimes it sells more the relationship than the story, which is why today a small artisan also has to contend with large realities. Once it was unthinkable to be in front of and talk to a communicator from Barilla or Ferrero, today you can confront him directly. Walls have come down.
Perhaps social media have given everyone an opportunity in this, big or small. Don’t you think so?
Yes, we are all on the same level and everyone wants to let the product speak for itself. Perhaps this co-presence of big and small has contributed to a distortion between the artisan and the industry. While the big companies can push advertising, the village confectioner has started to shout to make his product look better by adding words like ‘artisan’ or ‘handmade’, which does not necessarily mean it is good. Paradoxically, if today you pick up a Mulino Bianco product or the latest Nutella biscuit and read the ingredients, the only thing you can say is ‘chapeau’. Because they have a cleaner label than 90% of confectioners.
Speaking of Marisa, the ice cream parlour is where your story began. Is the decision to open a place dedicated only to this activity linked to the desire to strengthen your identity?
It was dictated by a change in market trends in recent years and by commercial needs. Because the strong image of the pastry shop had completely overshadowed the ice cream parlour, think that in Arsego they had forgotten that we make ice cream…Since ice cream is our origin, I said to myself ‘either we close or we continue on another route’. In general, however, we are facing three years of change: in the first the opening of the ice cream parlour, in the second that of the laboratory and in the third, 2020, the renovation of the premises. Because, for example, counter merchandising no longer meets today’s requirements.
We know that you personally follow the photography of your products. Considering that the end consumer may find them ‘Instagrammable’ and thus generate communication material for your company, do you think about their photographic aspect when you develop them?
I think mainly about the photographic aspect. First there is the box, then the product – especially if it is an anniversary product. For the Valentine’s Day products, for example, we first studied the height of the box, worked out whether it could be ordered and then defined the product in every detail.
So the product is a thought-out experience in every moment – from the order to the final taste.
Even better: I start from the situation at home.
In this historical moment, there is a particular focus on corporate social responsibility, not only as a responsibility towards food, but also towards employees, the territory and communities. How do you relate to this issue?
Companies go ahead because there are employees, so first of all the value they create every day must be returned to them. Also on a human level. Of course, it is a bit difficult for us to work out welfare as a company of over 1,000 employees can manage it. We don’t have the organisational structure to do it, but if we can we meet all needs, especially in terms of training.
Do you have difficulties finding people who want to work here?
No, in the pastry business I, like Lucca Cantarin, have an identity. So many people propose themselves spontaneously. However, I always try to have people from outside the Veneto region: to raise the motivational level, to avoid static and to have more stimuli on a personal level. And then I generally don’t want people to stay for more than 2 or 3 years: I want there to be a continuous interchange in which neither party – company and operator – chooses each other. Rather, both should give the other an opportunity for growth.
Do you have experience with collaborations? Do companies use your image or do you rely on other people to promote you?
Yes, and it is a relationship that is good both for the companies because it supports them and for you because you realise that that company believes in your project. Every collaboration over the years has always brought me benefits. Again, there is a mutual respect. And it is fundamental for your personal growth.
