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Eight generations, 248 years of Made in Italy entrepreneurship.
Garbellotto, now known throughout the world for the production of wooden barrels, vats and barriques for the refinement of wines and spirits, was founded in 1775 as a barrel maker.
At the time, the wooden barrel was a container used to store primarily wines and spirits, but also other liquids, foods, substances, materials of various kinds.
With great foresight, at the end of the Second World War, my father started a parallel timber business which allowed him to optimize the business to overcome the turbulence of the barrel sector in the 1980s.
We sell in Italy and all over the world, wherever there are wine regions.
Taking over a company with such a long and important history can be daunting.
My brothers and I took over the business when we were very young. I remember those years: the work absorbed me completely, there were no Saturdays and Sundays. More than fear, I felt a strong sense of responsibility towards my family, the generations that had preceded me, the work that had been carried out in the face of an infinite number of difficulties. And towards the employees. It also happens that among the coopers there are entire families, fathers and sons who pass on complex, sophisticated and old-fashioned know-how. Creating a barrel takes a very long time: a delicate job, which requires patience, ability, experience that are learned over years and years of work. It takes a lot of dedication: it's like making a custom-made item of clothing.
What is family for you? What are the values you share?
My greatest fortune was having my brothers. Without them to cling to and without mutual collaboration, everything would have been much more complicated. Even today, despite the physiological arguments between brothers that never fail, our bond is strong and without cracks .
My father taught me the importance of humility, of never feeling like you've arrived, and from him I also inherited the desire and energy needed to continually put yourself on the line.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
In all honesty, no one. I have made mistakes, but I have no regrets. I believe that every moment, even the worst and most complex, is an integral part of the journey and as such must be lived, respected and celebrated. Well, if I really had to reproach myself for something, it would be for not having committed myself to my studies as I could and should have.
Garbellotto is an all-Italian excellence.
I couldn't imagine it in any other country because no one like us Italians has this passion for craftsmanship and care for the product. It must be added that for a question of biodiversity linked to the natural richness and beauty of our territory there are no other territories like the Italian one that guarantee such a flourishing and quality production of wine, vinegars, spirits. It goes without saying that the production excellence of containers for these products should be in the same country.
At the beginning of the interview you compared the production of a barrel to the making of a tailored garment. What is style for you and what weight does it have?
The search for style and respect for my personal taste are fundamental. “Dressing well”, that is , dressing with the right amount of effort, is a gesture of respect towards myself and attention towards others . When you are dressed according to your own taste, you feel at ease, confident, both in the workplace and outside, regardless of the situation you find yourself in. On the other hand, how we present ourselves says a lot about us, our clothing is our business card.
What is the item you can't do without and what are the features you look for when you have to make a new purchase?
I love wearing turtleneck sweaters in winter and linen shirts in summer. In winter I then combine a jacket and chino pants or jeans . In my free time I also wear heavy crewneck sweaters. I would define my style as "casual and neat".
All the clothes I wear must be pleasant to the touch and therefore be made with quality fabrics. For me to choose them, behind a pair of trousers, a shirt, a pair of shoes, I must necessarily glimpse a deep research, the study, the attention to detail. I do not tolerate superficiality. This is why I love wearing clothes made in Italy, like those signed lirecento.
Visiting the Garbellotto factory it is evident that the attention to aesthetics is also reflected in the work environment.
We are perfectionists. Even in the company we want the care for cleanliness and aesthetic detail to be extreme . When you work in a clean, tidy and bright environment, where you feel good, it is more likely that you do it with a smile. I'll give you some examples: the company color, burgundy, is also found on the machinery, which has been specially customized; each employee has their own uniform with the logo and for each season of the year... Even the wheels of the forklifts are white, so they don't leave marks on the floor! Did I already say that I am a perfectionist? (Laughs, ed.)
More than a focus on performance and profit, we mean that there is above all a lot of love and passion for one's profession. As it once was.
Recent Anglo-Saxon business models have accustomed us to a logic of profit that overrides the well-being of the worker. My family has always believed that a peaceful working environment is essential. This is also why we organize company parties and trips to reward our employees. We think the old way and keep craftsmanship at the center, that is, man and his work . This is why we called the new factory based in Sacile “ artisan intelligence ”: three robotic lines and various technologies patented by us support, perfect and make safer the work of the coopers who remain, today as then, the true protagonist of the process.
IB
