Startups can thrive in Italy too, provided extra steps are taken to create favorable conditions for aspiring entrepreneurs, including abiding by rules, adopting technology, and cutting down on red tape. In the following interview with the Aspen Italia website team, Christian Oddono, who has opened a chain of quality Italian gelaterias in London, shares his experience of setting up a business in the UK, explaining that the key to turning the tide on the creation of a startup-friendly environment is stepping up the roll-out of e-government services.
Was it easy to set up your company in London? Can the British approach to startups be applied to Italy?
It was very easy to set up shop in the UK. I have no personal experience of starting a business in Italy, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to introduce the system of off-the-shelf companies in Italy too, as it allows new entrepreneurs to take over an already established company and just change its name to commence operating. I don’t believe, however, that there is an importable British approach as such, but rather two major shortcomings in Italy which need to be overcome. The first is the low uptake of technology by public authorities, and the second, perhaps more complex, concerns the ethical integrity of the system. Adherence to rules leads to greater efficiency and also to more rapid processes of change, because the public at large rewards those who resolve problems.
How do you approach selling “Italian gelato” in London?
We sell gelato that is freshly made in our stores, so we can’t say that it is made in Italy. What we sell is a taste of Italy, because at the end of the day, although the origins of gelato are uncertain, it is well-known that Italians are good at making it.
Gelato is an experience that English customers – perhaps after a holiday in Italy – want to recapture. But what matters most to anyone who comes into our gelaterias is the product itself, regardless of labels. This is why our ingredients are top quality and many come from Italy, but without being too strict about it. For instance, in my opinion the best pistachios come from Bronte in Sicily, and so I buy them there from a producer that I have visited and trust, whereas hazelnuts I get from the Langhe district in Piedmont. But we also have flavors and ingredients that are more to Anglo-Saxon tastes, such as peanut butter.
After London, where do you next hope to expand?
I believe that, at an international level, there is a huge opening in the market for this product. In fact, in many countries it is not easy to find an fresh gelato made daily. We are looking at various markets and we’re planning further growth in the UK. Wherever we go, we will in any case have to adapt the product to local tastes. When I launched Oddono’s, I returned to Italy to learn how to make gelato, but the recipes that we have today are very different from the original ones. This is because tastes vary greatly between northern and southern Europe. Even in Italy, it is possible for gelaterias in Milan and Palermo to have very different recipes.
You’ve mentioned that enabling customers to recapture “a taste of Italy” is a key selling point for Oddono’s gelato. Does this apply to other food products as well?
Tourism is very important for Italian products abroad, which is another reason why Italy needs to boots its attractiveness. Tourism today helps sales because customers are increasingly sophisticated and place much store in knowing, perhaps firsthand, the background of a product. In this sense, raising the profile of places where certain foods come from also helps to sell them successfully. This is partly why we at Oddono’s have decided to focus a lot on education, and in fact, we have a schools program in place. The kids come to us and seem very happy to learn about what gelato is and how it’s made.
