Tiziana Primori: "The Fico model has also seduced the Chinese: that's why"

“The philosophy of food has changed over the years, today we are all more aware consumers. Many fences have fallen, once we could be divided into traditionalists, indifferent or cultivators. Now the boundaries are more blurred. Almost everyone, before buying a product, reads the label, informs us, evaluates the reputation of the brand, pays attention to the taste, but also to our well-being”. Word of Tiziana Primori, who knows about food and consumers, as managing director of the company that manages Fico Eataly World, "the largest food park in the world", as the slogan states. One year after its opening, Fico is a gamble that investors and administrators believe won: 3 million accesses in the first 12 months, with the aim of reaching 4-4,5 million, a break-even point, over three years.

Adults, children, singles and families are the bread and butter of the park. Especially the little ones have the opportunity to come into contact with crops and farmed animals for the first time. Fico is the countryside in the city, a structure on the outskirts of Bologna that houses two hectares of fields, 200 animals, over 40 farm factories, 45 refreshment points, 6 classrooms, 6 large educational rides, a congress centre, a theatre, a cinema, the shops and the market. The route can be done on foot or by bicycle, alone or accompanied by a guide.

After a visit to Fico, no child, when asked to represent a hen, will draw a roast chicken, as happened years ago in an elementary school, because the pupils had never seen a farmyard animal. And this great plant, which sprouted a year ago, is already ready to sow its seeds far away.

Doctor Primori, some newspapers have read of a possible "Chinese fig": what can you tell us about it?

“We are working on it, I just got back from China. The Chinese are very interested in our model, in eco-sustainable agriculture, which makes biodiversity its pivot. Fico is a place of production of values, before food. We show the wonders of Italian production, from birth to plate and fight against food waste. These are themes that the Chinese feel particularly strongly about, because they themselves have a great culinary tradition. On my recent trip I ate at least 20 different vegetables cooked in different ways. Here, I can say that we are working with China and that we also have contacts in Italy and abroad, to reproduce our model".

In April, you signed an agreement with a Chinese tour operator to bring 30 visitors a year: how are things going and what kind of food consumers are the Chinese?

“The Chinese come and are attentive and interested consumers. Surely the most famous Italian dish abroad, after pizza and Tiramisù, is spaghetti Bolognese, which in China is based on soy”.

Spaghetti di soia alla bolognese is the variant of a specialty that does not exist in the capital of Emilia…

“Indeed, however, spaghetti Bolognese is a reality in the world. At Fico we also staged a challenge between supporters and detractors of this dish, where the latter won. We generally try to explain to foreigners that meat sauce goes well with tagliatelle, which is egg pasta. But we don't always turn out to be convincing and I'm not hostile to spaghetti, even if it doesn't exist in tradition, it exists in fact".

Might as well codify it then, depositing an original recipe?

“No, I wouldn't go so far as to write a universal recipe”.

Besides the Chinese, do you have many other foreigners visiting? And what kind of eaters are they?

“Foreigners are about 8% and our goal is to reach 30%. The most assiduous, after the Chinese, are the French, Russians and Germans. Each people is interested in something in particular. The French, like the Chinese, have a quality cuisine and are more inclined to know the process than what is on the plate, to discover the recipes and to taste them, showing a predilection for pasta. Russians are more into wine and spirits, but they are also fond of balsamic vinegar. I remember that, in our park, in the right season, grapes are pressed. Germans notoriously love beer. We own the hop plant and make some of the beer we sell every week. In short, visitors to Fico are curious, each with his predilections. And we can show them many production processes, for example how mortadella or panettone are made. And then we give the opportunity to taste what we have seen done. We do not produce Parmigiano Reggiano, even if there is a wonderful shop that sells it, because it is not an area covered by the specification. But let's make Grana Padano”.

Fico is a concentration of Made in Italy excellence, many of which come from Emilia, yet the Bolognese don't love this place, why?

“Many Bolognese are frequent visitors to Fico. But this is a city that slowly gets used to changes and novelties. You have to be patient."

At this moment, Monday morning, your car parks are almost empty: are you sure that the project is responding to your ambitions?

“This morning there seem to be few people, but in reality there are at least three thousand visitors. We are a large structure, capable of absorbing important flows. The trend satisfies us, we had a large number of people until the month of April, then there was a drop in May and a peak in August of 223 visitors. In July and August around 2000 children attended our summer camps. In September we achieved a turnover of around 36 million euros and by the end of the year we expect to reach 50 million. We have around 800 direct jobs, which rise to 4000 if we calculate related industries.
They are beautiful numbers, like others that we can show off. Overall, in the first 9 months, Fico gave life to a thousand cultural and entertainment events, linked each month to one of the trades of our tradition, such as the miller, the farmer, the pizza maker. We are working to ensure that Fabbrica Italiana Contadina establishes itself as an increasingly open place suitable for children, and as a tourist destination. Let's not forget that Fico helped bring the Emirates airline to Bologna and that in the spring the Star Hotel with 200 rooms will be ready next to our structure. Then, if we need to fix something, we'll do it".

Another of the repeated criticisms is that your products are expensive. Do you have products in common with supermarkets, sold at higher prices?

“Perhaps 10 out of 300 products can also be found in the supermarket, so it is a very modest percentage. Overall we think we have good value for money”.

The starred restaurant "Cinque" by chef Enrico Bartolini has left its space free: do you think that Fico's patrons ask for good but also cheap food?

“We have other starred restaurants and requests from 150 companies that we are unable to satisfy. I think it is preferable to maintain a varied offer, both in terms of foods and prices”.

On November 15th you celebrate Fico's first birthday, do you have any special initiatives in mind?

“We will be partying for a whole week and I want to tell everyone that it will be worth being there. I can anticipate that famous protagonists of Italian cuisine will be with us, such as Benedetta Parodi, but also the representatives of Fancy Food New York, the most important agri-food fair in the world, and that we will announce the many new products arriving in our park in the coming months ”.