More people eating and cooking at home mean more opportunities for the consumer goods industry, as does the need for reduced portion sizes for small and single-person households. It is for this reason that Artebianca is focussing on authenticity and service, responding to different ways consumers are eating or using the product, whether at home or away, whether as part of a family meal or dining with friends. This is the case for Pan Piuma Arrotolabile, a wrap-style sliced bread that can be used in a huge variety of home recipes. “Our offering,” explains Andrea Vanetti, sales director at Artebianca, “is very much within the soft, no-crust, sliced bread category, but we are diversifying in terms of shapes, varieties, recipes, slice thickness and versions that can be adapted to different consumer approaches.”
In Europe the company is present in catering and retail channels and the target for 2014 is to get into the big supermarkets. “It is still difficult for Italian products to maintain a stable position on European shelves,” Vanetti concludes, “where they are up against specialties from other countries. Export is worth 10-20% for us, but needs to increase to 30-40%, the minimum threshold for a company to be competitive on the market.”