There’s a whole world of small artisanal producers out there. They’re making the kind of high-quality foods and beverages which can be impossible to find outside a handful of gourmet shops, sold at prices which most people can’t afford. Recently these products have come to be described as niche, which makes them sound rare and expensive, the privilege of a lucky elite.
Eataly was founded to disprove this preconception and show that, in reality, even so-called niche products can be available to more people. A group of small-scale producers who make different kinds of food and wine have come together under this brand to offer the fruits of their labor, in the spirit of the old saying “union gives strength.” Here you’ll find Gragnano’s renowned handmade fusilli, rich egg noodles from the Langhe, pure mineral water from the Piedmontese Alps, wine from the Veneto’s vineyards, oil pressed from olives grown along the Ligurian coast, beef of the highest quality, artisanal cured meats from Emilia and fish from the Bay of Biscay.
Eataly brings together the best of artisanal products from the infamous “niche” but offers them at completely affordable prices. How do we do it? Simply by reducing the distribution chain to the bare minimum. In practice the producers offer their products directly to the final distributor, skipping the various intermediate links of the chain.
The rich variety on offer and the sustainable prices make Eataly a completely innovative newcomer to the varied world of quality food distribution.
This ambitious and original plan convinced Slow Food to participate in Eataly as a strategic consultant. The task of the non-profit organization is to check that the quality of the products on offer is always as high as promised and that Eataly producers never cut corners to meet growing demand.
0. WE’RE IN LOVE
We are people in love with quality foods and beverages: their stories and traditions, the men and women who produce them, the places they come from and the children who grow up in those places.
1. FOOD UNITES
Good food brings all of us together, creating a community which links different social layers, helping to find common points of view between people who think in different ways. We understand that the conviviality around a laid table helps generate moments of true happiness.
2. OUR JOB
We have decided to transform this passion into our job, so we can dedicate the majority of our day to studying and promoting high-quality foods and beverages.
3. THE QUALITY OF LIFE
In this way we hope to improve the quality of our life, and we want to help improve the quality of life of our customers.
4. EVERYONE
Our target customer base is very simple: EVERYONE! We’ve created big open spaces, in which anyone can feel at ease and not just a consumer. Instead our visitors actively participate in an relaxed journey of discovery that brings them closer to an understanding of quality foods and beverages.
5. EAT, BUY, LEARN
At Eataly everyone can eat, buy and learn, choosing freely what experiences to share.
6. CO-PRODUCERS
We will reach our objective when consumers understand that they are co-producers, conscious that their choices determine the quality and quantity of food on the market. They are therefore responsible not just for the quality of their own lives, but also the lives of those who produce food, the farmers, fishermen, bakers, cheesemakers and so on.
7. THREE EXPERIENCES
We offer a vast range of high-quality foods and beverages.
We let the maximum number of people access them by guaranteeing reasonable and sustainable prices.
We make the tools for understanding the values and stories behind these products available to everyone, in a unforced way.
8. HONESTY
We will never fall into the trap of using underhand methods of persuasion to encourage customers to buy more than they need.
9. REACHING OUR GOAL
Our relentless determination will help us to reach our goal: to open up a new path in the world of food distribution and artisanal product sales. We would like our customers to be aware of these values and to share our experiences. If we are successful we will be able to secure a satisfactory level of quality of life for our collaborators too.
Eataly Pinerolo 