Exceptional

Profile: Eataly
All Eataly stores are dedicated to different themes —
such as peace, harmony, beauty, courage and music — and
each is unique in other ways as well. Many stores, like the
Carpano factory location in Turin or the one in Milan’s
Smeraldo Theater, are industrial or cultural landmarks in
their own right. They are also huge: the original in Turin is
30,000sq ft and the Chicago branch is 63,000sq ft.
The product mix changes from store to store. In Italy,
producers from the respective surrounding regions are more
heavily represented, while Eataly sites abroad also use a fair
share of local — but rigorously high-quality — raw materials.
That said, there is no substitute for San Marzano tomatoes,
San Daniele prosciutto or Italy’s famed extra virgin olive oil.
“I’m opposed to a free-for-all approach, but I’m also against
a radical kilometer-zero philosophy,” Farinetti says.
As he brings Italy’s culinary magic to new destinations,
Farinetti is frequently accompanied on his
travels by Carlo Petrini, the founder of
Italy’s Slow Food movement and a longtime
friend. Slow Food promotes sustainability
and biodiversity and has served as Eataly’s
strategic consultant from the start,
participating in the painstaking task of
identifying potential suppliers and helping
develop classes and other educational
activities, which are a fundamental part
of the Eataly experience.
“When they come to Eataly, I want people
to say, ‘This is a great place where I can
satisfy all my desires,’” Farinetti explains.
“But I also want people to see that this is a
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Eataly is more than
just a retail outlet;
every store includes
restaurants as well.
nations taking
145 part in the
Universal Exposition,
sharing ideas on the
theme “Feeding the
Planet, Energy for Life”
23m people
expected
to visit the Expo over
its six-month life
“I want people to say, ‘This
is a great place where I can
satisfy all my desires.’”
different sort of place that also wants
to educate.”
Even when he’s in Italy, Farinetti is always
on the move. The success of Eataly and his
direct, approachable manner have made him
a popular speaker at corporate strategy events. And Expo
2015, the World’s Fair that opened in Milan on 1 May and
continues until 31 October, features 20 Eataly restaurants,
one for each of Italy’s regions and their varied culinary
traditions. Aside from bringing the best of Italian food to Expo,
Farinetti is also happy that Eataly’s pavilion is hosting the
“Treasures of Italy” exhibition, featuring hundreds of artworks
produced by Italian masters over the centuries and an
example of what he calls the country’s “artistic biodiversity.”
Deep family roots
Meanwhile, Eataly is warming up for a listing on the Milan
stock market, which Farinetti sees as a natural development
for Italy’s only global food retailer. Tamburi Investment
Partners, which acquired a 20% stake in Eataly for €120m
(about US$135m) in 2014, will oversee the group’s initial
Eataly at Milan Expo 2015
sq ft
86,000 space
that houses the Eataly
pavilion, called “The
Answer is Blowing in
the Wind”
2 permanent
restaurants in
the pavilion
20 revolving
restaurants, with
the restaurateur changing
each month
cafés and numerous
6 food counters
100+ regional
varieties
of Italian wine on offer