Great brands require lots of nurturing and care. Having a single brand to develop and care after is challenging enough. In Andrea Vianello, President of Rosenthal-Sambonet USA‘s case, he has a complete stable full of not just ordinary brands….but highly prestigious, design-drive brands, each with its own great heritage.
We recently had the opportunity to sit with Andrea Vianello to ask him about these challenges, the world of fine dining, and much more…… 
A: I came in US in 1997 to run Sambonet after 1 year as Paderno sales manager for Europe. So I’ve been with the group for 18 years.
Q: Both Rosenthal and Sambonet are prestige brands….each with great heritage that includes a large design component running deep throughout the DNA of each brand. Does that strong design piece make it easier…or harder to sell within the hospitality tabletop segment?
A: A little of both. From one side having a strong design component in our products attracts a very loyal and discerning clientele. From the other side it can backfire because we can be considered only for selected projects.
Q: Paderno has been on a bit of an acquisition roll over the past 10-15 years, acquiring some quite well-known brands. First, Sambonet….then World Cuisine….and, finally, the prestigious porcelain company Rosenthal, with its brands Thomas and Hutschenreuther. So, what will be the next brand to add to your company’s portfolio?
A: Well….we have acquired Arzberg last fall, a German porcelain manufacturer. Arzberg has very interesting patterns and a state of the art technic for colors. I don’t see any other acquisition anytime soon.
A: It’s a great combination. I don’t see any minus. We have merged 2 manufacturers with a similar history that complement themselves in term of product assortment. Rosenthal and Sambonet were the first brands to create design on the table. If you think at the TAC pattern designed by Walter Gropius in the 60’s or the Sambonet Hannah flatware pattern by Anna Castelli Ferrieri in 1994 or Imagine by Sambonet design center. Rosenthal Sambonet can cover all the tabletop needs thanks to our deep products assortment that encompass 7000 skus.
Q: Paderno-World Cuisine also has some terrific, very fun and practical cookware items (we love the colorful, Mini Dutch Ovens!) that can be used as tabletop serving pieces….do you market them along-side the Sambonet and Rosenthal brands? Or, do you present Paderno World Cuisine to customers separately?
A: We first started with a different distribution policy because Paderno was mostly back of the house. We are now merging sales force and distribution. The reason is that Paderno has developed a great and exciting range of tabletop items with different material, from cast iron to slate to aluminum that complement Rosenthal porcelain and Sambonet metalware. We present ourselves as unique assortment in the market being able to offer both back of the house and front of the house.
A: I think there is more attention to the tabletop component in the overall project. I think this is the consequences of a strong competition among restaurateurs and a more demanding and educated consumer.
Q: Your company is heavily invested in prestigious brands, all with great heritage. How important are brands within the hospitality tabletop world? And, is having a very well-known “designer” brand name in any way a negative in the hospitality business?
A: Very important. The brand is the most valuable asset in any company, also in tabletop. But brand alone is not enough. Although we are in one of the oldest industry, we need to innovate and create new designs and concepts. Certainly a designer can help, but at the end is the product that speaks.
Q: How would you define fine-dining today? And, what do you feel is the future of fine dining?
A: Dining in U.S. has changed tremendously since I came here in 1997. The U.S. consumer is much more knowledgeable and demanding. Therefore the offer is adjusting accordingly. In my opinion Fine dining is no longer tablecloth and silver, but it’s about innovation and authenticity of the food. From one side it’s a replication at best of a flavor or a dish from a geographical region, from the other it’s an enhancement of that dish with a special ingredient of touch that only a great chef (USA has plenty of) is capable of.
Q: We always try to end with something a little personal. You have been living here in the U.S. for 17 years…..what is better about living in America versus living in Italy? And, the reverse…what’s better about living in Italy than in the States?
A: Do we really have to go there? It’s so different but if I need to pick something I would say that the business environment is much better in US, but I miss eating a “panino al bar” in front of a soccer game.
To learn more about the brands and products from Rosenthal-Sambonet, go to their new website:
http://rosenthal-hotel-restaurant.com/
