Marco Padelli, chief global business officer of the Gruppo Gimoka, reveals the reasons behind the growth that has made the company famous during these years, explaining into detail the vast diversified and complete product portfolio of the Group including a wide range of coffee blends and an even greater choice of instant beverages.
The goal for the future of the company? “Maintaining a constant double-digit growth rate and consolidate our positions in the national and international market” explains Padelli.
In recent years, Gruppo Gimoka has seen continuous evolution and growth. How to define the company today and what does it offer?
“In just over 5 years we have gone from being a family roastery to a company that is structuring itself to compete at the European level in our two categories of reference: Italian regional brands and Private Label. Our growth has been predominantly international with a distribution network covering over 60 countries.
We are becoming the preferred partner for Private Label projects of the main international players in both distribution and the coffee and instant beverages sectors.
We have equipped the company with a diversified and complete product portfolio for both Home and Out of Home that includes a wide range of coffee blends and a wide choice of instant beverages, both available in all formats and all types of packaging, able to meet the needs of consumers in the various channels.
All this has been possible thanks to important investments in technology, innovation, marketing and sustainability. We have vertically integrated into the industrial and distribution chain to maximize our competitiveness.
We have combined both steady organic growth and acceleration through targeted acquisitions. Gruppo Gimoka is therefore a major player in our product category”.
What were the main steps along this path?
“We started from the company organization, structuring the various functions to develop a more effective approach to the market. We have invested in quality processes, innovation and maximization of production efficiency.
This has allowed us to accelerate our organic growth by expanding the geographical distribution whilst increasing penetration in the existing markets. We then focused on the product range, extending the offer to instant beverages thanks to the acquisition of the company Univerciok in 2019.
Diversification has also developed on the new channels. The acquisition of Caffè Bonini in 2020 brought us two e-commerce sites, caffe.com & capsule.it, which have strengthened our online presence together with our presence on Amazon, a channel in rapid growth.
We have relaunched our corporate website, promoting our new identity and showcasing our complete range of brands and private label services.
We have built a portfolio of coffee brands, each with a strong characterizing profile and distinctive positioning. Gimoka operates in the low price every day range, Caffè Mauro, positioned in the premium range in both horeca and retail.
We are also developing the St Remio brand, the result of a joint venture with an Australian company, which in turn operates in the field of social and environmental sustainability. In this way, our brands differ between traditional Italian brands and purpose brands to capture new international trends.
Added to this is an offer of historical brands with strong local roots in the regions of reference, thus enriching our offer and the consumer experience”.
Can you provide us with any data to frame how 2023 is going for Gruppo Gimoka? (turnover and sales growth)
“In 2022 the group closed with a total turnover circa €200 million and our growth forecast for the current year, 2023, is on target to grow +12% despite the complicated macroeconomic situation. A major contributor for this growth has been the sales out of Italy which represents approximately 70% of our business”.
The private label is growing on a large scale. A salient feature of your Group is to propose yourself as a Private Label Project Partner in the world of coffee and distribution, confirming your history.
“Our family continues to invest into manufacturing and technological infrastructure. In the past 6 years we have invested in excess of 50 million euros transforming our facilities into fully integrated state of the art roasting facilities and automated filling and packing lines.
Today, we can offer the most advanced and efficient production technology, combined with over 40 years of expertise to develop customized solutions. As a result, we have and continue to collaborate with the most important world retail companies at international roasters who choose us both as productive partners and as incubators for their new projects”.
Internationally, which product lines have recorded the highest growth?
“Our strengths lies in our ability to provide dedicated solutions for all formats of coffee and soluble products.
In the single serve products, we continue our growth especially in Nespresso, Keurig and Dolce Gusto systems. We are particularly pleased with the results of our compatible Nespresso Professional disks.
The traditional Paper Pods and coffee beans formats shows exceptional growth in the past 18 months”.
What trends have you picked up and how have you responded to market challenges?
“In order to exceed consumer needs, we are focusing on three key pillars; convenience, sustainability and consumption of alternative beverages.
Regarding convenience, we are studying new single-serve systems and solutions for compatible capsules that will expand the depth of our assortment.
Regarding sustainability, as we wait for legislative clarity regarding packaging disposal, we maintain a primary focus on studying packaging solutions with low logistical impact, which are also biodegradable and recyclable.
Regarding alternative beverages, at Host Milano we will present a new line of 100% plant-based beverages for all channels of the market: retail, online, vending and OCS”.
What are Gruppo Gimoka’s expectations for 2024?
“We continue to be ambitious in our growth strategy. Today, we have seven commercial branches worldwide and we plan to expand our direct expansion into new markets. As a Group, the goal is to continue the double-digit growth and consolidate our positions in the Italian and the international markets”.
