A career in private banking to land then in food, italian and of high quality. Roberto Ugolini, after 25 years spent in Asia, returns to Rome with a precise project: to make italian excellence available to the entire world with a catalog of innovative gourmet proposals.
Ugolini, a brand synonymous with excellence in world gastronomy…
I started 14 years ago importing Made in Italy to Asia, and when I talk about Made in Italy in the context of food and wine, I refer to a business focused on quality, excellence, values, and flavors. Unfortunately, when you go abroad there are a lot of people talking about Italianness, but professionalism is a different thing. The Asian one was an experience characterized by moments of growth and great satisfaction, until the arrival of Covid, a moment that inevitably interrupted this trend and led me to “rethink” Italy.
My character has always led me to think that negative episodes serve as a stimulus to generate new ideas, and in this case, too, this was the case. So I changed my perspective and created a brand whose goal is to think, design and produce in Italy in order to sell abroad also thanks to the collaboration of my sons Giorgio and William, who are already involved and operating in different markets around the world. We are talking about a production based on refinement, on the rediscovery of ancient flavors, of the values of our food and our origins, adding that touch of creativity capable of giving further appeal to a raw material already of great value in itself. Ugolini is our new brand, an easy-to-use name now perceived as synonymous with quality for the consumer and reliability for our partners.
Many years abroad, but with an Italian soul always in the foreground.
I fully find myself in this statement. Not surprisingly, 25 years away from my city have not made me lose my distinct Roman accent. I am very proud of the fact that I have never allowed the consumer to make me forget my origins or change what was the concept of the business. I have remained Italian all the way, proud of having first imported “pinsa romana” to Asia, as well as of having made my customers understand the meaning of the word “truffle,” a word that until then left them thinking of something like potato. Today there are 15 companies importing truffles to Asia, but it was yours truly who gave luster to this product and to the Urbani company, one of the Italian excellences. And with great pride.
Now back in Italy, with what projects?
Today I am less young than I was 25 years ago, and I plan to stay in my country, putting to use all the experience gained in these 25 years of activity. All our products are now put under a single brand called “LuxurEat,” a root that blatantly states the goal of making our excellences available to the whole world, first and foremost truffles and caviar, also because not everyone knows that Italy is the second largest producer of caviar in the world. A catalog made of gourmet proposals from which our innovative spirit is evident. I can announce as of now the next release of innovative products, for example caviar oil and salt, a real novelty for the gourmet way, besides all, products that will be Slow Food certified and, last but not least, the next presentation of a catalog entirely dedicated to Kosher products.
Roberto, what is Made in Italy for you?
It is our DNA. It is what makes us proud in the world. A small country that is perceived abroad as great. Often more abroad than in our country. Made in Italy, especially in the food sector, is innovation and ingenuity, two factors that find their best expression in the continuous quest to transform already excellent products into even better ones.
