In focus Vista Alegre
“There is room to invest even more in the hospitality” Denise Madeira, marketing manager, Vista Alegre Hotelware tells us about the company’s approach to hospitality – from the latest addition to the Chefs’ Collection through to the company’s strategy to grow their HoReCa business… Is Vista Alegre’s HoReCa business an area of growth for the brand? The progressive growth of supply and demand in the hotel sector, as well as the consequent increase in the quality, have encouraged Vista Alegre to invest in this highly competitive segment, viewing tourism as an organic extension of its activity. This business area is an increasingly important channel for the brand which is reflected in its growth in sales of 4.4 per cent in 2023 comparing with 2022. It’s part of the company’s strategy for the last year the focus on this specific channel reinforcing it with the developing and launching of new products that fit the needs and trends of this sector. How does the hospitality side of Vista Alegre’s business compare with its retail – specifically, does the company view hospitality as equally, or perhaps more important, than the retail/ consumer side?
Both channels are important to the brand, but they are also different. Different clients, different needs, different trends and so our offer should be equally different. The identity/ essence of the brand is present in both channels, but our offer is adapted. This strategic decision was made right in the beginning when the brand started
Yes, we launched Florentino plate in the end of last year. This is a partnership that makes us very happy as Chef Nello is an inspiration in the worldwide gastronomic sphere. Since 2016 he has been in charge of Cipriani, the restaurant at the iconic Belmont Copacabana Palace hotel in Rio de Janeiro,
“At Vista Alegre we are used to balancing both the design and functional properties demanded by the best professionals” to invest in the HoReCa channel. In this way we can offer the best for each in terms of quality, design and technical needs. Tell us more about the latest addition to Vista Alegre’s Chefs’ Collection – you’ve recently added to the collection with Nello Cassese’s Florentino?
Florentino 28 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL: HoReCa
where he has won several awards including a Michelin star. His professional career has been a constant homage to Italian gastronomic culture. And it was also this universe that he wished to pass on to the Chef’s Collection project with us. A piece which represented the ancient Renaissance art schools of Florence and Venice. The plates within the Chef’s Collection are real works for art – how do they cope with the rigours of a professional kitchen? At Vista Alegre we are used to balancing both the design and functional properties demanded by the best professionals, including dimension, volumetry, resistance, and ergonomics. We make sure to
work closely in each project with the design and production department to make sure all the beautiful ideas and inspirations that, in this case, the chefs have, can be effectively replicated in a plate and have the quality and functional characteristics demanded by the sector. Are tableware companies investing too much of themselves in HoReCa? Not at all! Firstly, because there is room to invest even more in the hospitality sector, and secondly because the experience of one sector helps the other. In other words, the fact that Vista Alegre is a bicentenary company, with so much experience in production, with such remarkable national and international growth, means that it has the capacity to grow in several directions. By this I mean that the growth of one sector at Vista Alegre does not harm or hinder the development of other sectors. We have the capacity for more! We want to grow, develop and always provide our customers with quality and innovation, whatever the segment. Finally, what are your thoughts on the hospitality sector in general, is it healthy? Considering the sales numbers of the last years, we can say that is a continuous growing sector and is as healthy as it can be.