MILAN, Oct. 14 (Class Editori) – “There is who states that small businesses can’t make it. I do not believe it and I even try to conquer a sector in China”, said Disma Giovanni Mazzola, the managing director of Friulchem, based in Vivaro, Pordenone. With his determination, enthusiasm and a little bit of danger that has always characterized the small entrepreneurs who made the Made in Italy fortune, he decided to conquer the Chinese market.
His peculiarity is not only that he is not afraid of that huge country despite the size of his company, 16 million in turnover in 2018, but above all is the unique type of product that he wants to offer to Chinese consumers: dietary supplements for domesticated animals.
In China, more that in US which are in second place – in Europe the ranking is headed by England – there is the largest number of small animals in the world, coddled more than in Western countries. The boom was caused as a response to the one-child policy imposed by the goverment, not in force anymore. Dogs and cats were a solace.
The push of having pets is continuing and Mazzola is sure that his dietary supplements will conquer the market. As a matter of fact, they are patented without chemicals and only with natural substances that can strengthen the immune system and therefore the wellbeing of animals.
“We patented a technology that allows us to offer the animal a particularly tasty tablet with a specific substance inside aimed at its general wellbeing or at the hair and skin care, or at joint and muscle problems or anti-stress issues, at developing memory, and even at dental hygiene”, explained the businessman, “it is a complete line of products, which tests demonstrated that they fully meet the requirements of Chinese customers too”.
Friulchem already exports 95% of its turnover and to support the expansion abroad last July it entered the Stock Exchange in Milan, on the AIM listing, where it gathered 4.5 million euros to start its campaign toward China. “China as well asks for natural products”, explained Mazzola. “Our product is a biscuit made with meat, but prepared to preserve the organoleptic properties of its ingredients in its inner core, 100% natural”.
This October Friulchem established also a branch in the USA to distribute dietary supplements in the American market, promoting the product in a very effective way: by inviting Yankee consumers to let their pets to taste the Italian style so loved in the USA.
38.8% of the share is held by the Mazzola family, which founded it 19 years ago, 23.8% belongs to Friulia, a regional financial institution. Alessandro Mazzola, born in 1945, Giovanni’s father, with a long career in the pharmaceutical field, gave the imprint to the China mission – a market he has been dealing with since the 80s when he founded a trading company, Allchim, in Hong Kong.
“We have privileged China”, said Disma Giovanni Mazzola, “but from November dietary supplements for pets will be on sale in Italy and throughout Europe through the Suppleo brand”.
In Italy, according to a recent Assaico-Zoomark survey, there are 7.3 million cats and 7 million dogs living in homes. 53% of those who own a pet dedicates most of his free time to it, 46% travel only if they can bring it with him, 36% share on social medias pictures. Speaking of this, a curiosity: the New York times found the most influencer dog, it’s called Doung the Pug, 2.3 million followers and brands which compete for 10 thousand dollars to have it has promotional post or in a event.
Last year Italians spent 2.8 billion on cats and dogs food; 71.3 million on hygiene products and dietary supplements. Which slice of pie the company based in Pordenone will be able to take?
It is active in the productive livestock sector too, with dedicated drugs and supplements, and it just established a joint venture with the Japanese veterinary giant Kyoritsu Seyaku, in the sixteenth place in the world in the sector.
The Friulchem flagship is research: it is about to patent on a global level an organic formula which eliminates unpleasant odors caused by pig farms. For what concerns fish farming, they designed microspheres loaded with drugs in electromagnetic mode in order to avoid the dispersion of the medicine in the water and therefore the need to administer large quantities.
“Our mission is to excel in research and realize new products”, said Mazzola. “With this foundations, the agility of a small enterprise can make the difference. The Italian entrepreneurial system has all the qualities to win, imagine if then there would be a social environment aware of the importance of doing business..”.
“The company started its activities in 2000, there has been who wanted to discourage me but I did not listened and instead I committed myself. There is a lot of laziness around, Italy needs a kind of electroshock and could become the first country in Europe”, said Mazzola.
The third sector of this geolocal company is the pharmaceutical one: it works with substances and molecules for drugs multinational.
At this regard there is a recent patent on bioreactos, that is a method of culture of microorganisms, done through a biological way instead of the usual chemical synthesis. “In this way we improve molecules. We have been able to achieve our first cosmocute product, K5 Lipogel, a cream to remove dark spots from the skin,” explained Mazzola.
“We do not mean to enter this sector, but when through our research we discover molecules with specific properties we do not back down. Thus this cream is gaining interest also abroad because it is a problem so far faced with poor results”.
(Source:Class Editori)
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