Orva: healthy soft breads and foreign markets

The Cibus Lab workshop dedicated to bakery and all its declinations was attended by several leading industry representatives, specialized in different areas of the macro category in question. Luigi Bravi, CEO and President of Orva, also gave a speech to offer his vision on industrial savory bakery. Orva is a company that operates in the bakery sector and has its roots in traditional products, particularly piadina. Over time the company has evolved, expanding its production to other items, including soft breads, to name one in particular.  The technology linked to this type of bread, as Bravi points out, is complex and in order to be sustained requires considerable investments, which Orva has developed over time.

The final consumer is increasingly more attentive to health issues. This trend has not escaped Orva, who have recognized this need and made it their mission to keep up with the trends that the market is imposing on the world of bakery products. The countries of central and northern Europe, in particular, are very attentive to organic alternatives, which have recently considerably increased in popularity. Orva has moved in the same direction, developing items that cater to this type of market. Needless to say, the pandemic has favored the growth of long-life baked goods over fresh ones. The question that spontaneously comes to mind is whether fresh bread will return to popularity once the health emergency is over, while long shelf life products will see their performance decline.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW TO LUIGI BRAVI
(CEO & President – Orva)

Regardless of the answer, Bravi has no doubt that promotional pressure is a very important tool that could prove essential when the pandemic wears off. But Orva has a much greater impact on private label, which accounts for 90% of the company’s business. This high percentage is justified by the substantial investments that the company has made to expand its technology and production capacity in order to satisfy the large volume of customer requests. Quality, price and service: the first two may be the prerogative of the market, but the last one is the trump card of Orva, thus distinguishing itself from other players. As anticipated, gluten free and organic products are among the main market trends, especially in the foreign market, from which Orva obtains 20% of its turnover by promoting the above mentioned segments. Undoubtedly, the made in Italy label gives an added value, but it is not enough: traditional bread alone would not make a company competitive, so it is necessary to study the market and understand its interests. However, the healthy foods market is not an exclusively foreign prerogative: Orva aims at consolidating their organic and gluten free line among Italian customers too.

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