Meet the Levonis at the Alcar Uno headquarter
Eurocarni magazine n° 4, year 2009
He founded his first company when he was only seventeen, together with his mother Ersilia and, as he was underage, he called it Barbieri Carni, from his mother’s surname. It was the year 1958 in Castelnuovo Rangone, a little city in the south of Modena near to the hills. A prolific land, the most suitable for pig breeding.
We are talking about Sante, Santino, Levoni, which is today a 360 degrees enterpreneur, well known both in Italy and abroad as the creator of an important company dealing in processing and manufacturing pork meat, and ham in particular.
An essential link between the supplier (the butcher) and the client (the industry). It was a smart idea, an immediate success which later became a group, a well known one on the international scene.
At the beginning it was called Alcar (Accomandita Levoni Carni), and then became Alcar Uno, where “uno” means one, being one, one entity, which today counts numerous factories located not only in Castelnuovo but also near Parma and in Veneto.
All the factories have the most modern systems and produce both fresh and cured meat, as a result of a strict selection among different reliable, both Italian and European, suppliers. The meat is specially chosen to meet the industry requirements, on the basis of the long-standing Levoni family’s experience.
Not only Santino’s, but his sons’ too: Lorenzo manages the top of the Sells department, while Luca runs the Production one. The third one, Leonardo, decided to focus on his own company, in the ceramics sector, which has its epicentre in the near city of Sassuolo.
There are three other co-workers that help directing the core of the company in the so-called “open space”, a rounded office: Rossano Bortolotti, finance and administration, Wanda Alessandria, general secretary, and Davide Levoni, Santino’s grandson, who deals with the banks. It is in the “open-space” that the most important decisions and choices are made.
The atmosphere is one of collaboration and efficiency, this is crystal clear, and the results prove it. Do not forget that Alcar Uno is one the firsts, or very likely the first, leader in Europe. It distinguishes itself by its specialization, that means certain, punctual and customized delivery, but also quality and compliance for a very demanding industry.
Lorenzo says: “We deliver more than 100 lorries per week, and process about 170 thousands leg-quarters, we section and trim them. Every request has to receive a prompt response. We ought to offer the highest reliability. We offer a service that we ourselves created, our precision is almost fussy. This sector requires promptness and self-awareness. On the other hand, the large-scale retail too now requires effective, standard products.
“However – as adds Luca - we have to underline the importance of the human resource. Processing meat in the right way is not that easy. You need attention, passion, ability. Fortunately, we live in a region where pig-breeding was always an essential part of our history: not only breeding, but also slaughtering and processing.
This farming culture handed down to posterity a cult of delicatessen, where the human being is the real protagonist. That is the reason why our manpower is now teaching the foreign workers this art. A good training is our know-how.”
In other words, a bright future is still possible for those who have a will to do and to learn.
The sector, indeed, does not seem to be suffering the ongoing crisis that much.
They did experience a drop, but it was a moderate one. It is an essential sector, the demand can decrease but not disappear.
While we are talking with his sons, Santino too arrives from Parma. He smiles while surrounded by his children, and takes part in our conversation.
“The food sector turns successful when you work hard on the quantity, not on the profit margin, when you control the costs and try to reduce them as far as possible, with the help of technology. We need to do it in order to stay competitive. The secret is combining automation with human resources.”
The present times are uncertain for the founder too, but there is no space for pessimism. The aim is trying to be the best. “The same we did for fifty years now, constantly, humbly.” Talking about humility, the Levoni family celebrated their half century success with no clamour. They only met their closest co-workers and relatives for a dinner and a toast.
