L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano W h e n h e w a s a s k e d to laun- c h a traditional Italian flour on t h e A m e r i c a n m a r k e t , dominated by local pro- d u c t s , L o r e n z o G u i d i w a s a l i t t l e s k e p t i c a l a t first but, deep in his heart, he knew he was the right man to embark in the mis- sion. B o r n i n t o a n I t a l i a n family immigrated to Los Angeles in the '50s from B a g n i d i L u c c a , i n Tuscany, Guidi, who grew up American, is not only bilingual but also incredi- bly knowledgeable of both countries' traditions and cultures. And, on top of that, he genuinely loves Italian food. S o w h e n t h e I t a l i a n c o m p a n y A g u g i a r o & F i g n a d e c i d e d t o e n t e r the American market, he got hired for the job. "If I c a n s e l l t h e f i r s t b a g , i t means we're successful," Guidi said to himself. Five years later, he is the CEO of one of their brands, Le 5 Stagioni USA, a com- pany that has just registe- red an increase of 81% on the American market. L o r e n z o , w h a t s t r u c k y o u a b o u t t h e Agugiaro & Figna com- pany's story? It's a unique story. The mills originally opened in 1 4 0 0 w i t h d i f f e r e n t o w n e r s . T h e A g u g i a r o family ownership started i n 1 8 3 1 i n C u l t a r o l o , P a d u a , a n d t h e F i g n a family started in Parma in 1 8 7 4 . T h e y j o i n e d t h e i r companies in 2003. So, in t h e i r f a m i l y h i s t o r y y o u have the innovation of the first and second genera- tion, and then the third generation who took over with the current president, R i c c a r d o , w h o w e n t t o s c h o o l i n U C I r v i n e . H e w a s a r o w e r . H e g o t h i s education in the United SILVIA GIUDICI States and he took what he learned back to Italy. H o w d i d t h i s i n f l u e n c e t h e b u s i - ness? R i c c a r d o b r o u g h t h i s v i s i o n – a n A m e r i c a n vision -- but we can say that the core is traditional, it's at the mills. The pro- c e s s u s e d t o m a k e t h e flour is the key to our suc- cess, and it's been since 1831, with Riccardo kee- p i n g i t a l i v e t o d a y . H i s education helped the com- p a n y u n d e r s t a n d t h e A m e r i c a n m a r k e t a n d w h a t A m e r i c a n s w a n t . America is very fast paced and people expect results quickly. Italians are about quality and they put pas- sion and love in anything they do. I'm talking from clothes to cars, to art. We say that every pizzaiolo is a n a r t i s t , b e c a u s e e v e r y pizza is a work of art. What's the differen- ce between Italian and American flour? I t a l i a n f l o u r a b s o r b s more water. You use less flour and more water, and you get a crunchy pizza. A l o t o f p e o p l e t e l l m e : " I h a v e p r o b l e m s w i t h m y s t o m a c h w h e n I e a t A m e r i c a n p i z z a , t h e n I went to Italy, I ate pizza and I felt good." And that's because of the 24 hours f e r m e n t a t i o n , w h i c h breaks down the carbohy- drates and gluten, making them easier to digest. It's " a i r i e r " a n d c l e a n e r f o r your body. What's special about these flours? W e ' r e a g r e e n m i l l . We're non-GMO, we don't even allow employees to bring plastic bottles into the mill. So we're a hun- dred percent alternative energy. On the other hand, American flour is usually b l e a c h e d a n d t h e y p u t malt and bromine in it. What kind of flours do these mills produ- ce? W e h a v e g l u t e n - f r e e , Lorenzo Guidi with a pizzaiolo using the Agugiaro & Figna flour (Photo: Lorenzo Guidi) Lorenzo Guidi: the man behind the success of Italian flour on the American market Continued to page 30 Guidi showing off a variety of his company's products (Photo: Lorenzo Guidi) LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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