The Chief Operating Officer of his family’s Italian heritage brand talks about its legacy and what’s next.
By Dianne M. Pogoda
Iconic Italian appliance maker Bertazzoni is headquartered in the charming medieval town of Guastalla, in the nation’s famous Emilia-Romagna region. Emilia-Romagna, anchored by capital city Bologna, is nestled between Milan and Florence in northern Italy. It is known for its gustatory delights, including Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and prosciutto from Parma and balsamic vinegar from Modena, as well as its engineering prowess, particularly automotive, as it is home to legendary marks like Ferrari, Maserati and Ducati.
“Growing up in Emilia-Romagna, food has always been a huge part of my life and relationship with my family and friends,” said Nicola Bertazzoni, Chief Operating Officer and the sixth generation to serve in the 140-year-old company’s leadership. “It’s part of the culture of the region — and we design all our products with the goal of sparking joy and bringing families together. A great example of the region’s influence is our famously colorful ranges. In 2005, we introduced colorful Professional Series ranges to the U.S. market, choosing colors based on inspiration from the land surrounding Emilia-Romagna. We still aim to bring the life and love of Italy into homes, through color, family values and of course, good food — and we’ll always look to those values and our brand heritage to guide us.”
He took some time to share Bertazzoni’s heritage and what’s on the horizon.
NKBA: Tell us a little about yourself and your career path.
Nicola Bertazzoni: My father encouraged both my sister and me to get experience elsewhere before committing to careers at Bertazzoni, which has helped each generation become more well-rounded. I began my career in the auto industry, working as an engineer in cost reduction and then in procurement for companies like Fiat Group and Toyota. I’ve been with Bertazzoni for about 14 years, working as Business Development manager, Vice President of Global Sales and now as Chief Operating Officer. I’ve been lucky enough to see tremendous growth at Bertazzoni, expanding into new international markets, effectively doubling our business, and it has felt like a completely natural fit since the start. Very few people have the opportunity to work with and learn from such a close network of friends and family.
NKBA: What are some of Bertazzoni’s newest advancements?
NB: As consumers increasingly want eco-friendly solutions — and with changing builder regulations in states like California and New York — Bertazzoni has been expanding its sustainable offerings, including a wide selection of induction SKUs, and continues to explore new [options], including one of our most exciting 2022 launches: induction range tops and cooktops with an integrated hood. By the end of the year, all Bertazzoni refrigeration and dishwasher models will also be Energy Star-rated.
While induction is beginning to build momentum in North America, design professionals should be prepared to educate consumers on its benefits, including precision temperature control, easy cleaning, and faster, more efficient cooking that provides cost and energy savings. Bertazzoni has also made a conscious effort to keep our induction products priced competitively, with some actually more affordable than the same models with gas.
More consumers are designing kitchens with wellness in mind. Appliances that use steam are excellent for preserving food nutrients, and while steam cooking has seen relatively limited adoption in the U.S., we’re excited to see some momentum building for new solutions like our steam oven. Refrigeration also plays an important role in wellness as more Americans buy fresh and organic ingredients. We’ve continued expanding our freestanding and built-in refrigerators, with additions like the 36-in. French-door series.
NKBA: Talk about your new Experience Center with Purcell Murray in San Francisco.
NB: We’re already seeing strong engagement with the new Experience Center, our first in the U.S. It opened as part of our 140th anniversary celebration. We’ve always been a highly experiential brand, with a museum and experience center at our global “Casa Bertazzoni” headquarters to help visitors learn about our heritage, explore new products and get a feel for how Bertazzoni could come to life in their own homes. It’s exciting to offer this more tactile, immersive experience. We hope features like the onsite test kitchen give homeowners the opportunity to become more comfortable with new cooking technologies, like induction and steam. We absolutely find greater sell-through in markets where we have hands-on demos. While many know Bertazzoni for our style, we are an engineering company at heart and we take great pride in products that perform as well as they look.
NKBA: There are a lot of high-end kitchen appliance manufacturers. What do you think sets Bertazzoni apart?
NB: As a heritage, family-owned brand, Bertazzoni brings longevity, depth of experience and great personal investment. With over 140 years of expertise, we have a proven track record for performance as well as for developing products with long-lasting value. With an eye to the future, we embrace lasting innovations rather than short-term trends. We avoid “trendy” styles that will soon appear dated, or technology that would need to be replaced in a few years.
There’s also something uniquely personal about putting your own name on a product. The Bertazzoni logo reflects not only our brand, but our family’s legacy and commitment to the end user, and this has always pushed us to deliver best-in-class experiences for our customers.
NKBA: How has the company celebrated its 140th birthday?
NB: In addition to unveiling our new Experience Center, we announced a global, $16 Million+ capital investment in product innovation and development of international markets. We’re launching a variety of new products this fall, including new induction range tops and cooktops, 30-in. and 36-in. French-door refrigerators, 30-in. and 36-in built-in bottom mount refrigerator, and new ventilation applications. One of our key goals is combining the latest cooking innovations with eco-friendly technology, and we’ll continue investing in sustainable solutions as we look toward 2023 and beyond.
We also published a cookbook — Good and Simple — featuring three generations of family recipes, born from a tradition started by my great-grandmother, who began compiling our most-loved recipes in the 1920s. Over time, it became custom for each generation to add their favorites to the collection.
In a way, the cookbook serves as a metaphor for how our family business has been built: each generation has brought new ideas, developments and initiatives to the table, building upon the foundation that the first generation started decades ago. Good and Simple serves as a guide to trace the roots of my family’s heritage in tandem with the beginnings of our family business. It’s available for download here, on a landing page highlighting our brand heritage in honor of the anniversary.
About Bertazzoni
Bertazzoni was founded in 1882 by Francesco Bertazzoni, and the company has since been led by six generations of his family. Starting with wood-burning stoves, which were discontinued in the 1980s, it began producing gas stoves in 1956, adding electric stoves in 1975 and induction cooktops in 2005. It has also branched into ventilation, refrigeration and dishwashing.
Paolo Bertazzoni (Nicola’s father) joined in 1981 and took over as the fifth-generation president and CEO in 1999, a role he currently holds. Paolo’s sister, Elisabetta, serves on the board and is an advisor, and his daughter, Valentina, is Head of Brand and Style.
