Ep. 1192 Oscar Farinetti | On The Road Edition With Stevie Kim

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Each week, she travels to incredible wine destinations interviewing some of the Italian wine scene's most interesting personalities, talking about wines, the foods, as well as the incredible travel destinations. Hey. Welcome to the Time Warner podcast. This is the on the road edition, but we're actually in Verona. I don't know if you can see this. This is still under construction. At the time of recording, it is still under construction. But we hope, to see it open very, very soon. So I'm here with, of course, none other than Oscar, fighting it. The Crazy English. You don't tell me before. No. It's fine. My English is terrible. No. It's like I know only under word in English, but no problem, man. Nice? Okay. I know. So Oscar Listen, first of all, describe yourself. Who are you? I am an Italian entrepreneur and Italian writer. I write sixteen book. Sixteen books, one six? Six eight. One six. Yes. I sell one million book in Italy and in USA. Together. Together. Together. But only one the story of courage that is one book about the wine. Right. Salar three hundred thousand copy only in a in USA. So in English. It's the it's the history of a twelve family of the wine in Italy. Of guy antinori, Paltermasa, Pepperinaldi, tell Chitrico that, you know, that that was my friend. The name of my company is Italy. But aren't you retired now? I mean, I thought Italy now you gave it to your sons, Nikola, Franchesco, and I tell now. Okay. The company that I have found was Italy. It's Italy. Uh-huh. In this moment, there is forty two store in seventeen countries in the world. Five years ago I I live and now Why did you decide to leave? I have three sons. I have three sons. Nicole is the medium. It's the boss of Italy. Right. Franchesco is the oldest. He is the president and CEO of Grenpey. Greenpey is, another business, about the sustainability. And the third Andrea, the youngest, He's the boss. It's my friend. He's he doesn't want me. Friend. He's the boss of nineteen nineteen agricultural company, ten of wine in all the peninsula. And, my work now is, I have two foundation one foundation about, the literature in the book in Fort Lauderdale, and the second will be here. We'll open in September. The name is Hart same Earth Teva in Italian. Earth. That is Italian heart house foundation. Uh-huh. For the development of the contract of art for every people. And, I stay in two University. I am the president of the university, gastronomic of Polienzo, with a slow food, caliperini, and the other. The other university is the, older school in Turin, with, Sandro Aleco, that is the most important writer in Italy. I have many work, many, many work. So you're not really retired as well, actually. You're working more than ever. Yes. Right? So Oscar, listen. Today, we don't have very much time. So I'm going to ask you a couple of things. Number one, you are obsessed with numbers. Numbers. Every time I hear you speak, all you do is you start always with the numbers. What is it about numbers that because you are an incredible narrator. Why is that? Why is that? Because the number is only one thing that is shoe. Two plus two is four. With the word is possible to change. It's possible to change. My the number is the number, and with the number will be possible to demonstration the reality, for example, the number of my country, if I tell that we have fifty six humanity, heritage of UNESCO and the world. We are the number one in the world is shoot fifty six If I tell that we have five hundred thirty eight different cultivar of Olile, and the second in the world is Spain with sixty is a shoe. We are the most we have the most important biodiversity in the world. This is the record of my country. The record in my of my country, Italy is not, we have the most important kitchen in the world. We have, the most, tradition I mentioned. No. The the record is the biodiversity. We have with the number and with the number for me is possible to demonstration, to demonstrate that. We are the number one. And, I don't have the side. I don't have the side to born in Italy. He's very lucky. He's very lucky. And for me, it's important to tell of the people. Okay. I was very lucky to bother in Italy. This is the number of Yes. So that's that's kind of I mean, of course. Sorry. Your your famous, you know, speech, your talk is about biodiversity. Right? And you talk about numbers. So it's numbers. Do you think that numbers is the secret to your narration? Yes. Because I feel like you have this vast reality of numbers. Without the numbers. Every speech is blah, blah, blah, blah, without the numbers. The numbers is very, very important. And, for me, it's all the numbers. But can you actually talk about something without citing numbers. Yes. It's not possible. It's not possible. It's not possible. Not possible. Not possible. Now we stay in the future biggest store in Italy of Italy, you know, that will opening September. And that will be the number one, first number. In this, we have nine thousand five hundred different items, of products. SKUs. Yes. We have, two hundred fifty hearts installation. We will have, three hundred forty employees. Are your employees mostly coming from this area? Or are you bringing them with you? No. No. It's very important that will coming from this area. Yeah. This area. Because every Italy is the demonstration of the biodiversity of the territory. And we stay in three men at home. I like three men at home because it's number one for tourists in Italy. It's a one of number one, for endogastronomy. It's number one for the wine quantity. And in front is, the Veronica that I think that you know Yeah. I I've heard about them. Yes. And the the Vineetalee, Vineetalee, that is, I think, the number one exhibition in Italy for the wild, you know? I think so. And he's very famous in the world. Yes. You know? Yeah. I think so. I know. I've heard about it. Listen, but, you know, I am very wine centric. Okay? Italian wine podcast. Brought to you by mama jumbo shrimp. So how many wine labels will you have at this shop? Italy, Veronica. I don't know the sure number, but I imagine that minimum will be four hundred four hundred fifty different different wire companies. Yeah. I think, thirty five percent from this territory. And I imagine I imagine two thousand two thousand fifty items. So that's that's more or less, is it very similar to other Italy? Is, the similar, the most important exhibition of wine that we have in Turine. In Turine, we have the most important exhibition of wine. I think that, will be the same. Yeah. So, you know, you are so famous being a successful entrepreneur. Right? Everything you touch turns to gold. It seems. However, What I would like to ask you is what were your unsuccessful, things or projects? Because I imagine with all of your successful, career as an entrepreneur, there were also unsuccessful ones. Very, very good question. If you have read the last of my book today is never quiet. Never quiet. Never quiet. It's a fantastic book. It is a is the book of all my life, but, It's like a auto buy offer. It's a six hundred pages. Six hundred pages. To under the for to explain my such as and four hundred for to explain my error. That was many. Oh, many. It's very important. Your question is very good. Very right. For example, first, before to open Italy, I had opened it. One company, the name was Osteria Forti Porta. Osteria Forti Porta. And where where was it in Torina? We opened them four in Piedmont, only restaurant no no retail. And was terrible. It was good that to know very good. No profit zero because it's very difficult to a profit only by restoration. It's very important. The retail the school, and, was a fantastic error for, understand me for, for teach me that the the good format is, restaurant, retail, and the school together. And the I am closed this for, Australia, for report. Another arrow terrible was to open in Japan before USA. Oh, I was there. I was there. Was this? She did. Hayashi. She with Seguello. Yes. I go before in Japan because I am a entrepreneur. Very strong. And, I start with the difficult. No? No. Not really easy. Yes. Challenge. But in Japan, the people, eat, Italian food, the same as, sir, in Italian, eat the Japanese food one time per month. No? The quantity, very, very cheap, small. One pizza for four people. And the it's not possible to sell, half kilogram of pasta. Maximum to to Hector. No. It's incredible. It was terrible for me three year that I lose morning. I lose morning. For lucky, I am open last year in, New York. And That's where I met you. Yes. In New York, we have been a fantastic success for two for two. That is all what the problem is. But you still have Italy in Japan? Yes. Now because we have changed it. We have sell Italy Japanese to Mitsui, that is big company that buy Italy Japan and now, work in franchising because Italy is direct in Europe and in North America. It is infranchising. The rest of the world for Zep in Seul, Korea. We have a Hyundai for franchising. We have, in, Dubai, Dora, Azadea, that is fantastic. And, now it's good. Now it's good. And, three months ago, Mitsui, I've opened up the third in Japanese in ginza. In ginza, that is fantastic. Two thousands per matter. Now now it's okay. So, these two experiences, but now in a way, you you're so it's really Italy. Right? You closed it up, you put retail, and you tour you put schools, and it that's really Italy in a way. Right? Was the same, Australia, for important, was the same contract of Italy for the restaurant. One restaurant only for fish and other only for meat and other only for pasta pizza. No. The corner of the wine, the corner of the beer, ma'am, was only restoration. Was not retained was not possible to buy the product. But where did you get the idea to say, like, let's put in retail and also school? It was one serendipity. It was one serendipity. I start in one direction, and in the final, I changed the duration that was better. I stay, for example, in Cadave in Berlin, you know, that that was, is possible to buy and to eat. I stay in, Istanbul in the grand bazaar. That is the history of the retail and restaurant together. I stay in the first, exhibition of slow food entering in nineteen ninety six. That was fantastic, you know, for the teaching room, etcetera. And I think it would be possible to the integration of restaurant, retail, and teaching room. One one side, where it's possible to buy what you eat, where it's possible to eat, what you buy, and when it's possible to learn the history, the tradition, and the technical of Italian cruises. So in in reality, Oscar, you're not that original. Right? You copy Yes. Concepts from others. Is that correct? It is all is all my life that I copy. At this fantastic. The interpreter, the entrepreneur that don't copy. Yeah. It's stupid every day. Yeah. I I look one people that have more talent of me and I copy. Another store that have fantastic idea, I copy. Is to copy is important because you are human, clever, and poetic together. Remember, leonardo da vinci was the maximum Copy in the world. Copio, the, one of vitruviano, the vitruvial man, learn how to copy by other five or six, people, Florence that's designed here before, but the The trivial manner of leonardo was better and better and better and better. He's important to copy and after to improve. Okay. So, alright, the man who copies all the time. One last question, okay, Oscar. So how old are you now? In September in September, when when we open EL, I have a sixty eight EL. Oh, so we have to have a birthday celebration. Yes. Yes. My don't celebrate my anniversary. I don't like. I born in nineteen fifty four. Yeah. Good Melezeman for the wine in on twenty fourth September, plenum of Vandemia. Yeah. My father from Babresco and my mother from Barolo. You understand? Yeah. So now that you're sixty eight, you're going to be sixty eight. I am young. I am young. Yeah. You're you're sixty eight young. Yeah. What what do you want your legacy to be? Was one man that fortunately, born in Italy, then study Italy, and was one man that think local and act global. For to explain the beauty of Italy developed. But are you religious? Like, are you spiritual? You think are you catholic? No. No religion. I think that we need more Jesus and Minous church. Jesus Christ for me was the best of the best of the best, person that's born in the our planet, in the in all the history, was very clever, honest, very, very fantastic man. For me, Jesus Christ was incredible, but I don't like the establishment of the church with pope, blah, blah, blah. You understand? Yeah. You want a direct line. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Alright. That's it. Signing off for Italian wine podcast. Hope to see you all here in Verona. Italy Verona. It's been like, I don't know, like, ten years. Very long history. But it is finally happening in verona just in front of verona. So I hope to be seeing a lot of Oscar, but a lot of you. And when you come to verona, there will be an entire section dedicated to one. And, of course, that is what I'm all about. Thank you for joining us on another installment of On The Road Edition, hosted by Stevie Kim. Join her again next week for more interesting content in the Italian wine scene. You can also find us at Italian wine podcast dot com or wherever you get your pods, you can also check out our YouTube channel, mama jumbo shrimp to watch these interviews and the footage captured of each location.