Guido Groppo, with the hospitality typical of country men, insists on offering a coffee. When he asks if you would like a drop of milk, he opens the refrigerator and takes out a supermarket foil. He notices the astonishment and laughs: «I look crazy to you, right? With all the cows I have out here I buy milk in the shop … The fact is, these are beef cows: their milk is everything for the calves. They are also a bit grumpy, if you try to milk them you risk getting a kick ».
Groppo, since 15 July, is the president of Coalvi, the consortium that brings together over 1,400 breeders, for 20,000 cattle and 300 points of sale throughout Italy. Founded in 1988, Coalvi is the first association in Italy to have developed a “voluntary labeling” specification for Piedmontese fassone meat.
“The consortium’s objective is twofold – he explains -: on the one hand to guarantee consumers the quality of the product, on the other to defend our work”.
Defend from whom?
«Banks and finance work according to logics that are not ours. So a group of breeders began to say: let’s try to change things ».
Does it make me understand better what are, or what were, the things to change?
«I explain: the slaughterers do their job legitimately, and the meat maybe they go to get it in Paraguay or Brazil, where it costs less. And the banks follow the market: there are costs and there are revenues. But we said: “We cannot allow Piedmontese meat, which has exceptional qualities, to become an ordinary product, the same everywhere as Coca Cola. We are something else and we must defend ourselves: we cannot suffer these market strategies of yours ».
Why is South American meat cheaper?
«Because it’s worth less. We don’t say that, but a lot of scientific publications. When we talk about meat we are talking about muscle, connective tissue and fat. The Piedmontese has these three components in such a proportion as to have nutritional values that make it similar to that of blue fish ».
Where do these characteristics come from? From food? From the climate?
“Ninth. It is a genetic factor. The “Piedmontese” was born as a very rustic animal, with the three classic attitudes of cattle: milk, meat, work. We breeders have identified in the muscular hypertrophy of this breed a character that could be exploited to the fullest: these animals guarantee a slaughter yield of 68-69 percent. These are very high figures: they are meat machines ».
Do you realize that “meat machine” is a very strong expression? Animal rights activists would be horrified …
«Eh…»
Animalists, vegetarians and vegans are increasingly numerous. Does this affect the market and your way of working?
«Very. We are rightly asked for greater attention to the welfare of cattle. They must have a dignified life and death. We are interested in the animals having as comfortable a life as possible, that they stay in the pastures. In the end we try to choose closer slaughterhouses, to avoid stress. And then treating animals well is also in our interest ».
In what sense?
«I butchers say that if the animal is nervous, the meat will also be more nervous. It is valid for everything: the animal gives back to you in milk and fertility ».
But don’t you mind when your pets leave for their last trip?
“Remember Tex Willer?”
Come no.
«When I was a child I used to read these stories in which the horse is lame and Tex is forced to shoot him so as not to make him suffer. I was wondering how it was possible for my hero to behave like this. Then I realized that dignified death is an important value. He asked me about my animals: of course I’m sorry when the time comes to take them to the slaughterhouse. When a cow that has spent 10 or 12 years with you is hard to see it go away ».
And how many times do they “go away” a year?
“Generally four to five times for cows, a little more often for calves.”
If the quality of the “Piedmontese” arises from genetics, is it possible to “export” them to other regions? How are the relations with other breeders in the North West?
“Coupons. Even if everyone follows different paths. In Valle d’Aosta, for example, milk and cheeses are more interesting than meat. Elsewhere, breeding has turned to other breeds of cattle. But there are “Piedmontese” farms, with certified family trees almost everywhere, even abroad. In Brussels there is a Coalvi butcher shop, our meat is exported throughout France. In Holland there are breeders who have taken the calves here, and have fertilized them with the semen taken from Carrù. In Italy they ask us for more and more live animals: in the North East there are many agritourism companies that would like to set up farms to be able to serve Piedmontese meat to their customers ».
Has the boom in food broadcasting affected your market in any way?
“Consumer awareness has increased. And Coalvi’s goal is to make those who buy our meat understand that they are making a social pact with us, even outside our territory. The Consortium allows us to put our nose out, to make ourselves known for what we are. Here, too, the goal is twofold: all together we have the strength to communicate with the outside world, but we also have the possibility of going on the market more actively. We gave ourselves three years to achieve an important goal: to bring together all the players present in the area to be able to say to everyone: we are the Piedmontese, and the price of the Piedmontese is what we say ».
How much has the Covid crisis affected your business?
«I only tell you one thing: a Coalvi study shows that we are selling below cost. The cost of production is around 3 € 80 per kilo, and it is also an underestimated value because the research was done in the spring, when corn and other cereals were not yet expensive. Today we sell the male beef for 3.10-3.20 euros per kilo. This way we cannot go on: we are always with the banks’ breath on our necks ».