Tag Archives: Desita

Come and visit us at HOST – Milan!

Back from Dubai – but planning to go back soon since many are the projects and the events linked to sustainability and retail in the whole Middle East Area – we are already very busy organizing our participation at the upcoming HOST exhibition taking place in Milan from Oct. 21 to Oct. 25

With its 1445 exhibitors, 40 countries involved, 125.000 trade visitors and visitors from 141 countries, HOST can be certainly defined as the most important event for the HoReCa and Hospitality business sector worldwide. Host confirms itself the leading international date for the b2b system of hospitality with 6 specialized events: Professional restaurant services, Bread/Pizza/Pasta, Bar/Coffee Machines, Ice cream parlors/Confectioner’s, Coffee, Hotel&Spa Emotion.

We have been invited to bring our expertise by three exhibitors: FCSI, Smeg and Emainox.

FCSI (Pavillion 6 – A 03/ C 02) Meet the FCSI expert:  Norman Cescut will be available to offer you a free 30 minutes consultancy. Please check availability at the FCSI booth or contact norman(at)desita(dot)it  previously to fix an appointment.

FCSI has also organized a well balanced set of conferences and public seminars. We would like to bring to your attention the conferences scheduled on Saturday 22nd, where Sustainability will be the protagonist, with the presentation of an interesting case study – NH Hotels – and a public seminar about technology and sustainability in the Catering industry.

Smeg (Pav. 3P Stand B54 C57) Smeg Foodservice Solutions is Smeg division dedicated to satisfying the requirements of catering professionals. As Smeg’s Foodservice agent for the Middle East area with DESITA SHOWFOOD division, we will be available to present you the full line of equipments and new interesting products, providing you with all the requested technical information.

Emainox (Pad. 14 – Stand: H28-H34) – Emainox is specialized in the production of elements for professional use for the distribution and display of food. SHOWFOOD by DESITA is EMAINOX official agent for the Middle East area and our technical knowledge of their production is available to you to reply to all your questions concerning also the newest appealing products.

As you can imagine, our agenda will be a very hectic one, but we will be really happy to meet you – we suggest you to send us an email, contacting Norman directly at norman(at) desita(dot)it with you preferred meeting date and time.

Looking forward meeting you at HOST!

ECOFFEE and DESITA on air!

For those of you who do not follow me on Twitter @norman_cescut and have not yet been notified about this great news, I am very glad to inform you that last September 4th I was interviewed by Vincenzo Argante of Ferry Boat, a successful radio program broadcasted on Italy’s Radio24.

Ferry Boat deals with issues such as responsibility and sustainability applied to many fields, from education to automotive to fashion and..Retail. During the interview I was asked to introduce ECOFFEE and to explain why the ECOFFEE approach is such an innovative one in the Retail business.

The whole interview is available here, unfortunately Italian only!

DESITA and ECOFFEE at 2011 Meeting Rimini

DESITA and its ECOFFEE partner Serint Group Italia are pleased to announce the partnership reached with the Fondazione Meeting, the organizing committee of Meeting Rimini (Rimini, Italy 21-27 August 2011), event which is recognized as one of the most important festivals in Europe collecting great political personalities, managers, representatives of different religions and cultures, intellectuals and artists, athletes and protagonists of the world scene. It offers stories of men and women through conferences, exhibitions, shows, and sporting events.

The partnership signed among DESITA, Serint Group and Fondazione Meeting concerns the development and creation of a long-term and ambitious project, called “Il Parco del Meeting (The Meeting Park)” which will be disclosed to a large number of invited companies at the Rimini Meeting next Friday, August 26 during a day-long meeting together with the Fondazione Board of Directors. In the next following months, the project will be implemented involving companies, local authorities, institutions and schools belonging to the province of Rimini (Italy)

The project aims to gradually introduce sustainability in the MeetingRimini event, thus creating a tighter bond between the city of Rimini and the event and allowing the Parco del Meeting to become a place for dissemination of the best sustainable practices related to culture, products, technology , projects and services. The Parco del Meeting will become the park of the city of Rimini, a place of reference and aggregation active throughout the year, with restaurants designed according to our ECOFFEE guidelines, event areas and much more.

Other collateral projects are under development, including the design of sustainable exhibition areas of a pavillon of the RiminiMeeting offering to those exhibitors attentive to environmental issues the opportunity to participate actively in the Park project, as early as next year.

With this great news, we are going to take a little rest from a period of intense and successful work, wishing you a wonderful holiday time. We will be back on September or, if you are spending your holidays in Italy, we will be more than happy to meet you at the RiminiMeeting on Friday August 26th

For more information norman [at] ecoffee.it

PS. Have you already voted for the Green Sheikh, Ambassador ECOFFEE, who has been nominated as Best Green International Celebrity at next Best Green Awards? Do not hesitate to vote for him! Vote for Green Sheikh!

Fairtrade Italia and ECOFFEE: a sustainable partnership for a better future

I am very happy to announce that last Tuesday, July 19th DESITA and Fairtrade Italia have signed a bilateral agreement providing mutual support for the dissemination of the principles of environmental sustainability, fair trade and social responsibility on the entire Italian market  through a focus on in-store actions.

DESITA, thanks to its ECOFFEE project, will promote Fairtrade products and will support  Fairtrade licensees through its wide range of retail-oriented services and solutions: from architectural design, branding, process analysis, franchise creation. The Fairtrade certified products will also find a privileged placement among the products available at the ECOFFEE franchise cafés.

On the other hand, Fairtrade Italia has committed to share with its stakeholders- Retail business licensees, Association members and consumers – all the services offered by DESITA and   ECOFFEE.

“I am very happy to have reached this agreement,” states Paolo Pastore, Managing Director of Fairtrade Italia “This agreement is very different from the usual one and I am  sure that it will bring a much wider scope and visibility to Fairtrade certified products, the only Fair Trade certification that has deserved consumers’ trust all around the world. “

Being supported by such an important organization as Fairtrade Italia has once again confirmed that what I have created, the ECOFFEE service platform, is a requirement for a better future.This gives me the strength to keep on working in what is still an immature industry, that of sustainability in the Italian Retail and Horeca panorama. I am convinced that this partnership will actually contribute to the creation and dissemination of a more responsible consumption on the Italian market.

A new shop concept by DESITA and …ECOFFEE

I am glad to announce that DESITA is planning a shop concept for the new image of the Saadeddin pastry shops chain located in many states and cities of the Arabian peninsula, whose first restyling project has been planned for one of its Riyadh branches.

After having spent a couple of months briefing with the client in Italy and in Saudi Arabia and after having visited the shop location in Riyadh, we are now defining its layout following the client wishes and our already confirmed inputs about the sale process. The chain’s new brand image will be a young, fresh, trendy and European one.

The pastry shop project will be developed over an area of about 350 square meters and will include an innovative sale formula, for the Saudi habits, which we are sure will generate great interest and attention not limited to the Arab area only.

Thanks also to our fortnightly experience in the foodservice business, to our knowledge of the Arab culture and customer behavior and to the unlimited trust from our Client, we will merge the local traditions and habits into a new shop concept, designing innovative interiors and also a new way to intend the coffee shop area along the “single” (reserved to men only) and the “family” rooms areas.

It is in fact required in Saudi Arabia that food shops with catering facilities have specifically reserved entrances, men-only sitting rooms and other ones for women and families.

Furthermore, in agreement with the client, the concept is going to be developed following, where possible, the ECOFFEE guidelines as per the use of materials, equipment, products and sustainable solutions.

This important client has been collaborating with us for many years and his trust has always been rewarded allowing his company to be a trendsetter one in his area of business. His willingness to embrace sustainability in this new sales formula will grant him a sure competitive advantage. It is a honor for us to collaborate with such of farsighted and open minded client.

The combination of the new business formula and of the ECOFFEE guidelines applied to this first pastry shop will be next used in all the other chain branches, so that to make it a point of reference for the sustainability trend in a geographical area more and more sensitive to this issue.

ECOFFEE by DESITA in the 2011 Sodalitas Libro d’Oro della Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa – ninth edition

The Sodalitas Social Award every year prizes the most significant social responsibility initiatives implemented in Italy either by large, medium and small companies operating in any branch of activity, or by business associations, by industrial districts and by government agencies. This award differs from other initiatives for its high social value – also recognized by the President of the Republic – and the growing acceptance and engagement. To participate to the Sodalitas Social Award means to be part of a selected group of companies which have distinguished themselves for their careful attention to the citizens needs, to market trends, to innovation as a tool to allow the grow of the society and to sustainability.

ECOFFEE by DESITA has been published in the Sodalitas Libro d’Oro della Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa (Golden Book of Corporate Social Responsibility), collecting all the companies which applied to the Sodalitas Social Award and that have been recognized by the Sodalitas organization as  worth a mention for their actions towards a more sustainable world.

ECOFFEE by DESITA has been published in the “Sodalitas Libro d’Oro della Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa”, collecting all the companies which applied to the Sodalitas Social Awards and that have been recognized by the Sodalitas organization as  worth a mention for their actions towards a more sustainable world.

To have participated to the Sodalitas Social Awards and to have been published in their Libro d’Oro sulla Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa is a great honour for all of us who are involved in the ECOFFEE by DESITA project. This is further stimulating our daily actions towards an always greater and constant attention to those practices that can change the way we all do business, towards a better business. Our commitment to sustainability is the result of a deep belief and of continuous improvement. It is not easy, but we’re going all out.

An agreement to boost Lebanon HoReCa business

Among the exhibitions and trade shows we attended to during these first months of 2011, Beirut’s HORECA 2011 was the most surprising.

Despite the turmoil hitting the region, HORECA 2011 welcomed its many visitors – almost 6,000 a day – with a great number of exhibitors and many interesting meetings.  But what is more important for the whole Ho.Re.Ca regional business, was the signing of an agreement that will certainly boost the turnover in the Lebenon region: the Beirut Capital of Taste Charter. 

In doing so, Mr. Fady Abboud, Minister of Tourism, Mr. Mouhamad Choucair, President of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, Mr. Nehmat Frem, President of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists, Mr. Pierre Ashkar, President of the Federation for Tourism Association and President of Lebanese Hotel Association, Mr. Paul Ariss, President of the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Night Clubs and Pastries, Mr. Georges Nassrawi, President of the Syndicate of Lebanese Food Industries, Mr. Nouhad Dammous, President of ADFTH, and Mrs. Joumana Salame, Managing Director of Hospitality Services, all united to put Beirut on the map as a world leader with its international standards in terms of innovation, inspiration, know-how and conviviality.

“We are very thrilled to have this charter finally signed”, said Mrs. Joumana Salame, Managing Director of Hospitality Services. “We have been working on this plan for the past 3 years, and we strongly believe that Lebanon will be up to the title it has been awarded”

By bringing together European and Middle Eastern countries and strengthening Lebanon’s international bonds, Horeca serves not only as an economic boost adding to the development of the country, but also as a tourism attraction, by enticing hundreds of thousands of visitors yearly.

DESITA, showfood and ECOFFEE are among the companies who have already benefited from the Beirut Capital of Taste Charter, with great projects done and to come and the foreseen participation at HORECA 2012, where we will present the best Italian shop concept design, the best catering equipment products and the most innovative practices to bring sustainability in the Ho.Re.Ca. & Hospitality sectors, food Retail and Franchising. (Picture Credit: Hospitalitynewsmagazine)

What we do care about

As designers & consultants who are in stores every day, we see the good, the bad, and the ugly in this business. We see what works and what doesn’t. We admire those who take the time to share with us new ideas to build beautiful stores, who really establish solid connections with us, who agree with us that it’s imperative to have a winning concept in today market.

This might be true for many generic consultants around the world. But one of the things that we’ve noticed, is that we provide one other thing that is perhaps one of our greatest values. It’s that our customers can talk to us about their business, freely and openly, and get the help they need.  

Many Retailers certainly seek out advice from a number of sources, and most commonly from vendors.  Vendors certainly have a great view of the marketplace, and they too see a lot of what goes on in the Retail space. 

But at the end, the vendor’s solution to a Retailer’s problems will be to buy their product.  It’s a little like that old saying, “To a carpenter, everything is solved with a hammer.”

For us as designers & consultants, the only thing we honestly care about is whether or not that Retailer has made money, and if they are happy doing so.  In terms of product or vendor solution, we don’t have any “hammer” in the pocket.  Yes, we can suggest but a the very end, it doesn’t matter to us which vendor the Retailer buys, as long as it contributes positively to realize our design store, collaborating and to make the Retailer money. 

Please meet us soon at:

– Euroshop in Dusseldorf on the 26th and 27th of February

– Gulfood in Dubai on the 1st and 2nd of March

The 2011 trends in the Middle East Hospitality Business

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With my company DESITA I have always payed great attention to what is happening in the Middle East countries, whose retail and hospitality business are becoming very interesting because of their many nuances and the possibility they offer.  Karafirin project by DESITA

Accordingly to what recently published by the HotelierMiddleEast website, the 2011 hospitality scenario in Middle East is going to experience three different trends: back to the origins and to healthy food, casual F&B concepts and the raise of social media marketing.

Many of the expert interviewed stressed that the economic crisis has hit those country too and that consumers have become more cost and health conscious. This automatically translates to a return to the traditional, local food and beverages which are less expensive, healthier and – last but not least – more sustainable.

Interested in meeting us? Here is our agenda for the next three months!

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The next few months are among the busiest ones for those who work in the Retail Food sector. The followings are the most important event to which we will attend – just in case you are interested in meeting us personally!

Jan. 21-21 Greencity , Paris. International Business Convention

Jan.22nd – 26th , Rimini (IT) 32nd SIGEP, International Exhibition Artisan Production of Gelato, Pastry, Confectionary and Bakery  

Feb. 19th -22nd Sapore– Tasting Experience, Rimini (IT) it represents the entire beverage, food and seafod market for the Ho.Re.Ca. channel (a sector that has exceeded 70 billion euros and has further growth prospects)

Get ready to go “wow” watching ECOFFEE’s guerrilla marketing actions that will take place during Sigep! Stay tuned or participate to this important event!

Feb. 26th-March 2nd Euroshop Düsseldorf (DE). The global retail trade Fair

Feb. 27th– March 2nd Gulfood  Dubai. Gulfood is one of the most important food, drink & hospitality markets worldwide

March 14th-16h FME – Franchising Middle East, Dubai. Franchising Middle East Exhibition is the largest International Franchise Show in the MENA Region.

March 29th– April 1st– Horeca , Biel (Lebanon). The international Tradeshow for the Hospitality and Foodservice Industry