Interview with Filippo Callipo, the kind of Calabria we like and makes us proud.
Mr. Callipo built an empire, both human and economic, pursuing a groundbreaking business model as a result of a long experience, a visionary inclination.
“Let me show you something. Look at the last page and read what’s written under the picture of that little boy…”
Mr. President, the story of your company, the Callipo, it’s a very intriguing one. Your company has a century-old tradition and it’s the only high-profile business both in Calabria and on a national scale.
I’d start with a general overview, if you don’t mind, then we might explore those points that struck you the most. Lamezia’s port has always been represented, on the maps, with leaping tuna. Indeed, our sea has always been full of tuna, our lukewarm water it’s perfect for their reproduction, for their eggs. The fishes would reach the surface of the sea you could see them leaping. They would migrate from Sardinia, reproduce here in Lamezia’s gulf, afterwards they would move on to Sicily where they would swim through Milazzo, Palermo and finally reach the other side. Going back through the Straight of Messina, the tuna would return to Sardinia again. That is why they had different nicknames based on the phases they were in: coming-tuna and going back-tuna. Those can be considered actual business classifications, for the going back-tuna was considered a less refined product, its meat being darker than the coming-tuna, it’s already a tired fish, not so fat anymore.
Tuna fishing it’s a typical activity of this area. Between Tropea and Pizzo, in a town called Sant’Irene, there can still be found basins carved into the tuff, it’s where they used to stock the tuna, with salt, you know salt was the only way to preserve food back in the past.
The majority of this product would be sold in this very area, there weren’t roads nor proper freezer trucks. Pizzo’s fished tuna could go as far as Lamezia thanks to small carts pulled by horses. Sometimes one could reach even Vibo or Sant’Onofrio, but never beyond those cities. The unsold fish would go to waste.
As you can see from the document in the frame on the wall, my great-grandfather started the business in 1913. That document is the very first record of the company. My great-grandfather founded this company and worked there together with his two sons, they would fish tuna during the months of May and June. On a later date, they started dealing with other import-export products. The coming-tuna can be fished only in May and June because after that, it goes down and hides in the depths of the caves where it lays down the eggs. From this moment on, it’s impossible to see the tuna again. This is the starting point of our business; they were two brothers, my great-grandfather and they were later joined by a third brother. Then my great-grandfather Giacinto died and of course the busiess passed down from generation to generation. You’ll understand my son’s name’s Giacinto, of course. Continue reading by clicking Next >
You’ve come a long way since 1913. Now that you are at the head, what about your business strategies?
I wouldn’t say “strategies”. I’ve maintained what was given to me by my father and it’s not simply an advertising jingle “Quality First”. It was my grandfather’s motto and having being around ever since I was a boy, I remember him and my father never transgressing this point. This belief has always rewarded us, keeping us up even during or after very bad times, such as right after the War. Even though our company’s keeping up with time’s technologies, it’s just new machinery, it will never afflict our artisanal approach. For example, the bottling is a handmade process. Our female employees put every single stick inside every single bottle, one by one. The fish is handmade bottled. We just moved our facilities from the old Pizzo’s bay to the area North of Pizzo, now we’ve been in Maierato since 1988. We underwent a technological evolution, got to bigger buildings, clearly.
It is worth noting that your involvement in sports as well as the ice-cream business has given quite some results.
Well, my involvement in sports was quite an accident, it happened 24 years ago. There were those friends of mine, they had a little team playing the C2 league and they asked me for a favor, to act as their sponsor. Little by little, by asking me for advice here and there, my involvement increased and the first successes were achieved. Our team was promoted to the C1 league, B2 and then B1 and finally, on 13 May 2004 we got promoted to the main League. By then they’d left me in full control of the team, because they didn’t have any more founds to invest into it. I just applied the same business model of my company to the sporting society. And we achieved satisfying results. Even sport will benefit from being structured as a proper business. Mind this, we pioneered the coming in Calabria of players; before, players would not come here, we conquered their reluctance.
In Calabria, one might wake up one day to find himself successful in something. What’s the secret, Mr. President? Is there an inspiring message we can spread?
There’s no secret. Thing just have to be done properly, one thing taken care of at the right time, being mindful of what one’s doing. First and foremost, love and passion for your job. One has to uphold those business model that apply to all parts of the system. The team doesn’t amount to only 12 players and two trainers, there’s the whole behind-the-curtain work too. Like housing the players and taking care that the foreigner ones have a car… and everything else, the venue, dealing with the administrations. You can’t run anything on a “I’ve just remembered I have to do this”-way, like they do from Rome southward, things have to be organized, scheduled.
The hardest thing when we got promoted to A2, was convincing the players to move to Calabria, they thought they would find themselves in a Third-World land. The first years especially, they had to be pampered to an excess, but there was no other choice in order to build the team. After that, those players started talking about how they’ve been treated here, they spread the word about the President and today players actually aspire to come here in Vibo, because they know they will be treated well, people are great and the sporting society has a very human approach.
At the moment, we have 300 children training with actual professionals, not with pre-school afternoon teachers. We don’t offer a drop-off for parents to gain one more hour away from their kids, that is something elementary schools do as extracurriculars. The kids who enroll here, they come to achieve results and parents themselves are often bewildered by this. We give them a mind-set that will be useful for ever.
As an example of this, let me tell you how these kids feel like being all part of a body. They wear the Callipo uniform just like the adults and they know they can’t misbehave on the streets anymore. I myself talk to them and explain that given the uniform they’re wearing, whatever bad action they might commit, it will damage us all, the whole Callipo society.
Of course, before enrolling, all kids are expected to undergo a medical examination. This is an additional cost, you see. It’s a wonderful business turned into a great passion.
In conclusion, things have to be thought, scheduled, organized. You can’t do something at the last second. My colleagues asked me the same question. The secret is scheduling. I am all over it. The secret is this, otherwise one cannot be expected to perform well in every activity: doing things at the last minute, one will find his hands tied, there will be no time to do all that needs to be done.
I agree. I’m very impressed by your care for the kids and your making sure they feel part of the whole, I believe in this philosophy too. Do you think there’s a way, for this winning model, to take foot in Calabria? From Milan, I was sorry you were not elected as President of Regione Calabria, I’m convinced that someone who performs and achieves so many things in his private life, could really help administrations work. You want schedules to be followed, you want things to work and can’t suffer procrastination. You know from your own private life that nothing can be achieved that way.
In the private sphere, the first word should be “meritocracy” . I keep repeating that even when discussing with politicians. You want to know why and how Callipo is a winning business while on the contrary, Calabria – a bigger business itself- it’s not. Here we apply meritocracy. Some years ago, my sister’s boy wanted to join the family business. But he was slacking off and I told him, “Giuseppe, my boy, you don’t belong here. Go and find some other job”. See? I would not allow even my only nephew into my business… this is meritocracy! I will not feed an indolent only because we are kin. “But it’s your relation”, a slacker will never achieve a thing, nor help you… on the contrary, he very well may be a damaging presence! This may work as non-incentive seen from the outside. It’s not the easy way. That’s why I took on Facebook to urge people to insurgency, to start a revolution!
You are right! Only a couple of days ago I was driving from Fabrizia to Gioiosa Ionica and that street is full of holes, I risked my life. And I wondered, how come there can be such a majestic palace for the administrations, but we can’t afford having proper streets?
I drove on that street myself, I know what you mean. These streets are the reason why the hinterland towns slowly die, people leave. But politicians don’t care.
Why are those men still there, instead of making room for truly competent people?
Because people let them, they’re too busy enduring the hardships. And the young have no faith in politics anymore. There’s this mentality, this idea that it’s just a waste of time and they carry on. They brood about unemployment, about this and that. A friend of mine, shes’ French, she told me “Pippo, Calabrian people aren’t French people”. When the French dislike something, they rebel.
You have to be a free man to fight politicians.
Are you a free man?
Yes, 100%
…the young boy of the picture is Filippo Callipo, his picture is in the menu of “Bella Italia”, a chain of restaurants in London. The President showed it to me with pride. Rightly so.
Thank you, Pippo. I wish Calabria had more men like you.
Discover also the interview with Daniele Rossi, owner of Caffe Guglielmo in Calabria by clicking here
