Material Obsession from Saffiano to Nylon

“He considered the air he breathed on the paths of the Langhe so beneficial that, to the surprise of planners and architects, he had it reproduced inside his offices. For example, in Brussels, Beppe Veglio, former general manager of the Ferrero factory in the Belgian town of Arlon, in the southern Ardennes, recalls that Michele "had an office built in a small building that exactly replicated the characteristics of the air of the Langhe at about six hundred meters in altitude." Confirms Gianni Mercorella, with nearly fifty years of service at Ferrero as the custodian of the product cards, since 1990 part of his secretariat: "When I accompanied him to identify the place to establish the Balvano factory, in my earthquake-shaken Basilicata, with neighboring Irpinia, from the earthquake of 1980, Mr. Michele chose an altitude and air that were similar to those of his Langhe." As Ferrero researcher Gianlorenzo Seletto states, "at that altitude, bread leavening is ideal." And this is an additional factor in achieving that unique excellence of the products.”

“"For example, he was not satisfied with knowing that the lemon was bought, say, from Calabria or the Amalfi Coast: he wanted to know at what altitude it was grown, whether it was exposed to the sun or not, then he wanted to know if two hundred meters higher there were other lemons perhaps with a different flavor, better, in short, the final choice became a choice derived from the extraordinary knowledge of the raw material. If you wanted to know all the details of an Indian mandarin, he would tell you with surprising details. He defined the product as 'an orchestra' and each raw material had to be tuned according to the score of that orchestra. But be careful: your product can be a catchy tune, but it risks only lasting one summer, or it can be a big work like La traviata, which lasts forever."”

“He is also credited with the spread of saffiano leather, which has become so iconic that it represents a sort of trademark for the Milanese house.”

“Mario was maniacally engaged in the search for fabrics and leathers. Leather, for example, is bought from the best European suppliers.”