"Dad would come over to the farm until early August, when his energy allowed him to. He would make the rounds of the offices, the warehouse and walk into the fields to greet everyone. He literally started from scratch and knew what hard work meant." That's how Marco Salvi remembers his father, Luigi, who died on 3 December 2021 at the age of 92.
Luigi and Marco Salvi at a fair
"He had started working at the age of 8, when his father told him that, having finished third grade, he had already studied enough. He never stopped working. It became his passion, his strength, which he handed down to us right from the very beginning. I can only be grateful to him, also because he was not a boss, but he gave me carte blanche, trusting me blindly".
“First of all, I would like to emphasize his courage, because it takes a lot of it to accomplish what he did. Secondly, the curiosity that distinguished him, combined with an innovative spirit that allowed him to create a supply chain at a time when there was no mention of it and perhaps no one even knew what it was back then,” said Marco, remembering his father.
Among the hundreds of messages that have reached the family, many are from his collaborators, "because my father always had a word for everyone and showed great respect. Humility and smiles were two of his greatest human qualities. Thanks to these qualities, he laid the foundation for a sense of belonging that binds so many of our employees to the company beyond the working day. If you were to ask me for a criticism, perhaps I could say that he dedicated his entire life to work, sacrificing time for his family. But he also did it because he knew that our mother was able to keep us all together, making up for what he couldn't do because of his dedication to the company".
Luigi Salvi played a leading role in the Ferrara, Italian and European fruit industry for more than 50 years. "When he arrived in Ferrara in 1966, he started from scratch, making his way in an area where there were already very strong companies. And, even at the height of his success, he never forgot his humble origins. For this reason he will be buried in his Cenate Sotto, in the province of Bergamo, where he came from. Roots cannot be forgotten."