Le Coq Porcelaine: frames for Global Chefs Challenge!

 

Even while summer occasionally still lingers, with Southeast Asian temperatures laced with brisk, windy days, autumn has finally arrived.
We never get used to dressing in a jacket instead of a sleeveless cotton t-shirt and, more importantly, we never get used to going back to our regular lives with traffic, public transports and the unease that the city has taken over. And in the span of a single glance, the tranquilly and recollections of far-off vistas and pristine beaches gradually fade.
Be at ease! News, happenings, fresh possibilities, and the energy to tackle the year-end obstacles with composure are all brought about by autumn!

In this spirit, we travel to Collegno, near Turin, where we will meet Alberto, the Export Area Manager, and Martina, the Digital Marketing Specialist, to talk about Le Coq Porcelaine and the upcoming Global Chefs Challenge final in Singapore. Le Coq dishes will be used for the final competition thanks to our excellent relationship with Q Industries, our distributors.

Ilsa showroom in Collegno (Turin)

A: Hello Alberto! Tell us a little about the history of Le Coq, from its origins to the present!

AL: Le Coq Porcelain was born in Florence around the 1980s as a porcelain brand for weddings and banqueting. In 2019 it was acquired by Ilsa and since then, in a very short time, the brand has been relaunched and totally renewed. For the company this is a very important step, it means broadening the horizon of its knowledge in the world of professional equipment and embarking on a new and exciting journey. What Ilsa is doing, therefore, with Le Coq Porcelaine is not just acquiring a brand, but launching a project by completely renewing all the collections and expanding the offer to create a unique proposal. The focus has shifted to design, shapes and textures that combine aesthetics, functionality and modernity, also giving space to new themes such as the casual and fine dining collections. Ilsa's experience in managing the sales network has proved to be crucial for the development of the Italian and especially international market, where some product lines have become real trends, and the product has conquered an ever-increasing market share day after day. We can say that today Le Coq Porcelain offers a set of unique collections, highly recognizable and with a strong identity. In short, it is certainly not a brand that risks to be anonymous. Strong choices of style, modernity and elegance characterize all the products. Now it is possible to find Le Coq Porcelain products in hotels, international 5-star chains, starred restaurants, but also at the tables of the coolest and trendiest weddings.

Le Coq plates at Scena di Angelo, Shanghai

A: What is the peculiarity of a Le Coq product compared to other competitors?

AL: Here we definitely connect to identity. Our products always stand out, there is always a strong component of style that distinguishes them. They can be vintage, hyper modern, but never ordinary. This has been the key to success that has inspired many chefs, who use our dishes as a perfect frame for their creations.

A: Instead, regarding the commercial part and the development of the sales network, which markets have the best potential?

AL: Well, both in Italy and abroad our customers are typically distributors of professional catering material. What changes, depending on the area, are the types of end customers we reach. Some areas, such as Europe, are full of independent hotels and restaurants, while for example the Middle East and the Far East see a greater presence of international chains. The greatest growth potential as far as Europe is concerned is strictly linked to making the presence of our products widespread in the various areas to reach as many customers as possible. At the same time, emerging markets offer huge development opportunities as they are the scene of new projects with huge investments by large international chains. In this case, the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) area is certainly the protagonist of a huge cultural and economic evolution. Countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, but also Turkey, have a constantly growing tourism sector and sometimes a lack of accommodation facilities. We already collaborate with some of the major international hospitality brands and this aspect will grow for sure.
The constant presence at international industry events helps to thicken the network of relationships that is essential in order to be increasingly protagonists.

Aphros collection will be used for the Global Chefs Challenge final

A: Ok, and what about marketing strategies? What do you think are the most satisfying results of the commitment applied in the world of social media?

M: Surely the greatest satisfaction is having direct contact with operators in the sector and seeing how our products come to life in their hands. We can say that the advent of social media has allowed us to enter the reality of end users around the globe and see the collections transform from pieces exhibited in the showroom to table accessories and canvases for their culinary presentations. Restaurants, hotels and clubs share photos of their creations with our dishes on social media. This activity has led us to include some of these images in the brand-new catalogue. We wanted the real users of our products to be an integral part of our work, those to whom the collections are dedicated and who responded enthusiastically to the idea of ​​being mentioned in our catalogue. With the release of the catalogue, we plan to include new amazing images and thus enrich our Le Coq Porcelain magazine.

Ionica Collection

A: Sticking to this, especially in terms of events, the FHA will soon be in Singapore with the Global Chefs Challenge Final, for which we are working together with Q Industries. What is the deadline for this event in terms of communication and product?

M: Because of our collaboration with Tablo and Q Industries, we are thrilled to be a part of this global initiative as a porcelain supplier and sponsor. The company is proud that teams of the best chefs in the globe qualified for the finals will be serving their culinary creations on our plates. We are collaborating closely with the Q Industries team to advance the project, providing both the official dishes for the competitions and the booth that will be erected at the Global Chef Challenge exhibition centre competition area. We have begun the portion of digital communication and promotion in the meantime.

A: Which are the ranges that will be used for the event?

AL: The collections chosen for the competition are Ninfa and Aphros. The first, Ninfa, is an awesome line with organic shapes in porcelain that will be present on the scene of the Global Chef Challenge in two colors, total White and acquamarine. In particular, it will be interesting to see how the chefs will exploit the beautiful shape of the deep plate to present their creations. The second is a New Bone China collection, with a great aesthetic impact for its design and almost imperceptible lightness. Aphros in Greek, in fact, means sea foam, from which comes the inspiration for these elements so fine and almost ethereal. The other peculiarities of the collection are certainly the finish, partly matte, partly glossy, the possibility of using the gourmet tray on both sides for the presentation of different proportions of the internal diameters of pasta bowls and gourmet plates.

A: By the way... why do the collections always have Greek names or names inspired by ancient Greece?

AL: It has always been like this from the beginning. When we started the Le Coq project, we started developing the collection and had a brainstorming internally and decided to link each name to our culture, to our Latin, Roman tradition, mythology and also to the Greek one, so all the names of all the collections are linked to this. They all have references to mythology or in any case clearly to a Greek or Latin term that says something about the design or the texture. They are also often approved by Greek customers who are sometimes given a preview.

M: Actually, something interesting that often happens to me when I feel lost is to ask the Greek customer directly "look, I need a word for...". For example, the name Skalistos comes from a Greek customer. I told them that I needed something to represent a lace pattern!

A: Speaking of sustainability, how did the collaboration with OGYRE start and how important is it nowadays to have a policy aimed at protecting and safeguarding the environment?

AL: This collaboration developed in 2023 when we learned about OGYRE, a B Corp startup that has been committed to protecting the oceans and biodiversity for years. The startup operates through Fishing for Litter campaigns, an activity that aims at cleaning the waters from marine waste thanks to the help of fishermen who, during their trips to sea, collect waste and deliver it to companies responsible for correct disposal. A very specific action therefore, aimed at protecting the oceans, but also at supporting local communities, since the project directly supports the activities of fishermen. One of the fundamental objectives of the company is aimed at the commitment, in every phase of economic activity, to safeguard the planet and the well-being of present and future generations, as indicated in the Ilsa code of ethics, which will be published soon. The environmental sustainability strategy implemented includes constant updating on the environmental issues to be addressed and the evaluation of the impacts caused in our area of ​​influence to minimize the footprint or to follow their appropriate management. Among the investments and activities aimed at achieving this goal, there is therefore the collaboration with OGYRE, which intervenes directly on the seas to remedy the damage caused by pollution and promote the sensitivity needed to protect the planet for the biodiversity that populates it. Last year, we therefore launched the Thalassios collection linked to the Fishing for Litter project in Brazil. In 2024, we successfully renewed the project, extending the collection action also to the seas of Indonesia. (Read the article about OGYRE project here)

Thalassios collection

A: Let's talk about Ilsa. What is the focus, the strengths of other products you have?

AL: Ilsa is certainly a complex company, which has lived several lives linked to various historical periods starting from 1946. The current focus is to offer a range of products as complete as possible in order to be able to provide any accessory required in a professional kitchen, or even in the dining room. Not only the completeness of the offer, but also the accuracy of the service and the ease of communication with customers are a key point for us, as we know that a good part of the market is made through an excellent service. The quality of the products has now been recognized over the years, and every year the catalogue expands for an increasingly complete and technical offer. Each sector, such as the world of coffee, has very specific needs that are renewed every year. For this reason, our research and development team is constantly committed to finding new solutions in line with the highest market demands. The commercial objective, at the same time, is to increase brand awareness at an international level to reach more and more customers, ILSA together with Le Coq Porcelaine.

Ilsa products for coffee

After our chat, we go for a tour of the showroom to take some shots and videos of the collections (if you haven't seen our reel, click here). Here we can admire both the popular and historic ones, as well as the new ones!
We won't tell you anything in advance, but we'll keep you on tenterhooks, as always, with the usual #staytuned for the premiere of Ambiente Frankfurt!