THE FUTURE OF CRAFTSMANSHIP - TRADITION, ENTERPRISE AND SUSTAINABILITY: CHANGE TO SURVIVE

Italian craftsmanship represents a cultural, professional and economic heritage worth preserving. But can we be sure that the entrepreneurial model on which it has developed is still sustainable? Gelato shops, pastry shops and caffés have historically been characterised by small businesses, often family-run, grown through management models passed down from generation to generation. In many cases, informal management practices, undeclared work, poor financial planning and organisations heavily dependent on the owner have been a hard habit to break. A model that has contributed to the spread of craftsmanship, but which today shows increasingly evident limitations in the face of rising costs, regulatory complexity, difficulties in recruiting staff and the need to ensure business continuity. The point is not to abandon tradition, but to understand that in order to preserve artisan culture, it is necessary to profoundly transform the way of doing business. During the talk, the necessary conditions for building a new entrepreneurial model for artisan food retail will be addressed: economic sustainability, margin control, organisation, people development, compliance, managerial culture and balanced growth.
SANO Executive Master was created with precisely this ambition: to contribute to a cultural and managerial change in the sector, so that artisan skills can continue to be passed down and valued within solid, healthy businesses capable of facing the future. Because it is not enough to preserve the art of craftsmanship. We must also preserve the businesses that make it possible.