STORIES OF PEOPLE FROM THE WORLD OF ITALMOBILIARE
DISCOVERING YOUNG ARTISANS
Stories of young people whose work for the Group features a high degree of craftsmanship. Precisely those young craftsmen and women who - if you read the news - seem impossible to find.
But we found them and discovered that they are not only very skilful, but also extremely proud of their work.
Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is considered the oldest perfumery in the world. The historical shop in Florence is still located in the same location where in 1221 the Dominican friars began to deal with pharmacopoeia and natural preparations. Production on the other hand has moved a few kilometres away to the factory in Via Reginaldo Giuliani, where we meet Christian Potenza.
Originally from Lucera, in the province of Foggia, Christian is 31 years old and has been working in the Officina since 2020. His first job was in the warehouse "I saw it as a starting point, and so it was. Shortly afterwards, a position opened up in the wax factory, so I moved." The wax factory is the department where candles, scented tablets and, more generally, all of the company's wax-based products are made. How much Christian loves this job can be seen from the enthusiasm with which he talks about every aspect of production: "I liked the work immediately, also thanks to the Mastro Ceraio (Master Waxmaker) who patiently explained to me all the processes, recipes, tricks and secrets so that we always obtain the best possible result from the raw materials that we use."
Because each product made in this department starts from a combination of the ingredients needed to create the different wax mixture, to which natural perfumes and colourings are added. And it is up to the Master Waxmaker to create the recipes, adapting them to the specific conditions.
"We work with natural ingredients, which can differ slightly on each occasion" explains Christian, the Master Waxmaker decides the mixtures and adapts them according to requirements. Great sensitivity and in-depth knowledge of the material is needed as it can vary according to the lot, even reacting differently based on atmospheric factors, such as temperature or humidity."
Not only that, the waxmakers also have the task of decorating and finishing the products: "A craftsman is needed because a machine cannot see defects; the quality is extremely high and we discard many tablets and candles because we can tell by sight or touch if a product is perfect or not. Also by smelling it!" continues Christian.
He also explains how production has changed since the company joined the Italmobiliare Group "There is greater attention to efficiency but, above all, to safety. For example, previously we used electric resistors manually to heat the ingredients; now we put them in temperature-controlled tanks, with advantages in terms of both precision and safety."
Christian is happy with what he does, but also very proud "When relatives and friends come to Florence, I take them to the shop to show them what we do. They are all amazed, just as the customers and suppliers who come to visit the factory are surprised, no one has ever seen things like this." And he concludes "It is intriguing work and, above all, almost unique. I don't think there are many master waxmakers in Italy, and my goal is to become one of them".
