Philip Contini

Philip Contini is Chairman and Managing Director of Valvona & Crolla, the longest-running delicatessen and Italian wine merchant in Scotland.

Founded in 1934, the independent family business is still based in their original premises in Leith and is run by the descendents of the founders.

“I have been Chairman and Managing Director since 1986, so it’s 20 years this Christmas that I took over,” says Philip. “I’m not sure what I’m doing about celebrating. One year seems to roll into the next. I took over  at Christmas lunch so no doubt we’ll raise our glasses on Christmas Day this year.”

Philip’s family are all involved with the business too. He says, “I was born here and my children were born here too. We sell whatever we believe is good food and wine to the Edinburgh public, and of course to the local Italian community, as well as to the entire UK via our web site. We also have our own bakery where we bake  bread. In Valvona & Crolla, there is myself, my wife, Mary, and my older daughter, Francesca. My wife deals with the administration and PR in the company; she does the buying for the gift room. She is also the director of catering and she decides on the recipesand cooks and prepares the food.

“My daughter, Francesca, is now the fourth generation Italian in our family and she runs our sister restaurant and café, VinCaffè. It opened two years ago this month and she’s carrying on the family tradition.  We all help out in VinCaffè but primarily, it’s in my daughter’s charge.”

Valvona & Crolla started small in the early 1900s but grew steadily. “The business came from my grand father, Alfonso Crolla. He came from Italy, where he had been working as a shepherd, to Edinburgh in 1907. He was poor so he emigrated to make a better life for himself. My grandfather settled in Edinburgh and sold ice cream and it was hard to make money.  He met up with Raffaele Valvona, who had already established a company and they became a partnership in 1934. Valvona already imported food primarily for the Italian community.  When we went into partnership, we also imported for the Scottish community too,” says Philip.

“My grandfather sold wine, olive oil, pasta and other traditional goods like biscuits, coffee, and garlic. In fact, what you see now is what was sold back then. The difference is we now have a larger range of produce.”

Since Philip has been working with food in the Scottish community for so long, he knows how to persuade people to try new foods. He says, “In the 1950s/60s the only way British people could try Italian food was from small restaurants and delicatessens or if they went abroad, which was expensive. In this day and age, experiencing different foods is very easy. You just have to go to a major city and you can taste foods from Europe to the Far East.

“It’s not hard to convince our customers to try Italian food. We’ve been doing this for 73 years and we have always said, ‘come and try, have a little, come and taste’. You let the consumer make up their mind. It’s like teaching a child to eat well, you insist they taste. When people have food that they don’t like, it’s because they were not pushed when they were younger. If they are, they’ll become used to it. You have to find a way to convince them.

“I am not great at cooking so my wife and daughter cook at home. I am lucky to be surrounded by great cooks; the girth of my waistband is testament to that.”

Philip enjoys good food, but he is also glad to be living in Scotland. “I like the people. I am glad my grandfather came to Edinburgh and nowhere else when he emigrated,” he says.

“Scottish people are democratic, open-minded, forward-thinking, very charitable in their outlook and very welcoming. As a descendent of an immigrant, I can testify that I have been welcomed. I am sure the new wave of immigrants from Eastern Europe are just as welcomed as I have been.”

Because Philip enjoys his work so much, holidays often blend in with work. He says, “It’s no use being in the business if you don’t have passion for it. If you’re not having the best time doing it, then don’t bother.

“Holidays are very important but working, leisure and family life tend to blend. I am always thinking of new products to sell in the shop. I never really switch off. My 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, loves beach holidays. It’s time-off for the family, of course, but I always end up looking for new wine or cheese for the shop.”

Even if Valvona & Crolla was to expand, his children would not be forced to join the family business. “My children are free to choose whatever they want to do with their life,” says Philip.

“Francesca has a degree in Pharmacy and she spent two years working in that area before she decided to be a part of the business.

“I can’t imagine a situation whereby I would permanently leave Edinburgh. For business reasons I might spend more time abroad, but to me, home is always Edinburgh.”

Related Links:

• www.valvonacrolla.co.uk
• www.valvonacrolla.co.uk/html/vincaffe