4th Generation

Valvona & Crolla is an Edinburgh institution.

The business has been in the same shop since 1934, adding a coffee area at the back in the 1990s. Tonight I was at a business networking event where the current chief executive (Philip Contini) explained the history of the business, going back to his grandfather coming to Scotland about 1900.

One of the issues he covered was succession planning - getting himself out of the top job and letting one of his daughters take over. It was one of the best hours I've spent at something like that for years. A good speaker with a great story to tell.

I've been a customer for quite a while, and indeed I was in the shop just before the meeting to buy some salsiccia piccante.  

Whilst he didn't say much about Brexit, I could guess how problematic it would/will be for that business - importing so much from Italy. He expects it to be a disaster, but they're in disaster planning mode already.