A Orsi Alimentos was founded by Italian immigrants hardworking and persistent. One of the country's best-known brands in pasta sector.
This story begins at the end of 19st century, when the Orsi family decides to move to Brazil, following the flow of thousands of Italians who came to Brazil South America in the same period, in search of better living conditions.
This is how the young couple Contilio Orsi and Luigia Ruiz di Pellegrino left Italy and embarked for Brazil. Records indicate that Contilio was born in Sant'Andrea di Compito, an administrative unit of the city of Capannori, in the province of Lucca, located in the Italian region of Toscana.
Arriving in Brazil, the couple ended up settling first in the city of Tiete, in the metropolitan region of Sorocaba, in the interior of the state of São Paulo. It was in Tietê that they had the first two of eight children, all born in Brazil: Elvira, born in 1895, and Zephyr, born in 1896.
Orsi family in Brazil
In the following years, the couple ended up moving to the city of Paulista Sheets, also in the interior of São Paulo, where he would have six more children, who would build their lives in that city.
The story of Orsi Alimentos begins with Contilio's second son, Zeffiro Orsi, who in Lençóis Paulista maintained a nursing home dry and wet in partnership with a member of another traditional family in the city.
Orsi Alimentos is born
The trade, which was called Zillo & Orsi House, operated for a few years, but the company ended up breaking up and Zeffiro Orsi acquired a small pastificio, where he resumed the family tradition and started producing the typical Italian pasta in an artisanal way.
It is worth mentioning that Zeffiro was married to Thereza Bertelli, with whom he had children Ivanise Orsi, affectionately called Zizi, and William Orsi. In the small farm, even when the children were still small, they already learned from their father the art of produce pasta.
Thus, Orsi Alimentos was born in 1949, with the aim of producing the best typical italian pasta from Brazil. Even though Zeffiro Orsi lived until 1978, when he died at the age of 82, it was his son William, graduating in business Administration, who took charge of the business and made the company grow.
Blow of fate
William's theory learned at college, combined with practice at day to day work, made the business prospered and, in the following years, Orsi Alimentos became the most profitable company of the city and, therefore, of the region and one of the best known in its field in the country.
However, in 1989, a blow of fate almost ruined everything, if it weren't for obstinacy and the family's certainty that the business had born to prosper.
That year, a large fire destroyed all the machinery and facilities at the Orsi Alimentos factory, located in central area from Lençóis Paulista.
Decision to start over
However, what could be a reason for any other business group to “throw in the towel”, ended up giving rise to a historical page turn in the company's business.
William Orsi decided that he would not accept that the fatality end the legacy built by his father. Despite all the difficulties, he was very reluctant to fire employees, but ended up having to lay off some employees, so that he could restart the company.
Over the next thirteen months, the Orsi family worked tirelessly, so that Zeffiro Orsi's dream would not end in fire ashes.
Orsi Alimentos is reborn
As a result of the courage to restart from scratch a project that had already been built with a lot of struggle, William Orsi ended up starring in one of the most beautiful overcoming stories corporate body that is known, recognized throughout the interior of São Paulo, at the beginning of decade 1990.
There were 13 months of production stopped to rebuild the building and installation of new equipment. Few people believed that Zeffiro Orsi's successors would be able to redo, in such a short time, what had taken decades to be built.
However, the facilities were rebuilt, employees were rehired and the possibility of investing in more modern machinery, with updated manufacturing technologies, which guaranteed a grand new beginning to the Orsi family.
William died in 1998, aged 75, certain of the mission more than accomplished of not letting all the work that he saw his father begin and that he carried out with so much dedication and competence.
Fighting family
Today, Orsi Alimentos produces different types of pasta, as well as sauces, cake mixes and chocolate drinks, and sells throughout Brazil. It is a privately held and family-run company since its foundation, in third generation of the family, established as one of the most respected in its sector. The production line is fully computerized and industrialized with state-of-the-art machines.
And this is one more fight story, love of work, suffering and redemption, led by Italian immigrants who came to Brazil to work, love and live all dramas and glories reserved for those who are not afraid to face life head on and open chest.
By Roberto Schiavon/Italianism
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