Rare and Precious Foods On The Best Tables

Longino & Cardenal has been the reference point for quality catering for over thirty years.

The Group

Longino & Cardenal is the go-to supplier for high-quality catering. The company scouts for excellence and innovation, searching across the globe for rare and precious foods to bring to the tables of the best hotels and restaurants both in Italy and abroad, leading and setting the next gastronomic trends.

Over the years, the company has stood out for its proposals of prime products (over 1,800), distributed by over 70 partners, to respond to the demands of the high-profile category of food operators in Italy and abroad. It boasts a portfolio of some 4,500 clients in Italy alone, including around 80% of Michelin-starred restaurants.

Today, Longino & Cardenal stands as one of Italy's leading “gastronomic globetrotters”. It boldly and passionately continues its search for the best raw ingredients, often unfamiliar to most, in order to satisfy new trends in consumer behaviour, which seeks out excellent products presented in innovative ways.

History

Longino & Cardenal was established in 1988 as an importer of fresh caviar from Iran, for sale to restaurants and specialist delicatessens. The judicious idea to import the raw material, repackage it and retail it with a precise identity using a new brand proved to be a winning one, and gave rise to a new business model and a highly successful story.

Over the years, the company's passion for fine dining, its painstaking search for top-quality ingredients, and in 1993 the entry of CEO Riccardo Uleri into the share capital of the company (which, in 2004, reviewed and expanded its business model) led it to record constant growth, making it a benchmark for top-end catering in Italy.

The internationalization process began in 2013. In order to operate in direct contact with these markets, the company opened a branch in Hong Kong in 2013, one in Dubai in 2015 and another in New York in 2019.

Again in 2015, L&C acquired stake in the company “Il Satiro Danzante”, a historic and exclusive prawn supplier from Mazara del Vallo, and created the brand Don Gambero, in order to develop the vertical integration and direct management of the brands distributed.

The company name was entirely invented: Longino, a Swiss gentleman of noble descent, and Cardenal, a Cuban fisherman; both, united by their passion for fine foods, decided to travel the world together in search of the most exquisite specialities.

The strengths
of Longino & Cardenal

Recognizable, reliable, consolidated brand

Over 1,800 articles in 12 categories Product selection focuses on quality, excellence and a passion for research.

Skilful communications, creating networks between suppliers and clients. Organization of events and tours to make our products known. Partnerships with Michelin-starred chefs and personalities from the food & beverage and catering worlds.

The structure in place ensures integration between exclusive and multi-firm agents on the ground, and in-house sales account managers. Once reps have established contact with a client and put the first order through, the sales account managers support the network in the collection of weekly orders.

Consolidated position in Italy and presence on Hong Kong, Dubai and New York. Network of international suppliers, and possibility of replicating the business model.

An integrated logistics system with shipping guaranteed within a maximum of 72 hours and scrupulous purchasing management all ensure that surplus stock is reduced to a minimum (unsold goods account for 0.6% of turnover).

The management at Longino can boast consolidated experience and great expertise in the food & beverage sector. Constant attention to the implementation of management systems functional to Longino's business model.