Leggi la versione italiana
“We bring our own point of view, but we don’t forget our parents’ experience. We wouldn’t have gotten here if it weren’t for them, you wouldn’t go on without us”: Stephen is 37 years old. He belongs to the fifth generation of entrepreneurs, owners of Mobili Mussatti founded by his great-great-grandfather Antonio Mussatti in 1874. Back then, they made carriages to move around the valley. Today, designer furniture. We are in Donnas, a small town in the Pont saint Martin district in Valle d’Aosta. Stefano is featured in CNA Storie of the Month. Stefano has put his experience in design studies at the service of the historic family business. “I brought a change,” Stefano says proudly. A new way of approach, of making a project and presenting it to the client. Production remains the main aspect, but to get to the final production there is a process of revisiting, of juxtaposing materials.”
Being a carpenter in the mountains
Precision carpentry in an area like this has peculiarities: the restoration of existing heritage is preferred to new construction. “In Val d’Aosta there are many renovated houses: regularity does not exist, between out-of-square walls to be compensated and niches to be measured with unerring accuracy. Carpentry is our forte to solve problems within these environments that are characteristic of the mountains and to meet the client’s needs.” Needs or whims, as the case may be, that the Mobili Mussatti factory satisfies with 100 percent handcrafted products, with lumber from the area: larch, fir, pine, chestnut oak and walnut whose scraps, unprocessed, are compressed into briquettes intended for heating the shed.
Mussatti Furniture Factory’s 150 years in business
Last year the Mobili Mussatti factory blew out its 150 candles. The secret to success? “Diversifying. We sell our own furniture and resell other brands. But we always ruled out going into merchandising, having a single supply, even if it was for a big company. I think it was the choice to diversify and not be tied to one product that made us move on different solutions and overcome difficult times.”
From generation to generation of Mussatti customers
Having Mussatti furniture in the home is, for the people of the valley, a source of pride. So much so that the baton is not only passed from entrepreneur father to apprentice son, but also from customer to customer. “We have been exhibiting at the fair in St. Orso for several years, and thanks to this showcase we have also gained visibility with French and Swiss customers. But ours is a predominantly local market, founded on customer loyalty and word of mouth. Generations of families have passed through here-I work with the children of my parents’ customers!”
Opportunities seized thanks to CNA
Keeping up with the times has required major investments, such as the purchase of machinery necessary for the evolution of different processes, obtained through Industry 4.0. “We learned about the possibility of this incentive through CNA Valle d’Aosta, which followed us through the various processes. We have so many things to think about, if we didn’t have an association following us we would lose pieces,” Stefano acknowledges. Stefano’s days are spent from his desk, where he designs, to the client’s home, where he follows the inspection and installation of materials. “A piece of furniture may be beautifully made, if it is laid badly it is completely ruined.”
To whom should the craft be passed on?
Stefano would like to pass on his passion to willing, and equally passionate young people. Like Françoise, Desiré, Stefano, and Ugo, who entered carpentry after their studies. But flanking them with new recruits is increasingly difficult. “It’s not so easy anymore to find a young guy to get to a certain level of training; everyone aspires to do other jobs. Yet it’s a job that gives a lot of satisfaction.” How does he see Mobili Mussatti factory in 10 years? “I hope to always be able to improve. To have new workmanship and some young people who can help us out.”
