Cauvin Group

Vittorio Cauvin s.p.a., commonly known as the Cauvin Group (Gruppo Cauvin), is an Italian family-owned holding company headquartered in Genoa. Founded in 1890 by Vittorio Cauvin, a member of a French-origin family that had settled in Genoa in the mid-nineteenth century, the firm began as an importer of fertilizers and grew over more than a century into a diversified trading and industrial group. Its subsidiaries operate in the import, export, processing and distribution of commodities and semi-finished products — principally fertilizers and metals — as well as in the provision of intermediation services for international trade. The group's historical core business was fertilizer trading. In its early decades it secured Italian agency rights from the American consortia PhosChem and PhosRock and dealt in both organic products (notably Chilean guano) and synthetic ones (sodium nitrate, Thomas slag, phosphate and potash salt). Under the founder's son Ernesto Cauvin, the business expanded into steel importing and semi-processing, including an Italian agency mandate for United States Steel, and into foreign-trade services. A third generation, Gian Vittorio and Massimiliano "Max" Cauvin, took over between 1958 and the 1970s, opening representative offices in Rome, Milan, Bologna and Cairo and diversifying further. In 1985 the group was reorganized into the holding Vittorio Cauvin. Over the following years it entered aluminium semi-finished product distribution (Alluminio di Qualità, incorporating the Lampro Alluminio and Fover Alluminio brands), insurance brokerage (Proteca), asset management (Ligure Piemontese Commissionaria) and industrial automation (Orsi Automazione). Around 1990 the family created Cauvin Agricoltura to move directly into fertilizer distribution, and in the 1990s it held an agency mandate with BHP Billiton for international trading and hedging of primary aluminium. After that mandate ended in 2011, the activity was brought in-house under the subsidiary Cauvin Metals, which trades directly with producers and has extended its range to lead, copper, zinc, aluminium powder and other steel products. The company remains a private, family-controlled Italian holding. Its registered office is at Via XX Settembre 31/7 in Genoa, and its official website presents the group under the banner "Since 1890 from Genoa to the World," covering fertilizers, steel, aluminium, ferroalloys and international procurement.

Vittorio Cauvin s.p.a., also known as the Cauvin Group, traces its origins to 1890, when Vittorio Cauvin — a member of a French-origin family that had moved to Genoa in the mid-nineteenth century — founded a fertilizer import firm in the Ligurian capital. Working with his son Ernesto, the founder obtained the Italian agency rights from the American consortia PhosChem and PhosRock, handling both organic products (above all Chilean guano) and synthetic ones (sodium nitrate, Thomas slag, phosphate and potash salt). In the 1930s Ernesto Cauvin sat on the direction of the chemistry corporation of the Kingdom of Italy, and in 1939 he was appointed, on the quota of the National Council of Corporations, to the Chamber of Fasci and Corporations for the XXX legislature. The founder remained at the head of the firm until after the Second World War, gradually making room for his son. Under Ernesto's direction the business expanded into the import and semi-processing of steel — in particular securing the Italian agency mandate for United States Steel, one of the world's largest steel producers — as well as into the provision of foreign-trade services, building an increasingly dense network of international correspondents. In 1966 Ernesto Cauvin received the honour of Cavaliere del Lavoro of the Italian Republic. Between 1958 and the 1970s the third generation of the family took over, in the persons of Ernesto's sons Gian Vittorio and Massimiliano "Max" Cauvin, continuing the diversification of activities. The company opened representative offices in Rome, Milan and Bologna and also in Cairo — a branch consolidated in 1974, becoming the group's "bridgehead" for various businesses in Africa and the Mediterranean — while in Spain, with the contribution of Finsider, Sideriberica was created to market Italian steel products on the Iberian peninsula, with offices in Madrid and Barcelona. In 1966 the Italian steel branch was assigned to the subsidiary Acciai di Qualità. In 1978 the Cauvins obtained from the multinational Alcoa the right to distribute aluminium plates in Italy. In 1980 Gian Vittorio became president of the Genoa chamber of commerce (holding the post until 1991), and in 1982 — a year after his father's death — he also inherited the top corporate position. Also in 1982 the supply of goods and services to developing countries was organized into the subsidiary Com.Int, while Diffel obtained from IBM the concession to sell personal computers on the Italian market; in 1983 the steel branch expanded further by incorporating Fantino & C., active in the distribution of naval plates and boilers. Between 1983 and 1987 Gian Vittorio Cauvin sat on the promoting committee of the new Banco di San Giorgio, which ideally "brought back to life" what had been the oldest Genoese credit institution; he would also be its president in the early 1990s, steering it out of the economic crisis that followed Black Wednesday and facilitating its alliance with Credito Agrario Bresciano. In 1985 the group was reorganized into the holding Vittorio Cauvin; a year later Alluminio di Qualità was established, soon incorporating the Lampro Alluminio and Fover Alluminio brands, catalysing the distribution of aluminium semi-finished products for the industrial market, shipbuilding and construction. The following year the holding entered insurance brokerage and asset management, taking over Proteca and Ligure Piemontese Commissionaria respectively. The acquisition of Orsi Automazione then brought it into industrial automation. In 1992 Gian Vittorio Cauvin received, like his father before him, the Cavalierato del Lavoro: over the preceding decade the group's employees had grown from 100 to more than 250, rising to 453 counting subsidiaries, while turnover had risen from 36 to more than 150 billion lire. In parallel the group and its patron played a decisive role in the construction of the World Trade Center of Genoa, the new business centre of the Ligurian capital, of which Gian Vittorio Cauvin became the first president. Around 1990, no longer judging the agency activity on behalf of fertilizer producers — the company's first core business — sufficiently remunerative, the Cauvins agreed with a Belgian distributor to create Cauvin Agricoltura, intended to enter the distribution market directly. At the same time a project was formulated to establish a fertilizer logistics hub within the port of Genoa. However, in 1991 the initiative suffered the backlash of the receivership of Federconsorzi, the conglomerate that was then among the main players in Italian agriculture: the unexpected event caused the partners to withdraw and left the young company entirely in the hands of the Genoese family. Despite this — and at the cost of a substantial initial economic loss — Cauvin Agricoltura survived, managing to establish its presence on the Italian commodities market and later incorporating the Piedmontese brand Fallarini. In the 1990s Cauvin signed an agency mandate with BHP Billiton for the international trading and hedging of primary aluminium. After that mandate ended in 2011, the activity passed in-house to the subsidiary Cauvin Metals, which over the years began dealing directly with producers (without intermediaries) and extended its scope to lead, copper, zinc, aluminium powder and various other steel products, reaching significant scale.

• 2011

  The BHP Billiton aluminium agency mandate ends; activity passes in-house to Cauvin Metals.

• 1992

  Gian Vittorio Cauvin receives the Cavalierato del Lavoro.

• 1991

  The Federconsorzi receivership causes partners to withdraw from Cauvin Agricoltura.

• 1990

  Cauvin Agricoltura is created with a Belgian distributor to enter fertilizer distribution directly.

• 1987

  The holding enters insurance brokerage (Proteca) and asset management (Ligure Piemontese Commissionaria).

• 1986

  Alluminio di Qualità is established, later incorporating Lampro Alluminio and Fover Alluminio.

• 1985

  The group is reorganized into the holding Vittorio Cauvin.

• 1983

  The steel branch incorporates Fantino & C.

• 1982

  Gian Vittorio Cauvin inherits the top corporate position; Com.Int is organized; Diffel obtains an IBM personal computer concession.

• 1978

  The Cauvins obtain from Alcoa the right to distribute aluminium plates in Italy.

• 1974

  The Cairo office is consolidated as the group's bridgehead for Africa and the Mediterranean.

• 1966

  Ernesto Cauvin receives the Cavaliere del Lavoro honour; the Italian steel branch is assigned to subsidiary Acciai di Qualità.

• 1939

  Ernesto Cauvin is appointed to the Chamber of Fasci and Corporations for the XXX legislature.

• 1890

  Vittorio Cauvin founds a fertilizer import firm in Genoa.

Long-established Genoese family trading house and holding, specialized in fertilizers and metals commodities with an international procurement and intermediation network.

• Fertilizers

  Organic (Chilean guano) and synthetic (sodium nitrate, Thomas slag, phosphate, potash salt) fertilizers; later direct distribution via Cauvin Agricoltura.

• Steel and steel semi-finished products

  Import and semi-processing of steel, including naval plates and boilers; Italian agency for United States Steel.

• Aluminium and aluminium semi-finished products

  Distribution of aluminium plates and semi-finished products for industry, shipbuilding and construction via Alluminio di Qualità.

• Non-ferrous metals

  Lead, copper, zinc and aluminium powder traded by Cauvin Metals.

• International trade intermediation services

  Agency, brokerage and foreign-trade services for commodities and semi-finished products.

1. 1Gruppo Cauvin - Fertilizzanti, Acciaio, Alluminio, Ferro leghe e Procurement Internazionalcauvin.it
2. 2Cauvin Group - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Vittorio Cauvin (azienda) - Wikipediait.wikipedia.org