Profile

An entrepreneur, historian, and President of the Guido Venosta Foundation, Giuseppe Caprotti held executive positions at Esselunga, ultimately serving as Chief Executive Officer. In April 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, he took on the leadership of the Foundation named after his maternal grandfather, Guido Venosta.

Read 40 articles about Giuseppe Caprotti

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

Elba Island, Tenuta delle Ripalte, the lost paradise of childhood

Shortly before the Second World War, Umberto Quintavalle, vice-president of Magneti Marelli and my maternal great-grandfather, bought the marvellous Ripalte estate on the island of Elba and turned it into a place of delight, especially for hunting, but also for relatives and friends to stay. When great-grandfather Umberto died in 1959, the property passed to one of his daughters, my grandmother Luisa Quintavalle, who was married in her second marriage to Marquis Nicolò Theodoli. With her, summer periods at Ripalte are one of the most beautiful childhood memories.

History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

Caprotti and the company Ing. A. Morganti: the future in construction

The history of 'Impresa di costruzioni Ing. A. Morganti' (from 2012 'Morganti Impresa di Costruzioni S.p.A.'), is closely intertwined with the history of construction in Italy throughout the 20th century, giving life and completion to many major projects involving houses, roads, industries and, their speciality, prefabricated structures. For this reason above all they came into contact with the Caprotti family, first for the Albiatese textile factory, then for Esselunga, for which they built many supermarkets throughout the country and a large part of the structures of the Limito headquarters.

Food and Retail History History of Esselunga Marketing News ad Analysis Press & Events

The video of ‘The future they imagined, eCommerce food today’

Today, eCommerce food & grocery, although still representing a limited share of the overall turnover of food distribution, has in several cases reached economically sustainable models. This topic was discussed at the eCommerce Food Conference during a round table discussion between Giuseppe Caprotti and Mario Gasbarrino, two historical protagonists of Italian large-scale retail, moderated by Cristina Lazzati, director of Mark Up and Gdoweek

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

The Caprotti family: my baptism, 1961

Our lives as children are entrusted from birth to 'young ladies', experienced nannies who look after us like second mothers. I like the German Waltraud, the first one: At home we call her 'Schwester' and you can even recognise her in my christening photos. Once she has left her job in our family to return home to Germany, she will send us a souvenir photo in a police uniform, with a German shepherd at her side

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Local History

Caprotti’s ‘extended family’ between Albiate and Milan

There is a long list of closely trusted people with whom the families of yesteryear surrounded themselves and filled their homes, people who called their employers by name ('scior Bernardo', 'sciora Bettina', 'scior Peppin'), knew more about their lives sometimes than themselves, and were always there at every important family event, with pride and sometimes even emotion.

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Local History

Around the Caprottis: the beloved villa in Albiate

Since the end of the 19th century, when the Caprotti family bought the villa, much of the family history passed through that house, and continues to do so. Many photographs recount it, many memories that have remained in the letters and in the souls of those who lived them, and bring back serene photos among the trees, the games in the courtyard, the animals that once were, even the old carriages that the family used for a long time, even after the advent of cars, and which still exist.

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

The joy of snow, always: for Milan-Cortina 2026

Since the 1920s at least, everyone in the family has been skiing, great-grandparents, fathers and grandchildren, boys and girls: from great-grandfather Umberto Quintavalle, who ended his life in a crevasse under the eyes of his grandmother Adele, to grandmother Luisa and her children, my mother Giorgina and uncle Beppo, from great-grandfather Giuseppe Venosta, President of the Sport Club Pirelli to grandfather Guido, from his brother Gigi Venosta, who in addition to skiing was also a national hockey player, to Gianni Albertini, husband of aunt Ida Quintavalle, who was also a masterful climber and Arctic explorer. And up to us, children of that passion that we still continue.

History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Marketing News ad Analysis People, Environment & Culture

In Italy, small towns are emptying, even of shops: will Amazon Now provide the service in the future?

Our distributors – such as Selex and Conad – who operate consortia, and thus are unable, with some exceptions, to offer a widespread e-commerce and delivery service for basic food and household products throughout Italy – risk having to leave space and opportunity to Amazon Now over time

Food and Retail History History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Presentations

Le Ossa dei Caprotti” presentation – Chiari (BS) 8 November 2025 – Rassegna della Microeditoria Italiana

This video documents the presentation of my book Le Ossa dei Caprotti held on Saturday 8 November 2025 in Chiari (BS), as part of the Rassegna della Microeditoria Italiana. In the dialogue with Claudio Baroni, I recount the origin of the book, the work on the sources and the reasons that led me to reconstruct a family history marked by myths, conflicts and complex generational transitions

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

Giuseppe Caprotti and his studies: Paris and the meaning of research

.. do I want to stay among books and archive documents, alone, seeing no one or almost no one, for long days? Or do I want to work confronting the real world every day? The answer would come years later; teaching I would have liked. But even the balance of my experience 'in the real world', as Kundera writes, will not have been 'a dream': Esselunga was a great passion, I had fun and I did, to use an Anglicism, 'good things'.

Food and Retail History History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Presentations

Le Ossa dei Caprotti’ presentation – Soroptimist, 29 October 2025

I really stopped. During that long difficult period we talked about earlier, I stopped completely. It was a time of silence, of isolation. But then, with the end of the court case and Covid, I chose to look forward. I decided to see the Covid crisis as an opportunity to help. From there my personal rebirth and my work in the Guido Venosta Foundation was born

History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families People, Environment & Culture

Giuseppe Caprotti’s social commitment to Esselunga. The people: Esselunga’s Employees

"Human resources are 'the pillar' on which our success is based and it is stated that teamwork 'is the basis for achieving results'. This is why, for example, 'Esselunga encourages its employees to work in groups in which everyone expresses their potential within shared objectives'. Source: Esselunga Social Report 2003

History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families People, Environment & Culture

Giuseppe Caprotti’s social commitment at Esselunga: caring for the environment, for people

The one related to care and concern for the environment is a project that goes back a long way, to the 1980s, the first years I spent at Esselunga, and began with organic and natural products in general. It is also the project I am most fond of because it had a soul, a social purpose, as well as a business purpose.

History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families In the spotlight 2 Marketing News ad Analysis

Esselunga’s operating result

One of the many stories that have circulated about me is that I would have brought Esselunga poor financial results for 2003 and that this would have led to my removal. Nothing could be more untrue. If you look at the numbers, you can see that the 2003 Ros, compared to that of the early 1990s, was decidedly better, thanks in part to careful management of contracts with suppliers (see the example of Barilla) and to the negotiations carried out in the ESD Centre

Food and Retail History History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

Caprotti and the Coop: Turiddo Campaini, an ‘enemy’ and a master

'The experience in Florence is a great school for me also because the opponent we faced was, at the time, one of the most efficient and competitive: the Unicoop administered and managed by Turiddo Campaini. An aggressive Coop with a strong local policy, efficient and market-oriented. Tuscan products are the norm but there is no shortage of Chinese ones, for the large community distributed between Prato and Campi Bisenzio

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Press & Events

Two mismatches in the Caprotti story: Januaria Piromallo, Marchioness of the Dukes etc., and Maria Cristina Busi Ferruzzi, ‘Princess of Coca-Cola

The story of Maria Busi Ferruzzi is reported in the book ‘Le Ossa dei Caprotti’ because it exemplifies how a supplier can become a servant. On Januaria Piromallo, Marchioness Capece Piscinelli di Montebello of the Dukes of Capracotta, on the other hand, I have drawn a pious veil

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

Elba Island, Tenuta delle Ripalte, the lost paradise of childhood

Shortly before the Second World War, Umberto Quintavalle, vice-president of Magneti Marelli and my maternal great-grandfather, bought the marvellous Ripalte estate on the island of Elba and turned it into a place of delight, especially for hunting, but also for relatives and friends to stay. When great-grandfather Umberto died in 1959, the property passed to one of his daughters, my grandmother Luisa Quintavalle, who was married in her second marriage to Marquis Nicolò Theodoli. With her, summer periods at Ripalte are one of the most beautiful childhood memories.

History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

Caprotti and the company Ing. A. Morganti: the future in construction

The history of 'Impresa di costruzioni Ing. A. Morganti' (from 2012 'Morganti Impresa di Costruzioni S.p.A.'), is closely intertwined with the history of construction in Italy throughout the 20th century, giving life and completion to many major projects involving houses, roads, industries and, their speciality, prefabricated structures. For this reason above all they came into contact with the Caprotti family, first for the Albiatese textile factory, then for Esselunga, for which they built many supermarkets throughout the country and a large part of the structures of the Limito headquarters.

Food and Retail History History of Esselunga Marketing News ad Analysis Press & Events

The video of ‘The future they imagined, eCommerce food today’

Today, eCommerce food & grocery, although still representing a limited share of the overall turnover of food distribution, has in several cases reached economically sustainable models. This topic was discussed at the eCommerce Food Conference during a round table discussion between Giuseppe Caprotti and Mario Gasbarrino, two historical protagonists of Italian large-scale retail, moderated by Cristina Lazzati, director of Mark Up and Gdoweek

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

The Caprotti family: my baptism, 1961

Our lives as children are entrusted from birth to 'young ladies', experienced nannies who look after us like second mothers. I like the German Waltraud, the first one: At home we call her 'Schwester' and you can even recognise her in my christening photos. Once she has left her job in our family to return home to Germany, she will send us a souvenir photo in a police uniform, with a German shepherd at her side

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Local History

Caprotti’s ‘extended family’ between Albiate and Milan

There is a long list of closely trusted people with whom the families of yesteryear surrounded themselves and filled their homes, people who called their employers by name ('scior Bernardo', 'sciora Bettina', 'scior Peppin'), knew more about their lives sometimes than themselves, and were always there at every important family event, with pride and sometimes even emotion.

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Local History

Around the Caprottis: the beloved villa in Albiate

Since the end of the 19th century, when the Caprotti family bought the villa, much of the family history passed through that house, and continues to do so. Many photographs recount it, many memories that have remained in the letters and in the souls of those who lived them, and bring back serene photos among the trees, the games in the courtyard, the animals that once were, even the old carriages that the family used for a long time, even after the advent of cars, and which still exist.

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

The joy of snow, always: for Milan-Cortina 2026

Since the 1920s at least, everyone in the family has been skiing, great-grandparents, fathers and grandchildren, boys and girls: from great-grandfather Umberto Quintavalle, who ended his life in a crevasse under the eyes of his grandmother Adele, to grandmother Luisa and her children, my mother Giorgina and uncle Beppo, from great-grandfather Giuseppe Venosta, President of the Sport Club Pirelli to grandfather Guido, from his brother Gigi Venosta, who in addition to skiing was also a national hockey player, to Gianni Albertini, husband of aunt Ida Quintavalle, who was also a masterful climber and Arctic explorer. And up to us, children of that passion that we still continue.

History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Marketing News ad Analysis People, Environment & Culture

In Italy, small towns are emptying, even of shops: will Amazon Now provide the service in the future?

Our distributors – such as Selex and Conad – who operate consortia, and thus are unable, with some exceptions, to offer a widespread e-commerce and delivery service for basic food and household products throughout Italy – risk having to leave space and opportunity to Amazon Now over time

Food and Retail History History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Presentations

Le Ossa dei Caprotti” presentation – Chiari (BS) 8 November 2025 – Rassegna della Microeditoria Italiana

This video documents the presentation of my book Le Ossa dei Caprotti held on Saturday 8 November 2025 in Chiari (BS), as part of the Rassegna della Microeditoria Italiana. In the dialogue with Claudio Baroni, I recount the origin of the book, the work on the sources and the reasons that led me to reconstruct a family history marked by myths, conflicts and complex generational transitions

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

Giuseppe Caprotti and his studies: Paris and the meaning of research

.. do I want to stay among books and archive documents, alone, seeing no one or almost no one, for long days? Or do I want to work confronting the real world every day? The answer would come years later; teaching I would have liked. But even the balance of my experience 'in the real world', as Kundera writes, will not have been 'a dream': Esselunga was a great passion, I had fun and I did, to use an Anglicism, 'good things'.

Food and Retail History History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Presentations

Le Ossa dei Caprotti’ presentation – Soroptimist, 29 October 2025

I really stopped. During that long difficult period we talked about earlier, I stopped completely. It was a time of silence, of isolation. But then, with the end of the court case and Covid, I chose to look forward. I decided to see the Covid crisis as an opportunity to help. From there my personal rebirth and my work in the Guido Venosta Foundation was born

History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families People, Environment & Culture

Giuseppe Caprotti’s social commitment to Esselunga. The people: Esselunga’s Employees

"Human resources are 'the pillar' on which our success is based and it is stated that teamwork 'is the basis for achieving results'. This is why, for example, 'Esselunga encourages its employees to work in groups in which everyone expresses their potential within shared objectives'. Source: Esselunga Social Report 2003

History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families People, Environment & Culture

Giuseppe Caprotti’s social commitment at Esselunga: caring for the environment, for people

The one related to care and concern for the environment is a project that goes back a long way, to the 1980s, the first years I spent at Esselunga, and began with organic and natural products in general. It is also the project I am most fond of because it had a soul, a social purpose, as well as a business purpose.

History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families In the spotlight 2 Marketing News ad Analysis

Esselunga’s operating result

One of the many stories that have circulated about me is that I would have brought Esselunga poor financial results for 2003 and that this would have led to my removal. Nothing could be more untrue. If you look at the numbers, you can see that the 2003 Ros, compared to that of the early 1990s, was decidedly better, thanks in part to careful management of contracts with suppliers (see the example of Barilla) and to the negotiations carried out in the ESD Centre

Food and Retail History History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

Caprotti and the Coop: Turiddo Campaini, an ‘enemy’ and a master

'The experience in Florence is a great school for me also because the opponent we faced was, at the time, one of the most efficient and competitive: the Unicoop administered and managed by Turiddo Campaini. An aggressive Coop with a strong local policy, efficient and market-oriented. Tuscan products are the norm but there is no shortage of Chinese ones, for the large community distributed between Prato and Campi Bisenzio

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Press & Events

Two mismatches in the Caprotti story: Januaria Piromallo, Marchioness of the Dukes etc., and Maria Cristina Busi Ferruzzi, ‘Princess of Coca-Cola

The story of Maria Busi Ferruzzi is reported in the book ‘Le Ossa dei Caprotti’ because it exemplifies how a supplier can become a servant. On Januaria Piromallo, Marchioness Capece Piscinelli di Montebello of the Dukes of Capracotta, on the other hand, I have drawn a pious veil


Further Reading



Read 12 more articles

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

My summers in Lindos, with Guido Somarè, David Gilmour and the ‘Caprotti’ cat

In the 1960s and 1970s, my mother Giorgina was a companion of Guido Somarè, a talented painter with art in his blood for several generations, and she had been going with him to Lindos, a place on the island of Rhodes, since at least 1966. Violetta and I first came to Lindos in 1969, after an interminable journey that had taken us across the Isthmus of Corinth by boat...

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

The Caprotti family: holidays and gifts, which always have a meaning

One Christmas in the early 1970s, I received a small electric train from Dad. It is beautiful but trains and mechanics don't interest me, they are his passions. I exchange it for some Violetta's succulent plants. Bernardo however uses this episode to repeat a recurring idea of his: Violetta is smarter than me, 'she is a future businesswoman' he says. Instead I am referred to as 'the thinker'. I don't dislike the term, but I believe that Bernardo basically despises literati, journalists, professors, whom he lumps together with the left-wing intelligentsia that his ex-wife Giorgina frequents. In the case of the little train, what counts for our father is only the material value of the object, which is certainly higher than that of the plants.

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

The Caprotti family: Bernardo Caprotti and Giorgina’s wedding, November 1958, Uncle Claudio and Grandmother Marianne

"Grandma has a weakness: she is madly in love with her third son, my uncle Claudio. Some friends told me that Claudio was allowed to have breakfast and lunch in bed when he was in Albiate. Bernardo suffered from this unique relationship and I am convinced that jealousy between the two brothers was one of the causes of the quarrels that shook our family.

Advertising Food and Retail History History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families In the spotlight 2 Marketing News ad Analysis

The birth of marketing at Esselunga and two Armando Testa advertising campaigns

In 1994, under my impetus, the Esselunga marketing department took shape and I became its first director. Marketing was structured to manage the following areas: promotions – including the whole Fidaty world – the call centre, press office, market research, supermarket space, advertising

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

My summers in Lindos, with Guido Somarè, David Gilmour and the ‘Caprotti’ cat

In the 1960s and 1970s, my mother Giorgina was a companion of Guido Somarè, a talented painter with art in his blood for several generations, and she had been going with him to Lindos, a place on the island of Rhodes, since at least 1966. Violetta and I first came to Lindos in 1969, after an interminable journey that had taken us across the Isthmus of Corinth by boat...

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

The Caprotti family: holidays and gifts, which always have a meaning

One Christmas in the early 1970s, I received a small electric train from Dad. It is beautiful but trains and mechanics don't interest me, they are his passions. I exchange it for some Violetta's succulent plants. Bernardo however uses this episode to repeat a recurring idea of his: Violetta is smarter than me, 'she is a future businesswoman' he says. Instead I am referred to as 'the thinker'. I don't dislike the term, but I believe that Bernardo basically despises literati, journalists, professors, whom he lumps together with the left-wing intelligentsia that his ex-wife Giorgina frequents. In the case of the little train, what counts for our father is only the material value of the object, which is certainly higher than that of the plants.

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

The Caprotti family: Bernardo Caprotti and Giorgina’s wedding, November 1958, Uncle Claudio and Grandmother Marianne

"Grandma has a weakness: she is madly in love with her third son, my uncle Claudio. Some friends told me that Claudio was allowed to have breakfast and lunch in bed when he was in Albiate. Bernardo suffered from this unique relationship and I am convinced that jealousy between the two brothers was one of the causes of the quarrels that shook our family.

Advertising Food and Retail History History of Esselunga History of the Caprotti and Venosta families In the spotlight 2 Marketing News ad Analysis

The birth of marketing at Esselunga and two Armando Testa advertising campaigns

In 1994, under my impetus, the Esselunga marketing department took shape and I became its first director. Marketing was structured to manage the following areas: promotions – including the whole Fidaty world – the call centre, press office, market research, supermarket space, advertising