Italian art connects with Australian markets through influence

Since landing on Sydney shores in post-war Australia, Santo Giunta has created a tile business that is defined by his Italian ancestry. He is a genuine influencer of Italian tiles.

Throughout his long career in the ceramic tile industry — over 50 years and counting — Santo (Sam) Giunta has proudly used his heritage as an effective marketing tool for his company, Classic Ceramics.

Since opening in 1969, the business now has three locations in Sydney (head office), Brisbane and Melbourne. It employs more than 50 people across its offices, showrooms and warehouse facilities.

As he reflects on his long career, Mr Giunta told Tile Today about some of his biggest memories and milestones. He said: “Whilst there are many milestones that I have of the industry that has given me so much of pride and joy, and a good livelihood, I would say that my visit to Bologna to attend my first Cersaie Fair in 1971 (then known as Saie) is my most memorable.

“Also, looking back to the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s … the highlight was me receiving the Assopiastrelle Award in 1997, recognising my contribution for creating awareness of Italian ceramic tiles in Australia.

“Finally, being the recipient of the Pioneer Award in 2022, for 50 years of continuous attendance of fairs in Italy and my contribution to the Italian ceramic industry in Australia for over five decades, has been the most cherished and humbling moment in my long career.”

The beginning

Mr Giunta and his family arrived in Australia in the 1950s from Agira, a small town in the province of Enna in Sicily, Italy.

At the time, Italians came to Australia in search of work, which would give them economic security and a better future for their families.

Their intentions were to work hard, save their money and eventually “migliorare la vita” or make a better life for themselves. The 1950s was the peak decade of Italian migration to Australia with as many as 193,791 Italians settling in Australia. (Source: Italian Assistance Association, South Australia)

During the 1950s, Australia was a developing economy and it needed jobs for its immigrants.

The Snowy Mountains HydroElectric Scheme was a major project that attracted 100,000 people from over 30 countries to travel to the mountains to work on the Snowy, with up to 7,000 workers on the site at any one time. Seventy per cent of the workers were migrants from Italy, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Britain, Norway, Poland and the Former Yugoslavia.

Many were chosen for their engineering and construction skills, or their experience working in alpine conditions. The relatively high wages in Australia provided a strong incentive to come.

This was the environment the Giunta family faced in the 1950s. They saw Australia as a land of promise, where hard work, determination, and imagination would allow them to create a better life for their children. These values were not lost on the children, particularly nine-year-old Sam Giunta.

By 1965, Mr Giunta entered the tiling industry as an apprenticeship when he was seventeen. He opened his first tile shop in 1969, Classic Tiles Pty Ltd, trading exclusively in locally manufactured tiles. It was after his first visit to Cersaie in 1971 that he started Classic Ceramics (Importers) and he has become known as an ardent promoter of Italian made tiles. As the Classic Ceramics website notes:

“The initial market reaction was ambivalent. (It was) both fascinated by and apprehensive of the new and exotic products. People soon became engaged with Sam and his tiles, and the operation began to expand interstate. Sam would drive around Australia visiting tile retailers with pallets of tile samples in the back of a van. Gradually his passion, perseverance, and unorthodox marketing strategies transformed the attitudes of Australian consumers, he increased the awareness and appreciation of Italian ceramic tiles…”

Mr Giunta tells Tile Today what he thinks "Made in Italy" means in 2023, and whether this has changed over the years. He said:

“I suppose, because of my heritage, I was always passionate about designer Italian ceramic tiles. However, as we are all aware, the huge volume of product sourced from Asia, together with innovation and technical advancements such as high-resolution scanners and digital printing, have to an extent, contributed to the commoditisation of the product.

“Artisan designer tiles are becoming more sought after for the discerning sector of the market. As a consequence, and to retain the prestige and mystique of Italian ceramics, our motto has more recently become, ‘It Doesn’t Only Have To Look Good, It Has To Feel Good. Made In Italy”.

“Although there are lots of similar or imitation products, having the original product from Italy makes one feel good.”

Recognition

In 1997, Mr Giunta was presented with the Assopiastrelle Award from the Association of Italian Ceramic Tile Manufacturers that acknowledges a company that has enhanced the image of Italian ceramic tile. He is the first-ever nonEuropean distributor to be honoured with the award and remains the only Australian business to have received it.

More recently in 2022, he received the prestigious Pioneer Award by the governing body of ceramics in Italy, Confindustria Ceramica, in recognition of his loyalty to Italian ceramics industry. He received it during the Cersaie event in September 2022.

The award also symbolises his ongoing and continuous attendance of Cersaie for over 50 years. He has not missed an event since the first one he attended in 1971. He told Ceramica.info, the official portal of the Italian ceramic industry:

“Today, we distinguish ourselves by promoting Made in Italy products with original designs and reputable, good quality material.”

This point of difference is an ideal fit for Classic Ceramics’ target market that are mainly specifiers such as designers, architects, property developers and retailers. Mr Giunta explains:

“Successful marketing depends significantly on before- and aftersales service, including warranties, cleaning regimes and technical information for specific applications, especially for the boutique end of the market. Comprehensive service to clients is of paramount importance, adding to our credibility and giving the customer a greater degree of confidence.”

The ceramic tiles offered by Classic Ceramics is primarily used for high-end residential projects, and in the hospitality sector including hotels, restaurants, clubs, pubs as well as aged care facilities and retirement villages.

Mr Giunta sees architects generally leading the way in terms of tile trends, especially when it comes to sustainability in the industry. As a result, he believes that sustainable and eco-friendly production processes are gaining more attention by consumers along with larger format tiles. He said: “…floor tiles are now larger with 1.2×1.2m are becoming increasingly popular as well as larger slabs for walls and other applications. Just a few decades ago such sizes would have been unimaginable. It is obvious that technology from tile manufacturers, glue manufacturers, equipment manufacturers and skilled tilers, have all played a part in this evolution.

“There will always be a market for smaller tiles and mosaics. And although natural stone will always be popular, the market for digitally scanned and printed porcelain tiles and slabs is expanding rapidly mainly due to the cost advantages, the benefit of low maintenance and environmental reasons.”

Mr Giunta also has some thoughts on how the Italian tile ceramic industry can lift its profile in Australia and other countries. He told Ceramica.info:

“While brand awareness is heavily promoted in [Italian] cars

(Ferrari, Lamborghini) and clothing (Gucci, Armani), little or no promotion is undertaken by Italian tile manufacturers. I understand that with the large number of Italian ceramic factories, there is a degree of fragmentation, and it may not be economically feasible to promote individual factory brands. However, if the governing body were to promote ‘Made in Italy’ or ‘Italian Ceramic Tiles’, I believe that such a promotional campaign would surely have a positive impact on the overall demand for Italian ceramics in Australia, which would in turn follow through to individual factory brands. Confindustria Ceramica should organise expos/ exhibitions in Australia and other parts of the world to promote the Made in Italy branding, which could be financed through some sort of a levy from Italian manufacturers based on their square meter production…

“Made in Italy is a symbol of status that I choose to promote strongly. I am also passionate about promoting my heritage.”

The key connections Mr Giunta has made between Italian made ceramic tiles and how it fits with the way Australians live and work has helped make Classic Ceramics successful. Some of the Italian tile brands it distributes include ABK, Appiani, Bardelli, Marazzi, Mirage and Vogue. n

Sources: Tile Today and Ceramica.info