Interview with Mario Cucchi

Covo, 16 September 2025
Thank you Mario, you who with dedication, love and loyalty gave life to all this.

Thanks to your generosity and determination you have been a fixed point for us, a constant help and an example to follow. You faced every challenge forcefully until the end and the memory of your wisdom and inexhaustible vitality will always remain alive in our hearts.

70 years of history is a long time. If you had to describe the 70 years of your company in one word, which one would you choose?
A life. CUFRA. Cufra stands for Cucchi brothers. Name that has never been abandoned and always accompanies Nastrotex.

How did you come to decide to start the company? At what age did you start working?
She arrived so suddenly, Lanzini in Romano di Lombardia had a business and decided to sell. So then my dad, Francesco Cucchi, jumped and decided to buy the two looms that Lanzini was selling off. I started working at the end of fifth grade, so I was about 10 years old. I had to leave my studies and get straight to work, I was the eighth of 11 siblings.

Do you remember any episode that determined your choice or that put you in difficulty in managing the company?
One episode I remember is when I had to leave the company because I had to have spinal surgery in Bologna. I was still lying for 1 year, then I started again for 4 months I did 5min of standing and then lying down again and so gradual until I started again completely. Here I had a great deal of help from my brothers, who by being street vendors were able to go to my clients and sell the rubber band. A great hand was given to me by my wife Maria and her brother Mario who continued the company during this period.

Who were the most important people in your family who, with their contribution, have determined the success of Nastrotex-Cufra to date?
My children, Barbara and Roberto and my wife Maria. In summary my family.

What are the most significant episodes of your history in the company?
That day I first saw a ribbon with the word come out of the frame. That word was “senor” it was white background and gray writing.

Are there any obstacles that Nastrotex-Cufra encountered along the way? And if so, which ones and how did you overcome them?
Obstacles are always found. In a company there are obstacles and with holy patience you have to face them. How many times was it that I came home late to eat because I had to solve problems… the hours weren’t counting.

The worst times and the best times.
One of the best times was I remember when there was a craze for elastic belts at the waist and we had a huge workflow, customers came here very early in the morning to load the material. No effort… clients came along like that effortlessly. The millerighe, the 3895…these were the items that went the most.
One of the worst times layoffs… lack of work…

What, in your view, were your merits in the growth and affirmation of Nastrotex-Cufra?
The attachment and love to my work. I never held back even when I had to make sacrifices.

The places of Nastrotex-Cufra: how much did the territory influence the birth and development of the company?
With the opening and growth of Nastrotex-Cufra we have employed 50 people in the area. We moved to covo da Romano di L.dia we exploited the depressed area, which allowed us to build without paying immediately but with longer deadlines.

What is really important, what are the values you want/want to convey as a business?
Erasure the ego, work more in a group to advance a single goal.

What is the relationship with the workers and employees of the company?
I consider my relationship excellent, I always try to give it the right advice and most suitable for the job they do.

What advice would you give to an audience of young people who dream of being entrepreneurs?
Having a reputation not just for cashing in… but for remembering people.

Grandpa, how come you would like to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered for what I did, especially for the people, to be able to help those in need. Thinking about the nutrition center in Malawi, it fills the heart to see all those children jumping, singing, dancing, having nothing.