Progetto Fuoco: How Verona’s Biomass Energy Revolution is Fueling a New Era of Legacy
For decades, the name Verona has been synonymous with romance, history, and, most importantly, for the global market, wine. Yet, as many Established Diaspora Leaders and Multi-Generational Family Businesses know, true legacy is never built on a single pillar. It thrives on foresight, innovation, and the strategic packaging of a powerful, nuanced story.
Learn How to Leverage Your Story through our Story To Asset Framework.
Right now, in the heart of this ancient city, a nexus of European trade and heritage, a profound, quiet transformation is underway: a revolution in sustainable energy centered around the biomass and wood-energy sector.
This often-overlooked industry, celebrated at the world’s most important event for the sector, Progetto Fuoco in Verona, presents a massive, high-value opportunity.
This is not just about heating homes; it is about national energy security, environmental sustainability, and a new way for businesses rooted in tradition to tell a story of cutting-edge relevance.
For the successful founder in “legacy mode” and the family business seeking to premiumize its 50-year history, the story of Verona’s wood-energy transition offers a potent lesson: Innovation is the ultimate heritage asset.
The Historic Roots of a Modern Imperative
Verona has long been a crossroad. Its position at the foot of the Alps and near major rivers has made it a crucial hub for agricultural and industrial development for millennia.
While its wine tradition, particularly the legendary Valpolicella and Soave, captures the world’s imagination, the use of wood for energy and crafting is an equally ancient practice. This deep historical reliance on natural resources now meets the 21st-century’s most urgent challenge: the energy transition.
Italy, like many developed nations, faces significant energy dependence. With nearly 80% of its total energy and 99% of its natural gas imported from foreign sources, the push for energy sovereignty is not merely a political talking point; it is an economic and security imperative.
According to data from the industry association AIEL (Associazione Italiana Energie Agroforestali), biomass (predominantly wood-energy) is the second most common domestic heating source in Italy, contributing a significant 65.7% of the country’s renewable heat in the residential sector. Five million Italian families rely on it, utilizing over 8 million heating appliances like modern stoves and fireplaces.
This is not a peripheral market; it is a €4-billion-plus ecosystem, comprised of over 14,000 businesses and 72,000 employees, and overwhelmingly dominated by “Made in Italy” excellence, with Italian manufacturers accounting for a huge proportion of the European market for domestic heating appliances.
For any business looking to enter the European market, particularly one focused on sustainable materials, technology, or manufacturing, the scale and sophistication of this Veronese-centered sector are undeniable.
The Market Opportunity: A Green Goldmine in Transition
The opportunity for Established Diaspora Leaders and Multi-Generational Family Businesses lies in the strategic pivot this sector is currently undergoing, a pivot from simple heating to a high-tech, sustainability-driven industry.
1. The Technology and Policy Bridge
The push to reduce PM10 emissions and improve air quality is driving a government-supported technological turnover. Instruments like the “Conto Termico” (Thermal Account) incentivize replacing older, polluting wood systems with new-generation, high-efficiency appliances.
- For the Diaspora Leader (Tech/Innovation Focus): The market needs advanced, app-enabled monitoring systems, AI-driven efficiency optimization for biomass consumption, and material science innovations to further reduce emissions. There is a clear need for entrepreneurs to build a proprietary solution that streamlines the transition process for end-users and installation professionals.
- For the Multi-Generational Family Business (Manufacturing/Craftsmanship Focus): Your story of durable, high-quality, and aesthetically beautiful craftsmanship—your heritage—becomes the premium differentiator. By integrating the latest low-emission technologies, your story shifts from tradition to timeless, responsible excellence, justifying a higher price point in a policy-driven market.
2. The Economic Sovereignty Narrative
The industry has proposed a Permanent Interministerial Table to coordinate policy on energy, environment, and forest resources, highlighting a significant political tailwind. The strategic use of wood-energy could substitute up to 15% of imported natural gas, transforming it into a key pillar of Italy’s national security and climate neutrality goals.
This narrative of national independence through sustainable, domestic resources is a powerful story that resonates deeply with conscious consumers and high-value B2B partners.
Obehi Ewanfoh’s Lens: Transforming Insight into Indisputable Authority
The connection between Verona’s burgeoning wood-energy legacy and the mission of AClasses Media is precisely the art of strategic storytelling.
For over two decades, Obehi Ewanfoh, a Legacy Consultant for Founders and Business Owners, has resided in Verona, observing how the city’s deep-rooted culture sustains both ancient traditions and modern innovations.
See also Verona Fieragricola Tech: Your Innovation is Brilliant. Your Brochure is Confusing.
His work is not merely about writing a book or shooting a video; it is about leveraging the intrinsic connection a founder or business has to a powerful narrative, be it the wine festival of Vinitaly or the industrial revolution of Progetto Fuoco, and forging it into a strategic asset.
Obehi’s Story to Asset Framework is designed to take the knowledge and experience accumulated over a lifetime and distill it into a tangible, marketable solution. This is the difference between simply doing business and owning the narrative of the industry.
Through his practice in Verona, Obehi employs techniques like Photo Elicitation Technique (PET) and deep-dive interviews to unearth the foundational ‘why’ and ‘how’ of a business’ success.
This is how the 50-year-old family business that meticulously crafts a fireplace can connect its history of woodworking to the latest EU regulations on clean air, transforming their craft into a proprietary methodology for sustainable living.
For the Diaspora Leader, Obehi’s experience, demonstrated through his extensive body of work, including a podcast with over a thousand episodes and multiple books written on strategic content, is the authority required to transform two decades of hard-won expertise into a Legacy Book that serves as the undisputed industry manual.
The opportunity in Verona’s biomass revolution is not to sell more pellets; it is to package the expertise in sustainable energy efficiency, material science, and regulatory compliance into a high-value asset that makes you the definitive expert.
Leveraging the Power of Story for Maximum Benefit
How can you, as an Established Diaspora Leader or a Multi-Generational Family Business, leverage this Verona-centric narrative to maximize your benefit and build your legacy?
- 1. Codify Your Expertise into a Proprietary Solution: If your business is involved in any aspect of sustainability, energy efficiency, or resource management, your accumulated knowledge is your greatest asset. Do not just sell a product; sell your methodology.
- Our Solution: The Legacy Signature Program helps you transform decades of industry knowledge into a proprietary, branded solution—your unique method for resolving client problems, making you irreplaceable.
- 2. Immortalize Your Journey as the Ultimate Authority: The most successful businesses in any sector are the ones that tell the best story. Use the Verona context—a city of ancient resilience now pioneering a modern revolution—to frame your own journey of innovation and survival.
- Our Solution: The Legacy Book is a combination of your story, expertise, and message, crafted as your unique testament. It is the undeniable asset that immediately positions you as the authority in your industry, connecting your heritage to a global future.
- 3. Shape Your Narrative for Generations to Come: A product catalogue is easily forgotten. An emotionally engaging story of your ‘why’ is not. Your legacy must be visible, connecting your company’s past to its essential future role.
- Our Solution: The Legacy Video immortalizes your story and journey in a cinematic video, shaping your narrative of ‘why’ you exist and where you have been, connecting your brand to generations to come.
Your legacy is your most valuable asset. Before you print another brochure, let’s talk about how to immortalize it—whether it’s the rich heritage of Veronese wine or the cutting-edge science of its energy transition.
Book your free 15-minute Legacy Strategy Call today to design the asset that will tell your story for the next 50 years. Book Your Free 15-Min Legacy Call Now
