Bellinissimo…the Director’s Cut!

..and the work is ongoing, not just making current products, but refining them, research and development into new products too…we’re proud to have inspired several that these guys have made. More on that later… 😉

Looking back, few at the time were aware that the “amateur” market was pretty new to BelliniFoto.  

When Filippo became Manager his intuition was spot on…he identified to Mr Bellini that whilst they were secure in the professional supply chain “The amateur market was (is) only going in a single direction”, he aims an index finger at the ceiling.

That with fortuitous timing is pretty much where we came in it appears.!

Whilst the factory produces the goods, they don’t wish to be dealing with the home user directly, the resellers do that, it’s our job to deal with you, the end user.  

It’s also our job to ensure that more professional labs know these guys exists and that their products are the best, the best value too.

We’ve been doing well and at this point in time (October 2023) we have introduced more pro labs to BelliniFoto and have taken it upon ourselves to distribute to the small guys.

You just need to know that us, the resellers are the front end…as we are for all manufacturers we deal with.

It is a sensible and professional hierarchy that has operated throughout the marketplace forever!

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We need to draw a line in the sand at this point about the titles given to the two sides of the market as seen and defined by BelliniFoto:  The “amateur” market being one where chemicals are used in smaller volumes, by the home user or the professional, each in their own darkrooms or working environments.

The “Professional” market being the huge labs.  Those processing massive amounts of film, mostly ECN2 and E6 for the motion picture industry.  Orders to satisfy these demands are supplied in huge barrels that can only be moved around by forklift!   Large scale stuff

The third part to their production is the chemistry they make for others, some to rebrand and sell as their own, some for share of resources and support products to other better known and much larger chemical makers.   Fun fact when you realise that even despite not being a “household name”, many film lovers will have used something made by this little factory over the years without even knowing it.  Up to 2016 that included us!

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The company is in fact so small , that when they travel to Photokina Mrs Bellini absolutely insists that they go in three teams of two by three different methods of travel…that way should something terrible happen in transit then just it will only affect one team and the business can continue…a greater personnel loss than that would put the whole venture in jeopardy.

It means that, as Filippo says, “It means we can adjust and do changes for smaller orders, bigger cannot do that”

Words put into action over at our request leading to the introduction what would become the miracle product of 2019.  

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Duo-Step has earned a solid place in the Bellini catalogue but what else do they make?

Gugliemo Bellini cut his teeth working for chemical makers in the motion picture industry and that is still where the deepest part of his photochemical heart lies…..ECN2 and E6 produced in vast quantities for the big labs in Italy and around Europe so those are a given but what we want is stuff we can use at home right?

The above represented a few of the black and white products, some like Fix F5 there and the D96 developer derived from decades of supplying the European motion picture industry and some drawn from the Ornano catalogue that Gugliemo purchased in 2014

Since then, there’s a few things happened that we identified to be causing shortages or disappearance of some of the most loved darkroom products…here are a couple of those and the tale behind them:

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Our mutual successes have not come about for any other reason or reasons, it’s solely due to our joined efforts. Please do be very very clear about that! 🙂

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That lovely developer sits nicely alongside BelliniFoto Eco-Film, a direct replacement for Xtol alas about the same time we had difficulty transporting a much loved developer from Germany and again approached the guys to see what could be done…this transpired in the addition to the range of our now best selling version of that developer in the form of BelliniFoto RDL.

It is based more closely to the original formula and has the original Agfa update applied but with a twist of our own that makes it more stable when in use.

We also asked for a Photo Flow…and we got BelliniFoto Foto-Flo! Once again pretty darn good…in fact, over the last couple of months I have had two chaps on the phone informing how much this has changed their photographic lives!.

No jesting, they are telling of the end of dusty, streaky films…literally doing away with that has liberated their photography. Love that, it is the sort of thing that makes the job worthwhile.

Whilst we’re not here to bang on about how good these products are…there’s one that REALLY deserves a good mention…

Then there’s the raw chemicals….most important as Gugliemo prides himself in his ongoing talent for finding and acquiring the finest grade raw elements.

Something that is reflected in feedback from those customers we have that depend on them, those that still make or modify their own chemicals but it shines through in each and every BelliniFoto product.

Also fixers, wash aids….one at our request and one for all films that never ceases to amaze us called Ornano Imbibente, there are b&w paper developers, stop baths, a black & white reversal kit and of course the now famous colour offerings C41, E6, ECN2 and RA4 etc….all fantastic products, the best in their field mostly.

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There will be more to come, as we strive to make photochemistry safer and cleaner the first results will be a new updated C41 kit, that kit is currently being put through it’s paces.

This one will be much better from an environmental point of view, replacing the current bleach with a revolutionary one that is based on bio-degradable ingredients. Changing this one part reduces the impact of the whole immensely.

Plus…we have ideas, but for now just relish in the fact that this little factory, these little businesses together are on your side and we are working so closely for the benefit of the film loving public. 😊

Okay, let’s head to the final page and see some photos, a potted history of the business and have some fun too….