Itala is a new food service format, dynamic and fast, with a high-quality gastronomic offer and tied to the traditional Mediterranean cuisine. The Café proposal of Itala perfectly fits with Loison Butter Biscuits, both for coffee products, tea, infusions and juices or aperitifs. We met Emmanuele Stevanato, Itala co-founder.
How the idea of Itala was born?
For the developing of Itala’s project, we started from the conviction that in the market there was the lack of a complete format that could be possibly standardized and, in the future, tied to the franchising world. Nowadays, there exist many different formats, but they are tied to specific products like pizza or sandwiches. There are no other cafes that have such a complete offer in this market.
Itala has a well-defined graphic and aesthetic. Could you say something more about this?
The topic of colors was the starting point of the developing of Itala’s brand image. According to us, the concept should have been simple and “for everyone”: from the worker that comes for a coffee to the businessperson that comes for lunch. Then we tied the concept of colors to my passion for art and, in particular, for Futurism, that inspired for in the creation of texts and graphics.
The whole concept revolves around the principles of dynamism and speed and, for this reason, Itala is located in highly frequented places that were created thinking about those people that can both sit for hours or stay for two minutes just for a coffee. The philosophy of Itala is that of granting a service 7/7, from early morning to the evening, also during festivities, since our clients are dynamic and they need to know that the coffee bar is always open.
How would you describe the gastronomic proposal?
Itala gastronomic proposal is fast, but at the same time, it offers high-quality products. It is also simple and it remains mostly tied to lunch break, with restrained prices for dishes that are made with specific high-quality ingredients. I am convinced of the fact that also a simple dish like Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce can become a delicious dish if there is an accurate and attentive selection of raw materials.
What guides the choice of your supplier?
The territoriality is a very important element in the process of selection of our suppliers. Personally, I prefer more to talk about “partners” rather than suppliers. Our goal is that of building a 360° collaboration and, in fact, nowadays these partnerships are a fundamental element in Itala project.
How did you start collaborating with Loison Pasticceri?
It all started with the ability of Dario of describing and telling the story of his products and the capability to transfer his passion to other people; this is a fundamental element that helped us in choosing Loison as a partner.
Loison is a local company that is well known for the quality of its products. In particular, I think that nowadays the Butter Biscuits line represents, in the Ho.Re.Ca, a top product.
Whoever decides to insert Loison Butter Biscuits in its gastronomic offer, is a businessperson that wants to standout, offering to his clients a sweet present that reveals the strong attention he has for them. Loison Biscuits can be described as a small pastry or a small cake: deciding to offer these products to clients means making the difference.
Are there any news for the future?
There are many work in progress: our plan is to open at least 30 bar to manage directly and then evaluate the possibility of franchising. It is a goal, but not the arrival point; in these terms Itala has no limits.
