Donatantonio Launch Lupetta Retail Range

The company has been around for over 100 years, and within that time has developed a positive relationship with food service businesses. It’s now looking to enter the fine food retailer sphere, highlighting the top quality foods from producers across Italy.

The current range includes PGI-certified balsamic vinegar from Modena and ‘Nduja, a spicy pork sausage paste from Calabria. More products will be launched later in the year.

Simon Bell, Donatantonio CEO said, “The way we’re now working allows us to work as a platform for interesting smaller producers who otherwise wouldn’t have access to the UK retail market. The essence of Lupetta is to focus on regional foods – whenever you go to Italy, you’re constantly reminded of how the country is made up of twenty regions, all of which are passionate about their food. You’d think that the origin of a small ingredient couldn’t really be that important, but when you taste it you’re won over thanks to the knowledge and passion of the producers. We’ve tried to capture the regionality of Italy, and pick the best items from each region.

International artisanal foods can seem overwhelming to retailers and consumers. Simon said, “Sometimes it’s easy to get lost amongst all the good stuff out there – you need a reason to buy something, and to know how to use it.” He recommends tastings as the number one way to boost customer interest. “Tastings are a great way to get the knowledge of our products out there; there are items in the range that people may not have heard of, but by retailers offering tastings and explaining how the product can be utilised consumer appreciation can grow. We understand that it can be tricky to do this, so we offer help to stockists. The challenge is finding speciality foods that people will buy reasonably often, otherwise they won’t come back and buy them again. ‘Nduja is one of those products that people haven’t necessarily heard of, but when they understand how versatile it is will really enjoy it.”

Donatantonio invested a lot of time in the design of the products’ packaging, enlisting the help of The Design Council to find a suitable agency, which has led to a bold look for the foods. Simon said, “The packaging gives a bit of extra stand-out which encourages people to pick it up. One of the reasons why so many products like this get lost is that they’re packaged in an old-fashioned way, but you’ve got to get people to notice it and choose it from the shelf.”