La Bella Italia

What La Bella Italia does

La Bella Italia, operating as I Gusti D'Italia Limited, is a Wellington, New Zealand-based Italian hospitality and specialty food business founded in 2001. It runs an award-winning dine-in restaurant and adjacent retail shop at 10 Nevis Street, Petone (Lower Hutt), offering authentic Italian cuisine Tuesday through Saturday along with a curated range of imported Italian pantry items, beverages, cheeses, cured meats, meal kits, cookware, and seasonal Christmas products including Panettone and Pandoro. The business is owner-operated by Antonio Cacace, who also leads Antonio's Italian Tours.

The company generates revenue across eight distinct streams: restaurant dining, takeaway, retail shop and e-commerce sales, gift hampers (priced $100-$180), gift vouchers ($50-$260 denominations), hands-on cooking classes, off-premise catering for events, and B2B wholesale supply of Italian products to cafes, restaurants, and shops throughout New Zealand. Distribution combines a single physical site, an e-commerce storefront, direct sales for catering, and a wholesale channel. Marketing is conducted primarily through Facebook, Instagram, email newsletter, and website content. The legal entity holds a liquor licence (#048/OFF/0016/21, expiring 02 August 2024) enabling on-premise beverage service.

Customer segments include Wellington-region diners and takeaway customers, retail and gift hamper buyers, corporate and group event clients, cooking class participants, B2B wholesale accounts, and Italy tour travelers. Recognition includes the 2018 NZ Beef & Lamb Gold award, 2019 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence, a Best Restaurants listing, and a 2023 industry award. The business is privately held with no institutional investment or external ownership structure evidenced in available material.

Name

La Bella Italia

Legal name

I Gusti D'Italia Limited

Website

https://labellaitalia.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

La Bella Italia is a privately held Wellington, New Zealand-based Italian restaurant and specialty food retailer operating a single Petone location, offering dine-in service, an e-commerce shop, catering, cooking classes, wholesale supply, and Italian tours under owner Antonio Cacace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: In-restaurant dining service offering authentic Italian cuisine with table service. Open Tuesday-Friday 8:30am-9pm, Saturday 9am-9pm. Takeaway available Tue-Sat 11am-7pm.
2. Retail Shop Sales: Sale of Italian specialty food products including pantry items, beverages, formaggi (cheeses), salumi (meats), Christmas products, cookware, and La Bella at Home prepared foods.
3. Cooking Classes: Hands-on Italian cooking classes offered to customers. Classes can be booked and paid for through the website.
4. Catering Services: Italian catering brought to customer events, including corporate functions and private gatherings.
5. Wholesale/B2B Supply: Supplying Italian products to exclusive cafes, restaurants, and shops throughout New Zealand.
6. Italian Tours: Antonio's Italian Tours offering guided tours of Italy through La Primavera and other tour packages.
7. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers redeemable for dining, retail shopping, and cooking classes. Valid for 12 months.
8. Christmas Hampers: Pre-packaged Italian gift hampers sold especially during Christmas season, including corporate hamper options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

La Bella Italia operates an authentic Italian restaurant and attached specialty Italian food shop in Petone, Wellington, complemented by an e-commerce storefront. Core sellable offerings include dine-in restaurant service and takeaway, Italian pantry/beverage/cheese/meat/cookware/Christmas retail, gift hampers and vouchers, hands-on cooking classes, off-premise catering, wholesale supply of Italian products to other New Zealand hospitality businesses, and Antonio's guided Italy tours.

Product overview

La Bella Italia is an authentic Italian restaurant and specialty food retailer based in Wellington, New Zealand, operating as a multi-service Italian food business. The core offering centers on a traditional Italian restaurant experience complemented by an e-commerce shop selling Italian products. The business provides multiple services including cooking classes, catering, venue hire, wholesale supply to cafes and restaurants, and Italian tours through Antonio's Tours. The online shop features Italian pantry staples (pasta, rice, oils, vinegars, sauces), beverages (wines, liqueurs, aperitifs), cheeses and cured meats, meal kits, and a curated range of gift hampers (Milan L'e' un gran Milan, Dolomiti, Roma Capoccia, Calabria Mia, La Dolce Vita, Napule e' Mille Culure, Al Volo, Pasta Lovers GF). The Christmas collection includes traditional Italian Panettone and Pandoro from brands like Battistero and Bonifanti, along with nougats and confectionery. La Bella also offers its own branded LBI products including olive oil, dried mushrooms, and pasta sauce mixes. Gift vouchers are available in denominations from $50 to $260.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Restaurant Dining Authentic Italian dine-in restaurant experience offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner with traditional Italian cuisine, fresh ingredients, and full table service; takeaway available.
• Cooking Classes Hands-on Italian cooking classes teaching traditional Italian culinary techniques and recipes, available to individuals and groups.
• Catering Services Off-premise Italian catering for events, functions, and corporate occasions, bringing the restaurant's Italian cuisine to customer venues.
• Venue/Office Space Hire Spacious, furnished corporate space at the Petone premises available for lease for events and business functions.
• Wholesale Supply B2B wholesale supply of Italian products (pantry, beverages, cheeses, meats, Christmas items) to exclusive cafes, restaurants, and shops throughout New Zealand.
• Antonio's Italian Tours Guided cultural and culinary tours of Italy organised by Antonio Cacace, including the La Primavera tour package.
• Online Shop (Italian Specialty Food Retail) Own-brand e-commerce storefront selling Italian pantry items, beverages, formaggi, salumi, meal kits, hampers, gifts, La Bella at Home prepared foods, cookware, and Christmas specialties for home consumption.
• Gift Vouchers Redeemable vouchers usable across dining, retail shopping, and cooking classes at La Bella Italia, valid for 12 months and available in six denominations.
• Italian Gift Hampers Pre-packaged Italian gift hampers spanning regional themes (Milan, Dolomiti, Roma Capoccia, Calabria Mia, La Dolce Vita, Napule e' Mille Culure), an entry-level Al Volo hamper, a gluten-free Pasta Lovers hamper, and corporate Christmas hamper options.

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Antonio CacacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder and owner Antonio Cacace is the driving force behind La Bella Italia, orchestrating all aspects from restaurant operations to Italian tours. He serves as the public champion of Italian culture and hospitality for the brand.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Zizzi: UK Italian restaurant chain serving pizza, pasta, and Italian mains in a casual full-service format. Comparable to La Bella Italia in core restaurant offering, table-service model, and authentic Italian positioning aimed at mainstream and occasion diners.
• Carluccio's: UK Italian restaurant and deli concept combining dine-in service with retail sale of Italian pantry products, gifts, and hampers. The hybrid restaurant + Italian specialty food retail model is directly analogous to La Bella Italia's combined restaurant and shop operation.
• ASK Italian: UK Italian full-service restaurant chain offering pasta, pizza, and Italian mains with table service. Directly comparable in casual upscale Italian dining positioning, menu scope, and target occasion-driven customer base.
• Prezzo: UK-based Italian casual dining restaurant chain with table-service authentic Italian cuisine. Directly comparable as a multi-site Italian full-service restaurant operator targeting everyday and occasion dining, with similar menu structure and customer demographic.
• Gusto Italian: UK-based collection of upscale Italian restaurants offering authentic regional Italian cuisine in a refined dining setting. Comparable to La Bella Italia as an authentic, chef-driven Italian restaurant group with strong culinary identity and award recognition.
• Vapiano: European casual Italian restaurant chain with on-site fresh pasta and pizza preparation. Comparable to La Bella Italia in its authentic Italian positioning, table-service dining, and emphasis on fresh ingredient-led menus.
• Strada: UK Italian casual dining restaurant chain serving pasta, pizza, and Italian small plates. Directly comparable in casual Italian full-service format, menu composition, and target customer demographic.
• Eataly: Global Italian marketplace combining full-service restaurants, retail food halls, cooking classes, catering, and wholesale distribution under one brand. Eataly's multi-vertical Italian lifestyle platform is the closest scaled analogue to La Bella Italia's restaurant + shop + classes + catering + tours model.
• San Carlo Group: UK Italian restaurant group operating full-service trattoria and fine Italian dining concepts. Comparable in authentic Italian dining positioning, table-service model, and emphasis on imported Italian ingredients and traditional preparation.

Broad incumbents

• Williams Sonoma (Italian specialty food & cooking classes): Large specialty retailer offering premium Italian pantry, cookware, and cooking education. Comparable to La Bella Italia's retail and cooking class verticals as a broader incumbent with overlapping Italian specialty food and culinary education offerings, though it does not operate a restaurant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LaBellaItaliaNZ
• Instagraminstagram.com/i.labella.nz/?hl=en
• Xx.com/labellaitalianz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-bella-italia-nz

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about La Bella Italia