What Gustiamo does

Gustiamo is a New York-based importer and direct-to-consumer retailer of premium, authentic Italian specialty foods, founded in 1998 and operating for over 25 years from a single Bronx warehouse. Its catalog is curated across eight categories — Italian gift baskets, pasta and rice, extra virgin olive oil, San Marzano and other tomatoes, balsamic and vinegar, sweets and coffee, cooking essentials, and preserved fish — anchored by DOP- and IGP-certified SKUs such as DOP San Marzano tomatoes, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Gragnano IGP bronze-extruded pasta (Faella), Carnaroli risotto rice, and single-estate EVOOs (Pianogrillo, Quinta Luna, Coppadoro). Pricing is unit-based one-time purchase with no subscription layer, ranging from roughly $5 for entry-level tomatoes to $253 for premium balsamic and $550 for the top-tier Signature gift basket.

The business model is DTC-first e-commerce at gustiamo.com, supplemented by a recently formalized Italian corporate-gifts vertical and a wholesale channel, with shipping across the United States. Distribution is direct, with no retail intermediaries. The technology stack is a standard transactional e-commerce storefront (no proprietary algorithms, APIs, or app); the competitive basis is curatorial and relational, built on multi-decade direct relationships with Italian farmers and artisans (Maida Farm, Danicoop, Biasetto, Nettuno, Marco Colzani, La Cà dal Non, among others), reinforced by an editorial content layer (the Gustiblog) and a newsletter community. The company is privately held, founder-led by President Beatrice Ughi, with 1-10 employees and no external funding, M&A activity, or subsidiary relationships disclosed.

Name

Gustiamo

Legal name

Gustiamo

Website

https://gustiamo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gustiamo is a Bronx-based, founder-led DTC importer founded in 1998 that sells curated, DOP- and IGP-certified Italian specialty foods (pasta, tomatoes, EVOO, balsamic, gift baskets) directly to US consumers and corporate gift buyers, supported by long-standing producer relationships and an editorial content library.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Italian Food Imports

NAICS

Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298)

akta.pro primary industry

International Specialty Ingredients & Import Markets (CRAHAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ethnic/International Bulk & Wholesale Grocers (CRAHAMAE)

Keywords

• Italian food import
• Italian gift baskets
• Artisanal pasta import
• Extra virgin olive oil
• DOP specialty foods

Headquarters

HQ city

Bronx

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: Gustiamo generates revenue through direct online sales of Italian food products to consumers. They sell individual items (pasta, tomatoes, olive oil, etc.) and curated gift baskets at various price points. The business model involves importing products from Italian farmers and artisans and selling them directly to end customers through their e-commerce platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gustiamo is a direct-to-consumer importer and online retailer of authentic Italian specialty foods. The company sources DOP and IGP-certified products (San Marzano tomatoes, Gragnano pasta, traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena, estate extra virgin olive oils, Carnaroli risotto rice, preserved fish, and sweets) directly from Italian farmers and artisans and ships them from its Bronx, NY warehouse to U.S. customers. It also operates a corporate gifting service and a wholesale channel, supported by the Gustiblog editorial platform.

Product overview

Gustiamo is an Italian food e-commerce platform specializing in importing and selling authentic Italian food products directly to consumers in the United States. The company offers a curated portfolio of Italian food products organized into product categories including Italian Gift Baskets (such as Cena a Casa Gift Box, Gustiamo Signature Gift Basket, and Marcella's Favorites Gift Basket), Pasta & Rice (including artisanal pasta from Gragnano like Spaghetti Faella, Bucatini Faella, and Rigatoni Faella, as well as Carnaroli Rice), Extra Virgin Olive Oils (such as Pianogrillo, Quinta Luna, and Coppadoro Coratina), San Marzano & Tomatoes (DOP San Marzano, Corbarino, and Piennolo varieties), Balsamic & Vinegar (Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and Valpolicella Red Wine Vinegar), Sweets & Coffee (Panettone, Pistachio Cream, Chocolate Hazelnut Cream), Cooking Essentials (Castelvetrano Olives, Capers, Dried Oregano), and Preserved Fish (Bluefin Tuna, Anchovy Colatura, Mullet Bottarga, Sicilian Anchovies). The company is best known for offering authentic Italian food products, curating beautiful Italian gift baskets, and never compromising on quality. Products are sourced directly from Italian farmers and artisans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DOP San Marzano Tomatoes Whole peeled, DOP-certified San Marzano tomatoes packed in glass jars, imported from certified growers in the Agro Sarnese Nocerino region of Italy; targeted at home cooks, chefs, and Italian food enthusiasts seeking authentic canned tomatoes.
• Corbarino Tomatoes
• Piennolo Tomatoes
• Pianogrillo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Quinta Luna Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Coppadoro Coratina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Faella Artisanal Pasta
• Carnaroli Risotto Rice
• Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (DOP)
• Valpolicella Red Wine Vinegar
• Castelvetrano Olives Schiacciate
• Pantelleria Dried Oregano
• Panettone Biasetto
• Pistachio Cream Spread
• Chocolate Hazelnut Cream
• Anchovy Colatura
• Mullet Bottarga
• Bluefin Tuna in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Pesto Genovese
• Italian Gift Baskets (Cena a Casa, Gustiamo Signature, Marcella's Favorites, Antipasto Italiano)
• Italian Corporate Gifts
• Wholesale Italian Food Distribution

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Colavita USA: Colavita is a major Italian olive oil and pantry brand with significant US distribution across retail and online. Comparable for overlapping product categories (olive oil, pasta, tomatoes) and the 'authentic Italian' positioning, though at much higher scale.
• Formaggio Kitchen: Formaggio Kitchen is a Cambridge-based specialty food retailer with curated Italian imports, gift offerings, and an online store. Comparable as a premium, curation-led specialty food retailer with a strong regional and online following.
• Dean & DeLuca: Dean & DeLuca is a legacy gourmet food retailer offering premium Italian imports, gift baskets, and pantry items online. Comparable as a high-end specialty food retailer with overlapping gift basket and Italian assortment.
• Zingerman's: Zingerman's is a long-standing specialty food business based in Ann Arbor with a strong mail-order and online business plus a catalog of premium pantry items, gift baskets, and educational content. Comparable as a content-driven, premium-positioned specialty food retailer.
• Eataly: Eataly is the dominant US Italian food marketplace combining retail, restaurants, and education. It sells overlapping categories (olive oil, pasta, preserved fish, gift baskets) but at a much larger scale and lower price tier, with both physical and online presence.

Direct peers

• La Tienda: La Tienda is a US online retailer specializing in Spanish and Mediterranean food imports with gift baskets. Comparable as a curated, single-country-import e-commerce specialist targeting home cooks and gift buyers.
• iGourmet: iGourmet is a US online specialty food retailer with a deep assortment of European cheeses, oils, vinegars, and pantry items including Italian. Similar DTC e-commerce model serving gourmet home cooks and gift buyers.
• Cardullo's Gourmet Shoppe: Cardullo's is a New England-based specialty Italian and international food shop with an online store offering olive oils, pastas, gift baskets, and pantry imports. Comparable as a multi-generational Italian specialty retailer with overlapping assortment and gifting focus.
• Ditalia: Ditalia is a US-based online retailer of authentic Italian pantry products, offering olive oil, pasta, tomatoes, and gift baskets direct from Italian producers. Closest direct peer in assortment, business model, and target customer.

Emerging players

• Olio2go: Olio2go is a US online retailer focused specifically on premium Italian extra virgin olive oils. Narrower assortment than Gustiamo but a useful direct comparable for Italian olive oil provenance positioning and DTC e-commerce.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gustiamo
• Facebookfacebook.com/gustiamo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gustiamo-inc

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 Gustiamo