Our Story
The story of Guzzardi Fine Foods began with a man and one tin of olives. Over three decades ago, John Guzzardi, semi-retired, ventured into his den with a bulk tin of green olives. He opened the can to find soft, dull and matured aged fruit. Not wanting them to go to waste and reminiscing about his homeland in Italy, John thought back to how his mother would traditionally prepare green olives in the Sicilian kitchen.
He was inspired. He headed to his pantry, pulled out a handful of herbs and spices, olive oil and fresh garlic cloves walked back to his den and began to make a marinade. Then, he grabbed a meat tenderiser and used it to hit each olive cracking them open and then mixing through his special marinade dressing, the product infamously became Marinated Green Cracked Olives. That was the first olive mix Guzzardi Fine Foods ever made.
Guzzardi Fine Foods began with a man and one tin of olives.
For the love of olives
Thirty years ago, Guzzardi Fine Foods was run out of John Guzzardi’s den in Donvale. It was there that John began to create some of the marinated olive classics, filled with flavours from Italy, that we know and love today.
The business quickly grew out of his home and into a small place in Thomastown and eventually into a purpose-built major manufacturing facility. But it wasn’t until two years after its inception that John began to pave the way in the industry.
Where to now
With Guzzardi’s continuing to grow, John set his eye on a new target. He was looking to re-invent the pizza olive. At the time, pizza olives were bland, rubbery sliced Spanish olives. John believed that Australian’s deserved better. He wanted to offer the industry and consumers an olive full of flavour that would make a difference to every bite of a great pizza. He was inspired by the Spanish olive and wanted to re-invent it using Greek olives. With resolve and a bright vision, John contacted a major olive producer in Greece. However, they didn’t have the equipment, nor did they have his vision. Not giving up, John personally invested in the equipment needed to pit and slice kalamata olives and had it shipped straight to the Greek olive producer. This was the first introduction of the Greek pitted and sliced olives to the Australian foodservice market.
That was just the beginning for Guzzardi Fine Foods. Guzzardi’s continued to innovate through the next few years, paving the way for the antipasto industry within the Australian market. At the time, the antipasto range offered was extremely limited. It was nowhere near the calibre that we know today, in both the flavours and variety. It was John Guzzardi’s passion, innovation and gusto that helped grow the Australian antipasti range to where it is today. The success was built on delivering fresh high quality products, using A grade ingredients and producing consistent quality every time. This success was proven nationally in Australia with expansion to New Zealand and the international market.
The Story Continues
The torch has now been passed from John Guzzardi to Leo, who has seamlessly filled the enormous shoes left behind by John. John Guzzardi was a pioneer that paved the way for the industry. His vision and imagination built a foundation that allowed Guzzardi Fine Foods to grow to where it is today. However, despite its impressive growth, Guzzardi’s remained a family business with family values. When it was time for the Guzzardi family to change direction, they needed to bring in people they could trust to take over. John never forgot about the people around him – from his suppliers and distributors to the end customers. He continually built solid and lasting relationships that ensured everyone was happy. Knowing this, the family needed to choose someone who was the same.
The choice was obvious. The Guzzardi family sold their business to a trusted friend in the industry, Leo Soccio. With Leo’s direction, Guzzardi can continue to thrive and be pioneers in the industry whilst maintaining its core values.
Today, the Guzzardi Fine Foods brand focuses and asserts its place in the foodservice industry. It continues to maintain strict high standards of food safety and services the industry nationwide. The impeccable products and wide range of flavours have allowed Guzzardi Fine Foods to secure its place as the foodservice specialist in Australian made European delights and be a legacy to John that he would be proud of.