Alessandro Sita is Chief Executive Officer of Sita Food Inc, a company specializing in the import and distribution of Italian cheeses and cured meats in the United States. Behind the entrepreneurial success is a story that has its roots in the hills of Calabria, passes through the mines of Belgium, and comes to fruition today, in New York: “I am a child of emigration. My grandfather, a shepherd from Calabria, emigrated to Belgium after the war. He worked in the mines, but he carried with him the memory of his land. He bought a sheep and started making ricotta cheese for himself and his comrades.”
From that act of nostalgia and ingenuity came the family’s dairy tradition, which over the decades has grown into a business, first in Europe and then in the United States. “After eleven years of mining, my grandfather opened a small dairy and began selling door-to-door. Then came my father and his brothers, and finally us grandchildren, who grew up with that same spirit.”
When Alessandro Sita arrived in New York, after years of experience in Europe, he decided to strike out on his own, “I found a curious, open market. But you have to explain, let people taste, educate.”
CEO of Sita Food Inc reflects on the significance of Italic identity: “Italy has enormous symbolic value. We are dynamic, brilliant. And abroad we perhaps perceive it better. I met two communities: those who feel Italian even without speaking the language anymore, and those who are proudly rediscovering their roots.”
His company has a clear vision: to promote excellence without compromise: “Often, in exports, people look for shortcuts. Instead, we want to tell the value of the products, their origin. Today, consumers want to know what they are eating.”
This is why Sita works with small, often family-owned Italian producers who would not have the means to export on their own: “We create partnerships. Educating the American market is our mission.”
Local production, for Sita, can also be authentically Italian. “We’ve shown that you can make quality here, meeting the standard: Italian know-how, Italian ingredients. We, for example, get sheep ricotta from Italy every two days. It’s complicated, but it can be done.”
Sita dedicates a thought to the generations of emigrants before him, “They paved the way. They integrated without losing their values. Today we see them in politics, culture, entrepreneurship.”
His dream is to inspire new generations. “We have to have courage. We hope to continue to promote our roots, because even though we are far away, we remain deeply proud to be Italian.”
