Casa Virgin: Nonna's favorite condiments, crafted in Italy for the American table.
- KLS
- 1 minute ago
- 10 min read
For the 237th feature of our "Together Talks" campaign, we collaborated with Casa Virgin and Co-Founder, Luca Alessandrini. Casa Virgin creates modern Italian food products for people who make food an occasion.
Founded by two cousins, one in Tuscany, one in New York, they’re reimagining what Made in Italy means for the next generation. Their mission is to build a home for authentic, design-forward Italian goods that bring joy, simplicity, and connection back to the table.
Every product they make, from their first bold olio piccante to what’s coming next, shares the same philosophy: real ingredients, honest craftsmanship, no shortcuts, and a little personality.
At Casa Virgin, they believe good food is meant to be shared, not overcomplicated. They’re here to build a new kind of Italian household name, one rooted in tradition, built for modern life.
"Together Talks" feature 237: Casa Virgin presented by KLS - Your Trusted Shipping Solutions In The USA
What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur? What aspect of entrepreneurship do you appreciate the most? Share a decision that you made that was detrimental?
Story of how it was created?
I grew up in Italy. My co-founder—who is also my cousin, Tommaso—and I were raised in Tuscany, in a small town called Sansepolcro.
On his side of the family, there’s a rich tradition of cultivating olives and grapes—producing both wine and olive oil. I know it sounds very cliché for Italians, but when I came to America, I quickly realized there was a major disconnect in what the “Made in Italy” brand represented.
I would describe it as feeling a bit dusty. Not necessarily in terms of product quality alone, but more so in how it was communicated to the modern consumer. It felt watered down—both in storytelling and positioning.
What I did know, though, was that whenever I brought products back from Italy in my suitcase for friends to try, their reactions were priceless. That experience unlocked something in me—a passion to connect these two worlds.
The best way to do that, in my opinion, was through food.
About two years ago, I attended the Fancy Food Show in New York and walked the floor. When I reached the Italy section, I noticed something striking: the packaging looked the same, the colors looked the same, and the value propositions were not only similar, but largely unclear to the average consumer.
That’s when I saw the opportunity—to take a modern approach to what is fundamentally an import business. The goal was to share products made in Italy, rooted in generations of craftsmanship and quality, but presented through the lens of the modern consumer—how they eat, how they shop, and how they live today.
That’s where it all started.
We began with what we know best: olive oil. In the U.S., olive oil is largely marketed as a cooking utility—an ingredient used in recipes or something you sauté with. But in Italy, while we certainly cook with olive oil, its role goes far beyond the kitchen.
At every pizzeria table, you’ll find a bottle of olio piccante—spicy olive oil. At every restaurant table, there’s olive oil meant for drizzling directly onto your dish. In fact, if you look it up, olive oil is considered Italy’s number one condiment.
That use case simply wasn’t being emphasized in the U.S. market.
So that became our entry point: repositioning olive oil from something used in the kitchen to something meant for the table. Drizzling oil, not just cooking oil.
What separates you from your competition?
We see ourselves sitting between two strong and growing categories: olive oil and sauces. Within that intersection lies what we call the “drizzling gap.”
The drizzling gap reflects today’s consumer—someone who prioritizes health, flavor, and convenience. According to recent consumer data, 72% of shoppers are looking for products that add flavor with minimal effort, and 78% of U.S. consumers already view olive oil as a healthy fat.
We’re building directly into those trends.
We’re not reinventing the wheel. This is a behavior that has existed in Europe—especially in Italy—for generations. Our goal is simply to bring that behavior to the U.S. market.
Within the olive oil category, we’re focused on taking olive oil out of the pantry and placing it on the table—as a condiment. Through our packaging, positioning, and flavor-first approach, we’re also able to create a higher-velocity product within what is traditionally a slower-moving category.
When people think of olive oil innovation in the U.S. today, one of the first brands that comes to mind is Graza. What they’ve done exceptionally well is change the form factor—introducing squeeze bottles and making olive oil more accessible and functional. For that, I jokingly say, “Sorry, Nonna.”
They’ve brought renewed attention and excitement to the category. However, what hasn’t fundamentally changed is the use case—and that’s where we’re doubling down.
We also look outside of olive oil for inspiration, particularly within the condiment category. Brands like Mike’s Hot Honey have shown that you can introduce bold, unexpected flavor combinations—like honey on pizza—and create entirely new consumer behaviors. Similarly, Fly By Jing has done an incredible job positioning their product as a “table-first” flavor enhancer.
For us, in Italy, olive oil has always played that role.
Another key differentiator is sourcing. The unfortunate reality is that over 80% of olive oils in U.S. grocery stores are blended from multiple sources—and in some cases, even mixed with seed oils. The category lacks strong regulation.
Our oils are sourced from single-origin family farms in Tuscany and Umbria. We then use a cold infusion process, which we’re incredibly proud of.
Unlike traditional methods that use heat—destroying both flavor and beneficial compounds like polyphenols—we extract essential oils from the ingredients and gently infuse them into the olive oil at low temperatures.
For example, one of our products features Calabrian peperoncino, and another uses dry white truffle sourced from Truffle Italia. By using cold infusion, we preserve both the integrity of the olive oil and the delicate nuances of the added flavors.
Goals for upcoming year + Next phase of the company?
This year, our focus is the Northeast region, with a strong emphasis on driving velocity within our existing accounts.
Our first year was largely about market validation. We entered over 200 independent retailers across the country without any significant marketing spend. That alone was a strong signal that the product resonated and that the market was ready for it.
For the first eight months, we operated with a single SKU—our spicy version, Olio Piccante. We launched in January, and by November, we introduced Riserva, our smooth drizzling oil made from the new harvest. Just two weeks ago, we launched our truffle variant, timed with the end of white truffle season.
This year, we’re focused on expanding into more traditional grocery channels while continuing to build velocity. From there, the long-term vision is national expansion—bringing drizzling oils to tables across the U.S.
What excites me most is the platform we’re building. As we create efficiencies in our supply chain, we’ll have the opportunity to introduce additional products—not just within olive oil, but across a broader range of Italian pantry staples.
We’re essentially building a direct bridge from Italian producers to American consumers. Historically, the traditional import model hasn’t allowed for this kind of alignment.
Many Italian producers dream of entering the U.S. market, but they face barriers—language, culture, pricing strategy, and marketing. If they do find an importer, that importer often puts minimal effort into storytelling or market adaptation.
There’s no feedback loop. No boots on the ground.
Our goal is to own that entire journey—from sourcing to storytelling to shelf placement—ensuring that the quality and heritage of these products are communicated in a way that resonates with today’s consumer.
What were your concerns to transition to starting your own business?
Honestly, there was a fair amount of ignorance going into it. It’s a bold move to jump into CPG.
What gave us confidence was our competitive advantage in sourcing. We have deep, personal relationships with producers who can deliver exceptional quality and scale with us as we grow. In Italy, relationships are everything.
From day one, we knew that was our edge.
Structurally, it also helped that we had a split presence—my co-founder on the ground in Italy overseeing sourcing and production, and me in the U.S. focused on market development. That’s how we built the bridge.
And then there’s passion. For me, this has been a long-standing dream—to find a way to connect the two places I call home: Italy and the United States.
Food became that vehicle.
Seeing people experience these products for the first time—their reactions—that’s what kept reinforcing that there’s something truly special here. The question became: how do we scale that experience?
What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur?
We started with a single FedEx box of 300 bottles. That first shipment sold out within a week. Now, we’re importing full containers.
As you scale, you quickly realize how important it is to stay nimble. Early on, we could make changes almost instantly. Now, even within just a year, those timelines are starting to stretch.
A big part of my daily decision-making revolves around maintaining flexibility. I constantly ask myself: “Is this decision locking us into something long-term?”
A good example is our bottle design. We’re continuously iterating—testing different tops, improving the pour, refining the user experience. Customer feedback drives everything.
At the same time, as production runs get larger, making changes becomes more complex. We’re still fortunate to be more agile than larger, established brands, but that window narrows as you grow.
If I had to boil it down to one key lesson, it’s this: understanding margins is everything.
Gross margins, contribution margins by channel—it’s the heartbeat of the business. Every day, I review our orders in detail, analyzing costs per bottle and per order. It’s about understanding which levers are being pulled and how they impact profitability.
What aspect of entrepreneurship do you appreciate the most?
Before this, I worked in finance—primarily in sales roles related to credit products. I spent time at a bank and later in the cannabis lending space as legalization expanded.
That background has been incredibly helpful, especially when it comes to managing cash flow and exploring credit solutions as we scale.
But what I appreciate most is the emotional connection to the product.
Seeing someone share a photo of our olive oil on their dinner table. Watching a store owner get excited about restocking. Every bottle that leaves our facility feels like a piece of our family.
That sense of fulfillment is what keeps me going every day. The mission has always been to share a product and a behavior I grew up with in Italy—and to bring that experience to as many people as possible.
Share a decision that you made that was detrimental?
Around month six, we made a decision to redesign our bottle tops to improve the drizzling experience.
We invested in a full production run. Everything looked great on paper. But during transport from Italy to the U.S., about 80% of the bottles leaked due to a faulty top design.
In hindsight, I regret not testing the new tops with a smaller batch first.
It turned out that this issue had affected others as well, but the manufacturer had kept the product on the market. For a small business, that kind of inventory loss is significant.
We had to pivot quickly. Some of the inventory had already shipped, while the rest had to be re-bottled. It was a tough and costly lesson, but one that reinforced the importance of testing at every stage.
Do you have a moment that brings you the most joy?
There are two that stand out.
The first was receiving our first purchase order from a national retailer, which we’ll be announcing soon. There’s something about a large-scale order that validates the work in a different way. Our independent retailers are our foundation—they’re like family—but that moment signaled that something bigger was working.
The second is a bit more operational. As we’ve scaled, we’ve started to see efficiencies we had only modeled in spreadsheets actually come to life.
When those projections become reality—when the numbers finally reflect the scale you’ve been working toward—it’s incredibly rewarding.
One adjustment I’ve had to make coming from the corporate world is learning patience. In corporate roles, especially in sales, performance is often measured monthly or quarterly. In entrepreneurship, timelines are much longer.
Things you worked on six months ago are just now beginning to show results. Learning to embrace that delay—and trust the process—has been a major shift.
Current fundraising
We officially opened our fundraising round about a month and a half ago, and it’s been going well. We’re focused on finding the right partners—people who believe not just in the product, but in the long-term vision.
We see this business as more than just a single brand. We think of it as building a modern Italian pantry.
Our umbrella concept is structured as individual “Casas”—each one representing a house in a village. Casa Virgin is the first. Over time, the goal is to build out that village into a full ecosystem of high-quality Italian products.
With scale, we can create something truly unique—giving American consumers access to exceptional, often exclusive products directly from Italy.
For those interested, feel free to reach out via LinkedIn, and I’m happy to share more details.
Piece of Advice
When people talk about entrepreneurship, there’s often a heavy emphasis on setting clear goals from the start.
We didn’t have that.
What we did have was a very clear passion.
I believe passion and goals should evolve together. You don’t need to have everything mapped out from day one. If you’re spending your time working on something you truly care about, the goals will reveal themselves over time.
That’s exactly what happened for us. We started with passion, and now our goals are becoming more defined.
But at the core, what continues to drive us is the desire to share the products we grew up with—products from family farms and lifelong relationships in Italy—with the U.S. market.
Promo Code
Purchase from their site, Casa Virgin, and use the promo code below!
WELCOMEBACK20 -> 20% off!
Community Callout
Beyond CPG - The accelerator program that we recently completed and have an amazing team of advisors who have helped us really lay the foundations of becoming a serious brand in the US market. Without them, we would be still learning a lot more on the fly than we are today.
In Closing
KLS wants to thank Casa Virgin and Co-Founder, Luca Alessandrini, for today's "Together Talks" feature. Follow along for their journey with their social handles below!