Cremalat cheese is a company involved in the food industry, mainly importing Italian food such as cheeses, pasta, olive oil, cold meats, as well as local cheese manufacturing.
How did your business start?
We (Claudio and Margaret Giustizieri) had the spontaneous idea of entering the world of entrepreneurship. We are both of Italian origin and extremely passionate about Italian food. In 1993 we set up small stalls at various markets in and around Johannesburg for the very first time. We soon expanded to the cold meat industry. Our first permanent establishment was in Kensington in a small, converted house.
Why did you choose this area to set up shop?
The Pretoria Deli was first opened at the Sunnyside Shopping Centre and then we moved to Klaus Wasserthal in Sunnyside and during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, we decided to move to the Italian Club in Groenkloof.
How did you find your premises?
Most of our customers are Italians and they were constantly asking us to open something at the Italian Club in order to be closer and integrated with the Italian community.
Why are they ideally suited to your business?
The Italian South African community are tightly connected and would always support each other. For this reason we truly believe that our deli in Groenkloof is strategically located. We are also close to many Embassies which make up a large part of our clientele. The bulk of our customers are the diplomatic corp working in Pretoria from all over the world and we are extremely well supported by the local Pretorian community.
Who are your neighbours?
Club Sociale Italiano, Italian Club restaurant, the Virgin Active Groenkloof, The German Embassy and the Italian Bowls Association
What are the shop rental/sales prices like in this area?
The rent ranges between R6,000 and R12,000 depending on the square meters and the specific location.
What is your shop footprint?
The deli is only open on Fridays and Saturdays – for this reason we are quite busy with approximately 100 clients per day. We also do catering for special occasions and we deliver to restaurants on Wednesdays.
Do you have any expansion plans?
Yes, we are going to revamp the Delicatessen in order to increase our products ranges and in order to be open more days per week to meet the demands of our clients. We would also love to start presenting cooking schools, host more events and wine and product tastings.
Do you operate online as well?
Our website, has the ability to sell online, so we may make use of this more in future.
What’s your most popular item/service?
Two award winning cheeses: Cremalat Gorgonzola Dolce Latte and the Cremalat Drunken (Ubriaco in Italian) Pecorino as well as the imported products from Italy such a Parma ham, Grana Padano, pasta, Prosecco Bortolotti, wines and much more.
011 822 8320
Words: Zena le Roux | Images: Supplied
