Tommie and Liza Gridelli’s entrepreneurial background begins in post-war Italy. It was there that their grandparents traded shoes that they made themselves for olive oil from the area. It was also where the siblings went in the summer to meet with family.
“For us it was like arriving in another world, and we loved all of it. We stayed in a big house with many relatives and a lot revolved around the food. Every day was like a party,” explains Liza Gridelli.
Summer memories from Italy sowed a seed, and already as children, Liza and Tommie started cooking and experimenting together at home in the kitchen. Today they run a growing family business. In 2012, the doors of a café/restaurant and delicatessen were opened in Gothenburg. The restaurant was wound up in 2018 and they concentrated on selling high-quality delicatessen products with fine design under the brand Gridelli.Things have gone well. Sales have essentially doubled annually since the company was founded, and since the beginning, annual sales have increased by 1,300%. As the next step along the journey, a holding company has been set up in which a number of products will be developed under different brands.
Today’s consumers are picky and, for Gridelli, it’s important to deliver high quality in raw materials and design. Their love of art and aesthetics is also an aspect that has accompanied them from childhood, when their father was a clothing designer and their mother a decorator.
“A lot of people questioned how we could spend so much money on the labels, with gilding and texture. For us it was vital,” says Tommie Gridelli.
“It often happens that people might buy the product mainly because it’s attractive, but then they buy it again because they also liked the content. This is the best testimonial we can get and shows that good products scale up on their own,” continues Liza Gridelli.
It often happens that people might buy the product mainly because it’s attractive, but then they buy it again because they also liked the content. This is the best testimonial we can get and shows that good products scale up on their own.
Gridelli is careful about who they work with and have systematically built up close and long-term relationships with producers, distributors and financiers. By working with people who trust each other, they create scope for creativity.
“With stable relationships, we can feel calm, which in turn gives us scope to be creative. You can’t be creative when under stress, it won’t turn out well,” explains Tommie Gridelli.
Long-term relationships with producers are also a must to enable developing new products together.
“It takes a long time to develop a new, unique product. You have to test things out and fail for things to turn out right in the end,” continues Liza Gridelli.
Having Nordea as a bank backing us is extremely important because our visions are greater than our capital.
But, in order to grow, it is also important to have a supportive bank that believes in your vision.
“Having Nordea as a bank backing us is extremely important because our visions are greater than our capital. When we were about to start up the restaurant, we came to Nordea with a sheet of A4 paper with a vision and a logo. No more,” says Tommie Gridelli.
In a market that has slowed down, the founding duo has hit the accelerator instead. Soon, Brucci will be launched – a brand born from their grandmother’s surname and that focuses on soaps and fragrances. And, having previously managed distribution for Gridelli themselves, European sales have now been assigned to a distributor in Denmark. Growth is controlled, though.
“We want to grow, but at a moderate pace. Money is not our top priority; the main aim is rather to build up a company that will stand the test of time,” says Tommie Gridelli.
Tremendous importance was attached to drafting, alongside a lawyer, the agreements that regulate the brand in relation to the new distributors.
“We could probably have had agreements that we’d drafted ourselves. As a small company, is it worth spending all this money on a lawyer? Yes, it is. We want to feel confident that our brand is protected,” continues Liza Gridelli.
As a small company, is it worth spending all this money on a lawyer? Yes, it is.
Also when it comes to ownership, Tommie and Liza want to have control.
“Investors have often wanted to step in with capital. And, that was tempting, for a little while. We’ve quickly realised that we don’t want to involve anyone else. We want to do it our way,” says Tommie Gridelli.
As the siblings take the next step along their growth journey, they are grateful that they can do it together. Decisions can be taken quickly and, besides, they complement each other.
“Tommie could work at a bank because he loves numbers, and he gets a kick out of negotiating. I don’t love numbers, but focus instead more on the creative and visual aspects,” concludes Liza Gridelli.
Since the launch of Gridelli, sales have essentially doubled from year to year. Between 2018 and 2022, sales increased by a total of 1,300%.