Celebrating Italian Aperitivo Culture with Sfizi
Joe Fiorenzo and his wife, Sheela Prakash, co-founded Sfizi, a unique food company dedicated to curating authentic Italian products that celebrate the beloved aperitivo culture. Their journey began in December 2025 with the launch of their flagship product: taralli, ring-shaped snack crackers that resemble small bagels. These snacks, often overlooked in the United States and found tucked away in cheese section baskets, were chosen intentionally by the couple to serve as an accessible introduction to Italian culinary traditions.
Sfizi, which translates to “whims” in Italian, embodies the couple’s philosophy of embracing the little pleasures in life. With Sheela’s extensive experience studying and living in Italy over the past decade and Joe’s Italian American heritage, the pair brings both personal passion and cultural insight to their business. Their aim is to share these “whims” or small indulgences with a broader audience, honoring the rich social ritual of the Italian aperitivo hour.
Launching a Self-Funded Venture Without a CPG Background
Despite lacking a traditional consumer packaged goods (CPG) background, Joe and Sheela approached their business with determination and strategic humility. Joe’s 17 years in corporate insurance and Sheela’s food industry experience, though not directly tied to CPG, provided a solid foundation for learning and adaptation. To mitigate risk, they started small—initially developing three distinct taralli flavors designed to be fun, approachable, and visually appealing.
The early stages involved extensive outreach, including sending about a dozen cold emails to Italian producers and traveling through Italy’s Puglia region to build relationships and sample products firsthand. This hands-on approach helped them navigate language barriers and ensure quality and authenticity in their offerings. Their total startup investment was approximately $50,000, entirely self-funded, which underscores their commitment and confidence in the concept.
Launching in early 2026, Sfizi quickly gained traction, with monthly sales averaging between $8,000 and $10,000. This momentum positioned the brand on track to achieve $100,000 in gross sales within its first year, a promising milestone for a self-funded startup in a competitive market.
Overcoming Operational Challenges and Building Brand Presence
One of the most significant hurdles for Sfizi has been managing timing and order flow, both from customer demand and supply chain perspectives. Initially cautious with production volumes to avoid excess inventory, the founders were pleasantly surprised when their first batch sold out in less than a month. This success required them to scale production rapidly, coordinating design, packaging, and logistics with multiple vendors and a third-party warehouse that also fulfills their orders.
To cultivate a strong brand presence, Sfizi invested in social media marketing through a contract worker who helps maintain an active and engaging online profile. They publish 10 to 12 posts weekly, focusing on inspirational and creative content that resonates with their target audience. Collaborations with other CPG brands have also played a crucial role in expanding their reach through mutual product giveaways and partnerships.
Despite the time-intensive nature of running Sfizi, Joe and Sheela balance their entrepreneurial efforts with side projects. Sheela is working on a cookbook, while Joe pursues non-CPG ventures, illustrating their multifaceted approach to creativity and business.
Strategic Product Expansion and Future Directions
Looking ahead, the founders plan to broaden their product portfolio while staying true to the Italian aperitivo theme. This extension aligns with the growing popularity of aperitivo culture in the U.S., where consumers seek novel snacks to complement cocktails like spritzes and negronis. Although specific products are still under consideration, Sfizi aims to launch a second product by spring 2027.
Beyond snacks, there is potential for Sfizi to enter the pantry category with offerings such as pasta, sauces, or specialty flours, responding to contemporary trends emphasizing quality ingredients and healthful eating. While they currently do not import in bulk, interest from restaurants and bars could drive future expansion into wholesale or bulk distribution channels.
Insights and Advice for Aspiring CPG Entrepreneurs
Reflecting on their journey, Joe emphasizes the importance of seeking help and learning from others in the CPG space. Networking with fellow founders and companies can provide invaluable insights and prevent common pitfalls. He encourages entrepreneurs not to fear failure but to embrace vulnerability and humility, which have been critical to Sfizi’s progress.
The couple’s experience illustrates that passion, persistence, and openness to learning can enable success even without prior industry expertise. By focusing on authentic products, strong relationships with producers, and thoughtful brand development, Sfizi serves as a compelling example for emerging CPG businesses.
Key Takeaways
- Fiorenzo and Prakash reached out to Italian producers to launch their brand Sfizi.
- Sfizi translates to whims in Italian; the couple considers them little pleasures.
- Now, they’re targeting $100,000 in annual sales and eyeing product expansion.
This as-told story is based on a conversation with Joe Fiorenzo. Fiorenzo and his wife, Sheela Prakash, co-founded Sfizi, a food company curating Italian products in celebration of aperitivo culture. They launched their first product, ring-shaped snack crackers called taralli, in December 2025. Now, their business sees an average of $8,000 to $10,000 in monthly sales, on track for $100,000 in its first year, as it plans for product expansion. The piece has been edited for length and clarity.
I started the business with my wife, Sheela. Sheela has studied and lived in Italy off and on for the past 10 years. We’ve been together for all that time, and we’ve traveled in Italy together. During that time, we fell in love with Italian culture. I also have an Italian American background, so I’ve experienced some of those Italian influences over the course of my childhood.
Sfizi translates to “whims” in Italian. We like to refer to them as little pleasures. The goal is basically to celebrate little pleasures of Italian culture. We launched with Italian Taralli crackers, the small bagel-looking crackers. You do see them throughout the United States. A lot of times they’re in those clear cellophane bags. They’re often very dusty looking, at the bottom of a basket somewhere in the cheese section. We wanted to start with that product because it felt like an easy segue.
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