My parents came to the UK in the fifties, from Alife, an agricultural town north of Caserta in Italy. I was one of three children.

There was a vibrant Italian community in Slough in the seventies. We’d all get together, and exchange regional dishes, whatever the occasion. As children, we ate mostly Italian food, which my parents were able to buy from the local deli – such a godsend for them…

Campania Wines, our company, was born in 2011 after I took my partner, Jo, to Sorrento. She’d never been there before and fell in love with the place, the people, the climate and especially the food and wine!

Coming home with our bags laden, we quickly realised that after we’d had our fill of these delicious authentic products, that was it. We’d have to take another holiday to stock up again – quite an expensive shopping trip!

We tried to find the same products in the UK but with limited success. It’s not viable for supermarkets to stock much in the way of specialist regional Italian produce, and even delis are selective about what they sell.

After our third trip to Campania in less than 9 months, we decided to form a company that would bring together, for the very first time, the finest wines and foods from the region, to introduce them to the people of the UK.

Most of my working life has been in retail, so now I’m able to combine my business experience with my everlasting passion for the wine and food of Campania.