Anixous Luca keeps an eye on Italy while driving pasta sauce sales here

Luca, the owner of PEPPUP, an award-winning producer of authentic Italian sauces in Newtownards, is a native of Turin, near Italy’s virus epicentre in Lombardy region, where his parents, both in their seventies, live in an apartment close to the city centre. He also has a brother living there and another in New York, centre of the US virus crisis.

“I am very concerned about my family and try to keep in touch with them by phone and the internet as often as possible,” says Luca. “What has been happening in Italy, in Northern Ireland and is now developing in New York is terribly sad. Almost 18,000 people have already died in Italy including around 2,000 in the Piedmont region surrounding the historic city of Turin. The situation in Northern Ireland is also scary. I am now running my small business in the production and marketing of authentic Italian sauces from my study at home in Portaferry.”

His parents, Luca says, are both physically well but anxious about the crisis there.

“They are both retired now and have not been outside since early March. The restrictions there are much more stringent than in Northern Ireland. All non-essential travel is strictly forbidden by law. Anyone who needs to go out must download a form to justify their reasons for doing so and carry it with them at all times for police spot checks. And anyone making false claims faces criminal charges,” he explains.

“They are part of a wider family network in Turin which has only been able to communicate with them by telephone. I phone my parents every other day. Mum is most anxious about the virus threat,” he adds. “It’s unlikely that we’ll be able to visit them as planned in the summer. Regrettably, we may have to postpone this to next year. I am encouraged now by signs that the outbreak is being brought under control there.”

He’s keeping his small company, a specialist in a range of Italian pasta and bolognaise sauces and ketchup, moving ahead from home by phone calls and emails to customers. “Business is better than I could have anticipated when the lockdown was announced. I’d be lost without my mobile phone,” he affirms.

“The panic buying of pasta in the early stages of the restrictions led to a sharp rise in demand for my range of sauces. The shuttering of restaurants, hotels and cafes also meant that more people are now cooking at home and creating their own Italian meals…and thereby helping sales of my sauces.”

Luca, who holds a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology from Stirling University in Scotland and an Ulster University masters in human nutrition, set up PEPPUP in 2014 on moving to Northern Ireland with Liz on her appointment to key research post at Queen’s University’s Marine Laboratory in Portaferry. The couple have two young sons.

Luca has always been keen on cooking and interested in running his own small food processing enterprise.

He checked the local market to see what opportunities existed for a start-up venture and spotted a gap for Italian sauces. He created his own recipe for an original Italian ketchup of flame roasted tomatoes and red peppers from Turin.

“I have fond memories of my Italian childhood, which taught me the importance of striking a good balance in life. Today my kitchen is the hub of family activity and, while lovingly preparing good food for my family and friends, I created PEPPUP.

“My journey started with ketchup and continues in my kitchen as I develop recipes for my family. A range of pasta and bolognese sauces has been launched to provide a tasty and convenient meal for every day family life,” he adds.

Luca also took on the marketing of the products in the UK and Republic of Ireland and quickly won worthwhile business with delis, independents and farm shops. In addition, the products gained recognition in competitions including the UK Great Taste and the Free From awards.

His products are suitable for vegans, low in salt, dairy-free, low in fat and feature natural ingredients. Among the most recent contracts is a deal which will lead to further sales in the Irish Republic for his two bolognese sauces. His chilli and basil bolognese is now being handled there by SoulBia, a leading food wholesaler.

“While the business is doing well in difficult conditions, my thoughts are on my family in Turin and New York and indeed those in Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the Irish Republic facing this deadly virus threat.”

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