Slitti's expansion plan continues, with the opening of its store in downtown Florence marking an important milestone in the brand's evolution, with a focus on Middle Eastern markets.
Florence, Feb. 23, 2023 - Slitti (www.slitti.it), the Chocolate Factory of Monsummano Terme, in the province of Pistoia, one of the excellences of the so-called "Chocolate Valley Tuscany," opens its first Flagship store in Florence, Italy, at Piazza dell'Olio 6.
It is an opening that marks the beginning of a new phase for the Slitti brand. A story that started in 1969 as a coffee roasting plant in Monsummano Terme, has rapidly evolved to embrace the world of chocolate, and is now ready to develop along two new directions - internationalization and retail - while keeping at the center of the growth project the mastery of maitre chocolatier Andrea Slitti, recognized as one of the world's leading artisan chocolatiers, and the excellence of his products, which have already won more than 180 awards.
"The new store in Florence is not just a physical location, but represents in every way what Slitti is all about: craftsmanship, attention to raw materials, attention to detail, creativity and also the ability of chocolate to bring people together- explains Andrea Slitti -. We are delighted to start this new phase of growth for the company from Florence: this opening marks the beginning of a new path of development and evolution of the Slitti brand from an international and retail perspective. The new store was born as a scalable and replicable format, which will allow for a 360° experience of Slitti and to discover and taste our preparations, from chocolate, specialty coffee, classic pastries via waffles, ice cream and the tortinas, to savory preparations, such as schiacciate, crostoni, tartare, savory croissants and more."
The store in Piazza dell'Olio, which opens 54 years after the inauguration of the historic cafeteria in Monsummano Terme, is spread over an area of more than 150sqm with approximately 30 covers and will be organized in four main areas, designed to highlight craftsmanship, made in Italy, and the two flagship products of the Slitti tradition: chocolate and coffee. At the coffee counter (as well as in the lounge), it will be possible to taste different coffee blends, selected by Andrea Slitti, as well as a wide selection of hot chocolates and affogati; chocolate, on the other hand, is reserved for a showcase, which will host more than 40 types of pralines, including the Turkish Coffee pralines that won the Tavoletta d'Oro 2023 award; a third showcase will be dedicated to pastries and freshly prepared artisanal specialties such as freshly baked churros and waffles enriched with fine spreadable creams, krapfen filled with Slitti artisanal ice cream and artisanal tortinas of every taste, from the classic Torta della Nonna revisited in a Slitti key to chocolate and orange; concluding with the sales corner where it will also be possible to buy a wide selection of award-winning products, such as the new Fichi Calabacita stuffed with sambuca, the GranCacao 73% Tablet, or the Gianera Spreadable Cream.
Slitti's flagship will also satisfy palates more akin to savory tastes, however. In fact, Slitti's tradition will also decline toward gourmet dishes that include a wide selection of stuffed schiacciate, such as the one with sbriciolona, artichokes and pecorino cream, crostoni, from the one with gorgonzola, pears, walnuts and honey to the one with burrata, sun-dried tomatoes and anchovies, to tartare of fine Piedmontese Adult Veal meat, then more savory croissants and more.
"Working on the first flagship of a brand like Slitti, bearer of such important values for Made in Italy and with such an important tradition and history, was a really exciting challenge. The store was designed with the idea, on the one hand, to enhance the craftsmanship and tradition of the brand, and on the other to create a space that is personalized and original in every element of the furniture - comments Franco Costa of Costa Group, a company that has been designing and building venues in the restaurant world for more than 20 years - We found the synthesis in the details: the original wallpaper, which is also echoed on the seating, recalls the product's origins, while fine marble and brass finishes embellish the space, making it elegant and convivial. The store also boasts of a video wall of more than 7 meters located above the main counter, which will allow customers to discover the artisanal production processes and the "behind-the-scenes" of Slitti's preparations, from the Chocolate Factory to the Coffee Roasting Plant to the Pastry Lab.