A Labour of Love

Giorgio linguanti from that’s Amore Cheese shares his recipe for success

by Daniele Foti-Cuzzola

Since its inception in 2008, Melbourne-based That’s Amore Cheese has grown to become an Italian-Australian institution. The brand’s signature dark blue packaging has become synonymous with high quality Italian cuisine around Australia. What started as a mere curiosity and hobby for founder Giorgio Linguanti has since grown into an expanding business that boasts 60 different types of cheeses, a Cheesery Deli & Café in Thomastown, sister brand Cannoleria by That’s Amore Cheese, and a team of 100. The company now exports their locally produced cheeses to markets in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea. But for Sicilian-born Giorgio the recipe to success required more than just amore. There was curiosity, hard work, determination and sacrifice involved

too. Like many migrant success stories, Giorgio’s Australian dream came about during a difficult period in his life. «I was living in Sicily until I was 31, and there was a moment in my life where I needed to restart from scratch,» says Giorgio. He decided to see what Australia had to offer when an uncle who was living in Melbourne invited him to come over. Not long after arriving in Melbourne, it became apparent that Australia would be his new home. However, Linguanti, who came from an advertising background in Italy, didn’t speak much English and knew that in order to make it work in this new country he would have to make some sacrifices. «I approached Australia in a very humble way,» he says. «I was not thinking about my background. In Italy I was focused on advertising. That was my speciality and my skill, but when I came to Australia, I couldn’t speak English, so I couldn’t do an advertising job. I worked in a fruit shop. I learnt everything I needed to. I gave it my best and was working around 100 hours a week.» Giorgio also made a conscious effort to avoid relying too heavily on the Italian community. «I couldn’t speak English, so I forced myself not to read the Italian newspapers and not to listen to Italian music or watch Italian television. I tried to stay away from that, not because I really wanted to, but because I needed to integrate with the community here and learn English.» After a year, Giorgio left the fruit store and started working in a cheese shop, where his curiosity grew. «I would ask questions like, “why is the milk different from yesterday?”» He eventually called

his brother in Italy and asked him to send a book about cheese-making. «I started to buy milk and make cheese for myself and my family. The passion started then and I discovered my real talent in life: cheese-making. I started to make cheese that tasted like cheese made in Italy. For me, it’s easy to taste a piece of cheese, then produce it. It comes naturally. I discovered this was my talent.» By 2008, Giorgio had left his job at the cheese factory and started That’s Amore Cheese. His first product was the Bocconcini Leaf, a leaf of mozzarella that can be rolled with other ingredients, and he ran the business on his own. «I was doing production in the morning, I’d wash everything, I’d put the stock in the van and then go out for delivery. Leaving home at 3 o’clock in the morning and then come back at 8 o’clock at night. A few weeks later I hired one person, then another one and another. Now we are a team of nearly 100 people.» Giorgio credits the company’s success to their commitment to educating and promoting authentic Italian cuisine while using high quality ingredients. «People in Australia were calling cheese made with cow’s milk pecorino, but in Italy pecorino means it comes from sheep’s milk. We explain things like that to people, and educate them about what they are eating. And this is what sets That’s Amore apart in the market. We are about knowledge, education and good flavour. We buy top quality milk and that’s why the flavour of our cheese is outstanding.» Part of That’s Amore’s rapid expansion is due to Giorgio’s passion and determination to educate the public about Italian products. From the Cannoleria, which uses their authentic Italian style ricotta, to their events and sagras and constant development of multiple new cheeses each year, Giorgio hopes to expand the knowledge and appreciation for high quality and authentic products. «What we do is all about passion and love. We love what we do, and we make everything with love.»

Cannolo Siciliano