Alamode Foods

Alamode Foods is a Chicago-based family-owned food company with roots stretching back to the late 1960s, when the Lollino family began serving authentic Italian cuisine and coffee in the Chicago area. Founded on the culinary traditions of Italian immigrant Pina Lollino and master coffee roaster Giuseppe Lollino, the company has grown over decades from a family restaurant and café operation into a multi-brand food enterprise with both foodservice and retail distribution reach across the United States.

The company serves as the parent brand to a family of Italian-inspired food and beverage brands, including Vero Coffee, Vero Gelato, Massa Pizza Company, and Massa Cafe Italiano. Each brand reflects the company's commitment to handcrafted, authentic Italian food traditions, with recipes that trace their origins to the original Ristorante Italia and Caffe Italia establishments in Chicago.

Alamode Foods operates in both the foodservice and retail grocery segments. On the foodservice side, the company supplies artisan gelato, sorbetto, and related Italian food products to some of Chicago's most well-known restaurants, including Gibson's, Bar Siena, and Quartino. It also partners with established regional and national distributors such as Greco & Sons, Lettieri, and Euro USA to extend its reach across the country.

In the retail space, Alamode Foods made a significant push with the launch of Vero Coffee & Gelato in 2008, a co-venture with Robert Mariano, former President and CEO of Roundy's Supermarkets. The Vero brand expanded to more than 40 in-store café locations inside Mariano's grocery stores across the greater Chicago area, blending specialty coffee with artisan gelato in a grocery retail format.

The company's most recent retail initiative is Massa Pizza Company, a frozen pizza brand launched in 2018. Massa Pizza Company offers restaurant-quality, authentic Sicilian-style frozen pizza based on a legacy recipe originating from Ristorante Italia and later featured at Massa Cafe Italiano. The brand is positioned to fill a perceived gap in the frozen pizza market for authentically crafted, restaurant-caliber product and is currently available in major grocery stores across the United States, with distribution continuing to expand in a competitive national marketplace.

Alamode Foods also produces artisan gelato and sorbetto, including seasonal limited-time offerings such as Pecan Pumpkin Pie, Salted Caramel Brownie, and Banana Nut Bread flavors, demonstrating an ongoing focus on innovation within its frozen dessert portfolio. The company's manufacturing and production philosophy emphasizes handcrafted quality, traditional Italian recipes, and premium ingredient sourcing, consistent with the family's multi-generational culinary heritage. With over 55 years in the food industry, Alamode Foods combines deep-rooted Italian food tradition with a growing national retail and foodservice presence.