We wrote last week that Dave and Catherine Ferraresi plan to expand their Gustare Oils & Vinegars business from Cape Cod to Wellesley Square around Nov. 1. We followed up with a few questions and here’s what Dave had to say:
We haven’t been to your Chatham or Mashpee shops. Give us a sense of what the store in Wellesley might be like.
Same unique Gustare tasting room experience as in our Cape shops. Over 40 fresh and flavorful imported extra virgin olive oils & traditionally aged balsamic vinegars only from Modena, Italy. Each guest is greeted by Team Gustare who explain how to easily navigate via our color-coded O&V labels inclusive of Tasting Notes and Perfect Pairing suggestions. Guests may sample taste (using convenient, disposable tasting cups) for sipping their fav selections from our ‘fustis’ …where each shop bottles, corks and seals fresh selections every day.
Why Wellesley?
Gustare enjoys helping many frequent guests on Cape Cod whose primary residences are in Wellesley and Metro West neighborhoods. Our Wellesley shopping district market expansion was voted most favorable over North/South Shore and urban locations in Boston or Providence.
Do you know people from any other businesses in town and might you sync up with them?
Gustare loves Wasik’s and Blue Ginger when in Wellesley. My wife Catherine recently met the Exec Chef at Alta Strada…very warm welcome for Gustare. We look forward to building collaborative relationships with our merchant neighbors in Wellesley over the coming years.
How do you compete with grocery stores like Roche Bros and Whole Foods?
Gustare does not directly compete with grocery stores, as their business model is focused on quality and a wide variety of products with a ‘one-stop’ shopping convenience. Our unique tasting rooms are developed for a relaxing, memorable tasting experience where guests ask for guidance on how to enhance existing recipes or chat with Catherine and her team about Gustare Test Kitchen recipes and other creative cooking suggestions. We modeled our Gustare tasting rooms from wonderful village food/shopping experiences while living in Europe for over 10 years.
Any hot trends in oils and vinegars?
Gustare serves several growing guest segments: 1) Foodies 2) Casual cooks to culinary chefs 3) Health & Wellness enthusiasts 4) Well travelled palates seeking fresh EVO & aged balsamics…all growing with age demographics developing even below the age of 18-20 due to popularity of Food Network programming and constant reminders of benefits of Mediterranean diet.
Experience Gustare Oils and Vinegars, You’ll love it!