Giglia Giuseppe SA

Love for the craft

The Giuseppe Giglia SA marrons glacés company was founded in 1921 and bears the name of its founder.

Giuseppe Giglia, was born in Valenza Po in 1875. The son of confectioners, he learned from them the secrets and passion for the difficult art of candying.

After working in Turin and Milan, he moved to Lugano in 1912 as a result of Italian political events and with his friend Tadini began a collaboration by opening the "Universo" café-gelateria in Piazza Rezzonico.

But Giuseppe Giglia carries with him and in his heart the great experience in fruit candying, and in the backroom of the ice cream store he begins to work and perfect the candying of marrons glacés.

He later rented two cramped premises: in one he set up a boiler to bake marrons, in the other a "little stove" to candy them.

Boldly in 1920 he decided to offer his products at the Swiss Fair in Basel and left with three jars of marrons glacés under syrup.

During the train ride, one broke and he "timidly" set up his stand with only two jars...he won the Gold Medal!"

In the years to follow, he received many awards and medals at the many fairs throughout Europe and the United States.

When he died in 1958, "the Bottega del marron glacé" was carried on by his daughter Mariuccia Giglia, in an egregious manner and with dedication until the age of 85.

From 1992 until 2005, the year of his well-deserved retirement, this "store" is run by my father, Alberto Bervini.

In these years, working alongside my father in running the company, I have deepened the secrets of craftsmanship but above all I have received a great lesson: the value of honest work, respect for traditions and the name "Giglia".

Cinzia Stuppia-(Bervini)