Giglia Giuseppe SA

A LOVE FOR THE CRAFT

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

Giuseppe Giglia was born in Valenza Po in 1875. The son of pastry chefs, 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 following political events in Italy and, together with his friend Tadini, began a collaboration by opening the "Caffè-gelateria Universo" in Piazza Rezzonico.

But Giuseppe Giglia brought with him and in his heart his vast experience in fruit candying, and in the back room of the ice cream shop he began to work on and perfect the candying of marrons glacés.

He then rented two cramped rooms: in one he installed a boiler to cook the chestnuts, in the other a "stove" to candy them.

In 1920, he courageously decided to offer his products at the Swiss Fair in Basel and set off with three jars of marrons glacés in syrup.

During the train journey, one of the jars broke, so he "timidly" set up his stand with only two jars... and won the gold medal!

In the years that followed, he received numerous awards and medals at many fairs throughout Europe and the United States.

Upon his death in 1958, "la Bottega del marron glacé" was taken over by his daughter Mariuccia Giglia, who ran it with great skill and dedication until the age of 85.

From 1992 until 2005, the year of her well-deserved retirement, this "bottega" was run by my father, Alberto Bervini.

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

Cinzia Stuppia-(Bervini)