Andre Melchionda is the Owner and Founder of Arrivato Imports, a leader in the specialty and luxury food space. he works with suppliers from across the world and locally to curate a one-of-a-kind portfolio that services top restaurants and chefs with Truffles, Australian/Japanese Wagyu, Caviar, lamb, and more luxury products.
After leaving the corporate world in 2021 to pursue his passion for specialty Italian cuisine products, he soon realized the lack of high quality and luxury products on the market and set out to source the highest quality ingredients on the planet.
As a leader in the specialty and luxury food space, he works with James Beard Foundation Award Winners, Michelin Starred and Recognized Restaurants, Forbes Travel Guide Five Star winners and AAA Five Diamond Award winners.
As a fluent Italian speaker having lived outside of Rome during his childhood, he is able to communicate with his Italian suppliers on a deeper level than most, establishing lasting connections and relationships. He is passionate about supporting his community, donating time, money and products to charitable causes, oftentimes collaborating with chefs and restaurants through events and special dinners.
He is a graduate of Florida State University where he studied economics and double minored in business analytics and business. Prior to establishing Arrivato Imports, he worked for a Private Equity Firm based in San Francisco.
He currently lives in Atlanta, the nation’s up and coming fine-dining destination, where Arrivato’s headquarters are located.
Connect with Andre on LinkedIn.
What You’ll Learn In This Episode
- What does Arrivato Imports supply
This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.
TRANSCRIPT
Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for High Velocity Radio.
Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of High Velocity Radio, and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show we have Andre Melchionda and he is with Arrivato Imports. Welcome.
Andre Melchionda: Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.
Lee Kantor: Well, I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about your firm. How you serving folks?
Andre Melchionda: Yeah. So Arvato Imports is based here in Atlanta, and we are the leader in luxury foods. We source from all over the world, also here domestically and locally, to just provide a portfolio of products that no one else really has here.
Lee Kantor: And then what do you do with these foods? Are you selling a direct to consumer or you sell them to restaurants?
Andre Melchionda: Yeah. So right now our business model is just restaurants, resorts, hotels, things of that nature. But we have some things in the works, some exciting things here coming up. And we’re going to be making them a little bit more widely available to everyone else.
Lee Kantor: So so what’s your backstory? How did you get involved in this line of work?
Andre Melchionda: Yeah, that’s a that’s a good question. You know, one that I get probably most often because it is pretty uncommon. Um, you know, I have a finance background and was working in private equity for a while and, you know, was thinking about next steps. You know, what I wanted to do with my career, interested in what I’m passionate about. And so I’m Italian, I speak Italian, have a pretty good network over there. And, you know, it was a matter of, you know, what sort of advantage might I have over someone else or, you know, competition. And I knew I could find basically anything I wanted to in Italy with, you know, a couple phone calls, texts here and there. So it really started there. And just kind of, you know, being passionate and understanding the quality of food in Italy and Europe relative to here and why there was such a big lack of it and just wanted to help kind of bridge that gap and educate and make a lot of those products a little bit more available here.
Lee Kantor: So did you start with one type of food and then kind of expand just organically, or did you just have a good purveyor in Italy that you were able to get pretty much whatever you needed?
Andre Melchionda: So yeah, it started really small. You know, it started with truffles really. And then, you know, olive oil and then balsamic and caviar. And then just the more that I became immersed in the industry and what I was doing and just always learning and listening and asking questions to chefs and, you know, getting requests and stuff like that. It just became a matter of finding it and finding the best products, the best farms and producers. And now at this point, you know, we offer so many different products, it can be overwhelming at times.
Lee Kantor: So how do you kind of maintain that quality control? Are you just trusting your purveyors in Europe, or is this something that you’re personally overseeing?
Andre Melchionda: A little bit of both for sure. You know, there’s a lot of brands out there that are really well known for their quality and their reputation. So those are kind of the easy ones. But, you know, after that it’s, you know, talking to people recommendations, um, you know, a lot of just research and seeing what’s out there and also trying the products too ahead of time before, you know, kind of going full scale as far as, you know, making them widely available to our clients.
Lee Kantor: Now, when you first had the idea, okay, I’m going to go, uh, I know Italy, I have connections there. And in America There’s less, you know, lesser quality. Um, did you have a customer here in America that you were like, you know, hey, buddy, if if I get this, is this something your restaurant’s going to buy? Like, how did the kind of the the marketplace start, uh, start up for you? Did you have personal connections with chefs or restaurants that kind of put in requests from you to. Look, if you get this, I’ll buy all you got.
Andre Melchionda: Uh, a little bit. I mean, honestly, it wasn’t a deep network at all, by any means. Uh, it was kind of. So I’m from Saint Simons Island, Georgia, you know, small town, southeast Georgia. And, you know, I knew there was basically none of these products there. So I knew I could start there with the relationships that I had. And, you know, there were a handful of places that would buy these types of products. Um, but for the most part, no, I mean, it was a pretty cold network overall, and it was just a lot of, Walking into kitchens and talking to the right people and just having the the quality to support, you know, the service and it it spoke for itself in a sense. And, you know, people started to to understand a little bit more of what we were trying to do and what what was going for. And slowly but surely, we, you know, grew the client list. And, you know, we’re rocking and rolling here full time in Atlanta.
Lee Kantor: So, um, did you have a chef or a couple chefs that kind of fell in love with what you had and became kind of evangelists?
Andre Melchionda: Uh, in a sense. You know, I think it was more so. So, yes, with the olive oil for sure. You know, especially olive oil is a big one because there is a lot of olive oil in today’s markets that is really just not quality. Um, you know, there’s a lot of them out there that are mixed, that are blends of oils from all over Europe. So to have a real, you know, pure Italian olive oil coming out of southern Italy was definitely like, you know, I got a lot of, wow, you know, it was when you taste real olive oil, you can you immediately recognize the difference and can immediately see the quality in it. Tasted quality. I mean, it’s totally different than the majority of honestly, all the olive oils that you find, especially here in the southeast too. Right? Because I feel like we’re slightly behind when it comes to fine dining and really high quality products relative to a New York or, you know, a Chicago or an LA. So bringing these products here definitely, you know, opened some eyes for sure.
Lee Kantor: Now, um, I’m not a connoisseur like you, but I’ve noticed even, uh, locally here, the first time I had a, um, kind of a farm raised chicken egg compared to, like, a store bought egg. It was like a different food. Like when you’re. It’s even difficult to explain that the color was different. The richness of the flavor was different. Um, when you’re coming across something like that and you bring it to a chef, I’m sure you know they’re open to having the conversation because most chefs want, you know, to be the best they can be and differentiate themselves with the quality. Is it do they have a difficult time translating that to, okay, now my customers got to pay more? Uh, now, you know, I got to educate my customer to appreciate this as much as I’m appreciating it.
Andre Melchionda: Yeah. For sure. That’s that’s definitely a challenge and a hurdle with some people. Um, you know, there are the people that are willing to spend on quality and are really good at storytelling and making it come through. Um, you know, at the end of the day, it’s it’s simplicity. Um, if you use really high quality ingredients, you don’t have to do a whole lot to it to make it shine. Um, but yeah, I mean, you know, so many people and chefs and restaurants are price conscious that it, you know, with that increased price cost, it can definitely be hard to get them to understand and get the consumer to understand. Right. Because it’s one thing to to sell them, but then they have to educate their clients and have them understand, okay, you know, I’m paying a little bit more for this, but wow, I can absolutely see the quality difference and taste it. And okay, I understand why I’m paying a dollar or two more for this dish. Um, but yeah, it’s definitely, you know, it’s it’s an ongoing education. Um, every day we’re getting one step closer and it’s just, you know, time with time, it’ll come, and we’ve just got to stay at it.
Lee Kantor: Now, is this one of the things where your clients are those kind of, uh, top of the line restaurants, It’s the, you know, Michelin star restaurants, the ones that really, um, kind of lean into quality and experience and that, that, that those are the people that are going to buy your stuff. Or does it kind of trickle down to a more, uh, mainstream restaurants?
Andre Melchionda: Yeah, absolutely. You know, the the high end Michelin starred restaurants, five star resorts, you know, James Beard Award winners, those are definitely our main clients for the most part, just because they they understand and appreciate and can really make those products shine. Um, and we’re the more mainstream ones, right? You know, obviously none of the fast food or even kind of the chain restaurants really none of those. I mean, it’s really kind of boils down to the chef and the owners and how much they want to put their attention on the food. Right. Because it can, depending on the restaurant, the vibe, what they’re what they’re going for, right? They could be going for a really good cocktail program, solid food, but really great vibes or, you know, any kind of mixture of that. Or maybe they focus a lot on hospitality and, you know, maybe the food is, you know, an eight out of ten. Um, so it kind of depends on the restaurant, the ownership itself, as far as what they’re willing to, to kind of invest in and spend on. Um, so it’s kind of each case is a little different. But yeah, definitely the higher end Michelin starred restaurants, you know, we work with the majority of them here in Atlanta. And uh, that’s definitely our main clientele.
Lee Kantor: Now, one, uh, you do build a relationship with the chef, and I would imagine the chef is the the person, you know, you want to get more relationships with. That’s the the driver of the relationship is the chef to explain, hey, this is what we have today. And I would imagine this changes frequently. Right. Like there’s some things, like, all of a sudden you got some caviar or, you know, next month it might be truffles. Like there’s, I would imagine, seasonality. And there’s an optimal time to get each of the things that you offer.
Andre Melchionda: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. It’s a very seasonal business. Right. Because the products are so fresh and, you know, hard to find. Honestly, a lot of them, it’s they come and they go, right. You know, there’s seasons for everything from truffles to, you know, even certain bluefin tuna to, you know, uni there’s low seasons, high seasons, you know, ramps, chanterelles, morels, all of these fresh products. They definitely come and they go. And sometimes the seasons are shorter than it has been in the past. Sometimes it’s longer, sometimes there’s ample supply and sometimes there’s not. And it’s, uh, you know, causes pretty big price swings now.
Lee Kantor: Um, so, so how does that work? So, like, you get something in or you hear you’re going to get something in, and then you just put the word out and it’s kind of first one in, you know. Game on.
Andre Melchionda: Uh, yeah, in a sense. So I mean, most chefs who are really in tune with it and have been doing this for a while, they understand what’s coming up, what’s, you know, about to be in season and what’s going out of season and what to expect, when to expect it. So it’s more of, okay, I know this is coming. Let me menu plan a little bit and reach out ahead of time and say, hey, you know, we’re going to be using X, Y and Z. Um, can you make sure you know, have it or keep us posted on pricing and availability. Um, so it is a somewhat fluid situation, but, you know, a lot of these guys are really dialed in with what they’re doing that they know what’s coming. And it’s just really a matter of supply and demand at that point.
Lee Kantor: So what do you need more of? How could we help you?
Andre Melchionda: What do we need more of? Um. Let’s see. I mean, I think exposure, just general exposure. You know, we’ve been in business for. It’ll be four years later this year, and we haven’t really done a whole lot of, uh, marketing really at all. It’s been purely organic and just word of mouth to this point. Um, so, you know, I think just just getting the story out there and having people understand that, you know, we’re local, we’re headquartered here, you know, from Georgia. Um, and we’re just trying to do good work and bring products in that, uh, typically aren’t here and help educate.
Lee Kantor: Now, is the initial target just Georgia or like, if, you know, if there’s a Chicago restaurant, is that somebody you’d want to know?
Andre Melchionda: No, I mean, there’s no limit. Absolutely not. Uh, you know, we have clients in eight different states at this point. Definitely concentrated here in Atlanta. Just because, you know, this is where we have, you know, a presence on the ground and we can go see someone and talk with them a lot easier than, you know, someone in Chicago. But yeah, I mean, we work with people all over the country. Uh, so we’re Were absolutely open to anything and everything. If it makes sense and we can provide value. Absolutely.
Lee Kantor: Now how many like, what would be the universe in Atlanta of restaurants that would be appropriate for your services? I mean, I wouldn’t think that there’s that many that check the boxes that you need in order to, you know, to buy your stuff.
Andre Melchionda: You know, I think you’d be surprised at the amount of restaurants that are using quality. Um, you know, it’s definitely not in New York. It’s not Chicago, it’s not LA. But, you know, we are moving in the right direction. Absolutely. And there’s places that are opening, you know, every day it seems like. Um, and with Michelin coming here, you know, I think that’s going to bring a lot more of these higher end restaurants. And, you know, people are going to be gunning for a star, two stars eventually. Um, so I think it’s a good time to be here in its infancy and be able to watch it grow and help it grow as well.
Lee Kantor: Is it 20? Is it 50?
Andre Melchionda: Um, you know, I would say.
Lee Kantor: It can’t be a hundred.
Andre Melchionda: Yeah. So we have a pretty broad.
Andre Melchionda: Product list, right. So we can essentially find a placement for a product. Right. We have we work with, for example, a bunch of Australian Wagyu. And just because someone can’t afford, you know, the high end stripling cut, you know, maybe they can afford the, you know, eye of round or one of these other off cuts that are a lot more cost effective and can make sense for someone who doesn’t necessarily have the budget of one of these, you know, Michelin starred restaurants or larger groups. So, you know, as far as caviar, truffles, A5 yeah, it’s definitely limited to, you know, probably 20 or 30 restaurants and clubs. But, you know, from a broader conversation, I mean, I think and, you know, once you get into Alpharetta and, you know, Decatur and, you know, if you get up into Milton, I think, yeah, you’re looking at probably, you know, 75, 100 that could find something that we offer, right.
Lee Kantor: Is there a place for the private chef who works with celebrity clients?
Andre Melchionda: Oh, absolutely. Yeah, we work with, uh, private.
Andre Melchionda: Chefs all the time.
Lee Kantor: So they would obviously, they’re not buying the quantity, but they’d still buy the. What you got?
Andre Melchionda: Absolutely.
Andre Melchionda: Yep, yep.
Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to learn more, what’s the best way to connect?
Andre Melchionda: Yeah.
Andre Melchionda: So we’re on Instagram at Arrivato imports and also on our website w-w-w Arrivato sports.com. And I would definitely give us a follow on Instagram because as I mentioned, we have some really exciting things in the works. For the general public and not just, you know, B2B restaurants. So at Arvato Sports on Instagram, I had to keep up with us and all the cool things we’re doing. You know, we do events and dinners and stuff all the time. So, um, yeah, it’s, uh, it’s a it’s a fun time right now.
Lee Kantor: And arvato is spelled r r I v a t o import.com for the website and find them on their socials. Well, Andre, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.
Andre Melchionda: Yeah, we appreciate it. Thank you for, uh, the conversation.
Andre Melchionda: It’s been a good one. And, um, look forward to keeping in touch.
Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on High Velocity Radio.
