Italian Cuisine Recognized by UNESCO Boosts Sussex Business Italic Solutions

Italian cuisine has now been officially recognised by UNESCO as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage. The decision highlights the global importance of Italy’s culinary traditions and reinforces a growing consumer shift toward authenticity. For Italia Solutions, a fast-growing Sussex business specialising in genuine Italian pantry staples, the announcement reflects what its customers already know: Italian food is culture, and it matters.

Italia Solutions began at a kitchen table before lockdown hit. Anita and a close friend, whose family ran an Italian restaurant, were talking about how hard it was for people to find the real Italian foods they loved. With her friend’s deep knowledge of Italian produce and Anita’s background in e-commerce, the idea for a small venture was born. They started bringing in the classic staples people were asking for and ran the business from a warehouse on her father’s farm.

Then lockdown hit. Demand surged overnight, and they kept the business moving through an uncertain time. Shortly after, a family illness meant her business partner and her family closed their restaurant for good and returned to Italy. The venture could have ended there. Instead, Anita bought the business outright and kept going alone. She continued importing the Italian foods customers were depending on, listening closely to what people wanted and expanding the range through ongoing research and customer requests. Many of those suggestions are now among the company’s best sellers.

Italia Solutions is a small, female-run business making a big impact. People come because they’re frustrated. They can’t find the real Italian flavours they remember, and they’re tired of substitutes. Anita solved that problem head-on. The shop in Sussex is packed floor to ceiling with the kind of products you usually have to fly to Italy to buy. It’s bold, it’s busy, and it’s growing fast because the demand is real. Italian food is booming in the UK, and the new UNESCO recognition simply puts a stamp on what customers already know: authentic matters.

Earlier this year, the business opened its first physical shop at the Sussex warehouse. Since then, more and more people have been discovering it in person. Customers often describe it as something between an Italian trattoria and an Aladdin’s cave of regional favourites. A hidden gem on a Sussex farm, filled with warmth, nostalgia and shelves that surprise even long-time Italian food lovers.

Social media has amplified that growth even further. The company’s TikTok videos have reached tens of thousands of viewers, with customers walking in daily saying they discovered the shop online.

Alongside nationwide deliveries direct to homes across the UK, A strong local following has grown, with regulars visiting weekly and often staying for a chat. For Anita and her small team, these face-to-face connections have become one of the most rewarding parts of the business.

Today, Italia Solutions stocks more than 700 authentic Italian products, with new lines added every week.

“Our customers built this business. They tell us what they miss from home and I go out and find it. Italian food is emotional. It’s memory, family and comfort, and you can’t recreate that with substitutes. When someone tells me they’ve found an item they haven’t seen since their childhood or since they were last in Italy, that’s when I know we’re doing it right. UNESCO recognising Italian cuisine is no surprise to anyone who shops with us. Our customers have been saying it for years. Italian food isn’t just food. It’s heritage. It deserves respect, and that’s exactly what we bring into our shop.” – Anita, Founder