Italian Continental Stores – Celebrating 50 years 

Italian Continental, official suppliers of wines to Minoli for all of the Minoli events celebrated its first 50 years on Saturday June 9th.
The head office in Maidenhead Berkshire, newly constructed as a purpose-built unit for ICS was turned into an Italian food and wine festival site for the day.

The Maidenhead local paper sent a reporter and photographer for the day…
A celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of much-loved Italian produce store was held on Saturday.
Italian Continental Stores, in Denmark Street, hosted a huge street party in its car park, which was attended by more than 1,000 people throughout the day.
Regular customers, passers-by, and friends and family of the popular owners got to taste some delicacies, shop for unusual ingredients and were even serenaded by an Italian singer. 
Mario Sardo who co-runs the store with his brother Rosario, was delighted by the number of people who came and enjoyed themselves.
He said: “I never expected we would keep this place open for 50 years, it has been an absolute pleasure to get this far.
“It’s more than just a shop, people come here for a chat, they meet for coffee – and it’s definitely an Italian thing that we’ve kept it in the family for so long.”
In 1968, Mario and Rosario’s father Carmelo founded Italian Continental Stores in Maidenhead.
Since then the business has grown, serving day-to-day customers as well as supplying wholesale services to businesses along the M4 corridor.
Mario said: “We have got lots of family and friends here to celebrate with us today.
“It’s a very proud moment to be running a store that my dad started so long ago. 
“This is for him.”
 At the event, customers new and old got the chance to sample a whole range of food that the shop sells.
 Catering stalls were serving up Italian and other continental delicacies including seafood paella, pasta with tomato sauce and cheese, as well as a variety of drinks.

One of many Minoli events supported by ICS and Santome Wine

The relationship with Minoli doesn’t go quite as far as fifty years, but it is certainly well over 20, no Minoli event would be complete without the input of Rosario Sardo and Gordon Ritchie who prepare the Italian wines to match the occasions and locations of our events.
Minoli were also immensely proud to be the nominated supplier for the new ICS head office when the building was constructed in 2012, with a very high specification being demanded by the Sardo family to ensure the values of the company and the family were truly reflected in the choice of the finishes.

Almost 1,000 people visited the “Street Party” on Denmark Street.