Loppiano Pizza: 30 years of entrepreneurship with an Amazonian flavor

Amazonian enterprise

Created by the couple Rogério and Lourdinha Cunha, Loppiano Pizza celebrates three decades of activity in the capital of Amazonas in April

Manaus (AM) — A pinch of courage, two spoons of entrepreneurial dream, three cups of Italian tradition, four servings of Amazonian seasoning and an abundant dose of love. It was with these ingredients that the couple Rogério and Lourdinha started a promising project: Loppiano Pizza. In April this year, the space celebrates 30 years with unusual flavors, which make references to the “Bel Paese” and, at the same time, to the largest state in territorial extension in Brazil.

The inspiring “spark” for the venture, located in Praça 14, originated from a series of connections, including a previous proposal from the family: the Ziza’s snack bar chain, founded by Nuno and Maria Cunha, Rogério’s parents.

“I worked there for a long time, from customer service to operations. So it was a great school and it served as inspiration for me to decide. I later worked in a shopping mall in Manaus, but I wasn’t satisfied and, newly married, I turned to my wife and said: ‘are we going to set up our own business?’. She said yes, because she knew all the history I had in the food industry. And everything was connecting. The fact that she lived in Italy and that my youthful memories were very linked to pizzerias were the signs for us to decide to invest in a pizzeria, which, fortunately, was the best decision”,

details Rogério.

With the experience of both — as Lourdinha also worked in product sales stores and even had a small business in the fashion and clothing segment —, the couple gave wings to the story of love and entrepreneurship, which even gave new meaning to the such a turbulent period that the duo faced.

“Not many people know, but the idea of ​​setting up Loppiano came after a painful experience: my wife had become pregnant with twins, but they were born prematurely and, unfortunately, did not survive. Their names were Cristiano and Gabriel. The departure of our first two children made us reflect that we had no time to waste to make our dreams come true. So we looked at each other and said: ‘surely we will have the protection of our two guardian angels, so let’s set up our own business’. And they blessed us, because, over these thirty years, Loppiano changed our lives and represented the livelihood of our family, especially our three daughters, Renata, Fernanda and Isabella, who came to complete our story”,

specifies Rogério.

Cultural Appreciation

What would be just a pizzeria with “know-how” collected in São Paulo — the city that hosted the first pizzeria in Brazil, in 1910 — ended up becoming a great precursor experience of local gastronomy.

Carioca, married to a woman from Minas Gerais, Rogério details that the initial strategy was to follow what they learned in the capital of São Paulo, but the Amazonian enchantment ended up making its presence felt. The couple’s history with Amazonas — he has lived in the state for 55 years and she for 32 — meant that the space reflected the soul of the region.

“We thought it would be a São Paulo-style pizzeria, but we started receiving different requests. The first regional flavor was the famous caboquinha pizza, with credit to my cousin, Armando, who was my delivery partner. A friend from Belém also suggested that we create tacacá pizza. Thus, regionalism entered our veins like a divine inspiration, which proved to be a wise decision, even more so because we love to propagate Northern culture”,

score.

Tacacá (pizza with jambu, shrimp and tucupi among the ingredients), Caboca Pávula (with banana, tucumã and coalho cheese) and Cupuaçu (with fruit jelly and cream) are on the list of regional options produced with care at Loppiano. In addition to flavors with touches of the region, the entrepreneurial couple makes a point of giving voice to local talents, from an agenda full of local musicians to the launch of stylized packaging with engravings by the artist Rui Machado.

“We even have some names that cannot be missed in our programs, such as Celdo Braga, Márcia Siqueira, Mailzon Mendes, Humberto Amorim. Our late Zezinho Corrêa was also a confirmed presence and always brightened our space. To celebrate 30 years of Loppiano Pizza and please our customers at night, this year we will have a program with many shows and also many different actions involving the whole family”,

emphasizes Rogério.

According to the businessman, all of Loppiano’s planning is done as a way of giving back to the region everything that the Cunha family achieved.

“Amazonas gave us space to realize our dream of being entrepreneurs, of being able to raise our daughters, of creating jobs. We currently generate thirty-four direct jobs, in addition to indirect jobs. And an even greater achievement is being able to bear witness to the ‘Economy of Communion’ project, being a new way of thinking and doing business, showing that it is possible to make money and generate impact on society. Our mission is to contribute to a more just, fraternal and regenerative economy.”

*With information from consultancy

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