There aren’t many manufacturers that can claim a traditional nougat recipe these days – but Rinaldi Confectionery stands proudly behind its pared-back Italian formulation.
When the Rinaldi family came to Australia, they were part of the great Italian diaspora which made Italian food culture an international affair.
They brought Italian 'Torrone' nougat culture with them – a culture that dates back hundreds of years.
But it was Roberto Rinaldi, an electronic engineer, who decided to make a business out of his family's much-loved treats.
“I used to make it for the family on special occasions, and one day someone said – 'You can really taste the honey in this',” he recalls.
“I realised that, by using the best quality honey I could find in our home state of South Australia, I might be able to do something bigger.”
He started by requesting an information pack from the small business centre in Adelaide, spent hours in the state library scouring old journals with manufacturing advice from Italy, and wrote to Italian equipment suppliers to see what would best suit his needs for making nougat on a larger scale.
Today, the business is going strong, and Rinaldi is proud to be producing something that no one else is.
“You just can't get the type of nougat we make, except in special parts of Italy,” Rinaldi says.
