Sisters’ love of good food leads to import business | News, Sports, Jobs

Due Sorelle Food Imports offers customers Italian delicacies delivered right to their doorsteps. The company was founded in 2023 by sisters Lindsey Jeffreys and Ashley Foster of Salem. Pictured is a mini-mart set up by Due Sorelle at an event at Birdfish Brewing in Columbia. (Photo submitted)

LISBON – It started with a love of good food, led to a partnership between two sisters and evolved into a thriving business that offers customers a taste of Italy without leaving Columbiana County.

Founded in October 2023 by sisters Lindsey Jeffreys and Ashley Foster, Due Sorelle Food Imports imports fine European ingredients, groceries and wine directly to the region’s doorstep.

“The idea was to stick together and bring our love for European food to the United States,” explained Foster. “Lindsey and I think it’s extremely important to know what’s in our food and what we’re consuming. We quickly realized that many other people are now paying attention to labels and want clean food.”

“Due Sorelle” aptly means “two sisters” in Italian, and while sisterly bonding and a shared love of Italy may have been the motivation behind the company’s founding, it took more than that to make it a success.

The sisters had it under control.

“I returned from working in the catering industry abroad last September and came home and decided that after nine years in the kitchen I had had enough and wanted to try something new,” said Foster. “My sister Lindsey, who works as a marketing director for Global-Pak Inc., thought we should do something together that would combine both of our backgrounds – she in sales and marketing and me in culinary and education. My sister Lindsey is incredibly talented and business-oriented. She still works for Global-Pak, is a mother of a one-year-old, and is CEO of Due Sorelle.”

Foster said Due Sorelle’s first shipment will reach the U.S. border in January 2024, and the company imports high-quality and traditional Italian foods from all regions of Italy – olive oil from Lazio and Tuscany, balsamic vinegar from Modena, dried pasta from Pisa, salt from Sicily and mushroom products from Turin. Due Sorelle prides itself on not only sourcing the finest ingredients, but also from suppliers whose livelihoods depend on the quality of the products they supply.

“A large proportion of the manufacturers we buy from are family-owned, two of them in the fourth generation and have been in business for 100 years,” said Foster.

Due Sorelle also plans to expand its Christmas range this winter to include hand-painted Italian ceramics and offers products for wholesale as well as special sourcing of items for restaurants.

Currently, all Due Sorelle products are available online at duesorelle.com, but the sisters hope to eventually open a retail store.

“We don’t have a store yet,” said Foster. “Our goal is to have a retail store and a culinary education center by the first quarter of 2026.”

Until then, residents who would like to get to know Due Sorelle’s offerings in terms of inventory and culinary art can do so at several events.

The sisters, both from Salem, have partnered with The Smucker House in their hometown to offer cooking classes for students of all ages. Each class is different and focuses on the seasonality and location of ingredients. Tickets can be purchased at www.duesorelle.com/education.

Due Sorelle will be one of the featured providers at the “A Night at the Museum” — a collaboration between Beresford’s Craft Meats and Deli at the Lou Holtz Museum in East Liverpool on Thursday, July 25 from 5pm to 9pm

In addition, Due Sorelle will be shown at “Flavors of Italy: Cocktails with Birdfish Brewing Co. and Cuisine with A Movable Feast.” This event will take place on July 26th from 5-9 p.m. at Birdfish, 104 E. Park Ave. in Columbiana.

Due Sorelle products will also be featured on the menu at The Vault at 200 E. Fifth St. in East Liverpool.

For a complete event listing and more information, visit the Events tab at duesorelle.com.