Our Story
Karen and Mike co-founded Caffe Alanno in 2023.
The name Alanno derives from Mike’s family history. Alanno is a small town in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy where Mike's grandfather, Nunzio, migrated to America in 1911. Karen’s grandfather, Giovanni, migrated from Italy in the same year from the town of Salina, a small island off northern Sicily. Their families came to America at the turn of the century from impoverished southern Italy in search of a better life. Like many Italians, they settled in Boston, where, as they had in Italy, they cultivated a garden at their home. Within this lifestyle, a garden was treasured and respected. Unknowingly at the time, maintaining this tradition had many health benefits in light of America’s ever-changing health codes concerning food.
Mike and Karen as a couple have dedicated their lives to creating a healthier lifestyle for themselves and their now-adult children, centered around food.
Karen and Mike both grew up in the city of Boston, within families centered in Italian neighborhoods and immersed in the culture. Growing up, Mike frequented the North End with his mother on her weekly grocery trips. He always enjoyed the lemon-flavored Italian ice he would get as a treat during their visits. This is a memory that has stuck with him and carried forward into his adult years.
As a tribute to Mike's mother, we rediscovered her family recipes and dedicated time during the 2020 pandemic to honoring her lineage of gardening and cooking with fresh produce.
Mike and Karen continued their healthy lifestyle by focusing on their own gardening. They embraced the idea of health even more fervently, concentrating on the principles of Italian cooking with simple, homegrown ingredients, avoiding preservatives, pesticides, or additives.
Mike has always loved granita when visiting Italy but recently researched its lack of recognition or market in the States. With this in mind, Cafe Alanno became something Karen and Mike started to experiment with, merging their childhood treats with adult health consciousness. From garden to granita, our family’s recipe was born—a "healthier" version than any mainstream treat like Italian ice, gelato, or sorbet. Our granita is an all-natural recipe with minimal ingredients. This simplicity is something America has always lacked but Italy has always stood for.
In the words of the owners themselves...
“Our purpose in starting the business comes from the passion we share in celebrating the love we have for our Italian heritage shown through cooking. Our family's mission has always been centered around living a healthier lifestyle through the food we put into our bodies. Not only is granita something we cherish as it keeps us close to our Italian roots, but the creation process is something that aligns with our values as individuals. Our granita is made by hand and crafted with all-natural fruit and vegetables. Our mission for Caffe Alanno has always been to portray tradition with a farm-focused foundation, and the goal is always to provide a delicious and refreshing treat for all of our customers.”
