When you see a bottle of S.Pellegrino or Acqua Panna on your table at a fine-dining restaurant, the invisible hands that brought it there are from Clearworld Suppliers. When a chef is seeking out premium Italian ingredients, such as Caputo flour, Colavita pasta and olive oil, Ciao Authentic Italian tomatoes or silky Carnaroli risotto rice, it’s to Clearworld they turn. As specialist importers from Italy to South Africa, they are a vital behind-the-scenes partner in our restaurant and hospitality world. 

It all started with founder and CEO Philip Abrahamson’s love for Italy and its food culture. “From a young age, I’ve been very connected to Italy in terms of friends and family,” he says. “The Italian way of getting together around a table, of cooking being the focus of any gathering, just felt right. There’s an inextricable connection between family, food and wine.” 

Clearworld’s first break came soon after they launched in 2012 when they became a distribution partner supplying S.Pellegrino to retail stores in South Africa. “Other companies were then supplying the restaurant trade but weren’t interested in the challenge of getting those 500ml plastic bottles into the retail sector. I was the only idiot to take it on! But with hard work and persistence, we made it happen.” 

Philip avoids trade shows when sourcing new Italian products for Clearworld customers and for their own Italian Deli Online. “When I’m travelling to different cities in Italy, I look around in restaurants, hotels, boutique stores or small supermarkets. It’s about being more niche and very selective in the products that you choose.”  

From bringing the finer things in Italian life to South African chefs and retailers, in 2021 Clearworld got the chance to complete the circle, connecting young chefs with the global gastronomic community. Taking over as sole distributor in South Africa of S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna to the restaurant and hospitality sector meant that Clearworld became a pivotal player in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy competition.  

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Clearworld Suppliers South Africa (@clearworldsa)

“There is so much young talent in the country. Playing a part in introducing the world of global gastronomy to young people, who might never otherwise get to compete on a world stage,is tremendously exciting,” says Philip. The biannual competition is open to chefs under 30 who have been working in a professional kitchen for at least a year. The winner of the regional final competes in the Grand Finale in Milan, meeting iconic chefs such as Massimo Bottura, and making career-changing connections with chefs worldwide. “S.Pellegrino is not just a water, it’s about becoming a part of a whole global community,” he adds. 

Now, taking an active role in the future of the hospitality world has become part of Clearworld’s mission. They fund scholarships with the Sommeliers Academy each year, which are open to young people working in restaurants who want to uplift themselves. Scullers who dream of becoming bartenders and waitstaff who aspire to being sommeliers can take their next steps in their career.

From Italy to South Africa, from South Africa to the world, for Clearworld, good food is at the heart of authentic connection and community. 

For more information on Clearworld Suppliers, visit their website: www.clearworld.co.za and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.