Sunny & Luna is expanding beyond pasta and gnocchi for the first time with the launch of a three-strong range of fresh Italian sauces. The female-founded challenger brand is marking the next stage in its ambition to build a modern Italian food business.
Made in Veneto, Italy, the new range comprises Aubergine & Salted Ricotta Tomato Sauce, a rich tomato sauce with aubergine and salted ricotta, Sundried Tomato Pesto, a plant-based pesto made with sundried tomatoes, and Courgette & Pistachio Pesto, a fresh green pesto made with courgette, pistachio and basil.
Inspired by classic Italian recipes and reimagined for modern mealtimes, the sauces are made with simple, recognisable ingredients and contain no preservatives, added sugar or seed oils. Designed to complement the brand’s fresh pasta and gnocchi range, the products offer consumers a complete Italian meal solution in minutes.
The launch marks the next stage in the evolution of the independently owned UK-based challenger brand, whose mission is to evolve Italian food for modern life by combining the taste and simplicity of traditional Italian cooking with improved nutrition and convenience.
Two products, Aubergine & Salted Ricotta Tomato Sauce and Sundried Tomato Pesto, will launch in 300 Sainsbury’s stores nationwide from 16 September. The full three-product range is also scheduled to launch on Ocado in October, including the Courgette & Pistachio Pesto.
Founded in September 2022 by Milan-born entrepreneur and former fashion model Giulia Berretti, Sunny & Luna was inspired by the Italian food she grew up with and a belief that it could evolve to better suit modern lifestyles and eating habits.
After training as a nutrition coach, Berretti developed the concept behind Sunny & Luna, focusing on adapting familiar Italian staples with more vegetables, simple ingredients and everyday convenience.
The brand first applied that philosophy to pasta and gnocchi. Its gnocchi is made with more than 50% vegetables and provides one of the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day per serving, while its Lentil Tagliatelle is high in protein and fibre. The move into sauces extends the same approach into a second category while broadening the brand’s presence within the fresh pasta fixture.
“When we launched our pasta and gnocchi range, we wanted to prove that Italian food could be better for you without losing the reasons people love it,” said Ms Beretti. “Convenience and quality have been treated as opposites for too long, and that is the gap Sunny & Luna was built to close.
“Pasta and gnocchi were our starting point; sauces are the natural next step, allowing us to offer the complete meal around the same principles of great ingredients, better nutrition and genuine convenience.”
The range has expanded to eight products and has received recognition through awards including Great Taste Awards, Nourish Gold, Nourish Innovation and Vegan Choice.
Sunny & Luna is also part of the Buy Women Built community and supports initiatives focused on female entrepreneurship, accessible healthy eating and better food choices for families.
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