About us

My name is Robert Campana and I am the founder of Stop Italian Sounding ® (SIS). We tell the story of Italian food and beverage products on social media platforms by creating awareness on the differences between real and Italian sounding food & beverage products. Through business partnerships, we are dedicated to helping to create the brand identity of Italian food/beverage companies by promoting authentic Italian food products and beverages through influencer marketing services on the leading social media pages, through affiliate marketing, and by organising educational seminars or workshops.

The idea of Stop Italian Sounding ® was born during my time getting a Master at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano. Having developed a thesis on the “Economic Impact of Italian Sounding Cheeses in the US,” I realised that it was a good idea to start educating the consumer on how to recognize real Italian products.

SIS was first created on Instagram, and then eventually spread to other social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

Our mission

Our mission is to teach about the differences between real and Italian sounding food & beverages products by emphasising the following values: history, tradition, and craftmanship. This is done through social media content creation, organizing seminars, participating in events, and establishing partnerships with companies in the Italian F&B sector.

What does “Italian sounding” mean?

An Italian sounding product induces the consumer into erroneously associating the local product with the Italian one. This is done through the use of words, colors, images, and geographical references. These products are not technically illegal as they do not typically damage the intellectual property in the country where they are sold. The economic value of this phenomenon is about €100 billion (USD $121 billion) on a world wide scale.

Why does spreading awareness matter?

Spreading awareness matters because it helps to protect the consumer. Behind many Italian products, there is much more than just simple ingredients; there is tradition, history, and craftsmanship. A knowledgeable consumer is a happier one.

Furthermore, spreading awareness is important because most Italian sounding products are imitations of protected Italian products. From the Italian point of view, this is damaging to not only Italy’s image, but also to the small and medium producers.