Behind the Brand: Welcoming Berberè Pizzeria to St Christopher’s Place

This August, the Behind the Brand series shines a spotlight on an exciting new neighbour at St Christopher’s Place - Berberè Pizzeria, now open on James Street. Known for their unique living sourdough and expertly crafted pizzas, Berberè is a fantastic addition to the square’s ever-evolving culinary scene.

The team sat down with Matteo and Salvatore, the brothers behind Berberè, to learn more about the story and inspiration behind their pizzeria.

1. Berberè is known for its slow fermented dough and organic ingredients. Why was it important to build the brand on these principles?

We have always been driven by the desire to create a quality product. Thanks to the mother yeast and the slow fermentation process we have a dough that has more flavor and a totally unique texture (crispy on the outside and soft on the inside). It defines the flavour and texture of our pizza which can only be described as ‘Berberè style’. Also our pizza is very easy to digest and means you don’t get that heavy feeling that often comes with eating a pizza; we choose ingredients from producers who share the same values as us, products that perfectly compliment the pizza base.

2. Opening a restaurant in a new country can come with challenges. How have you approached adapting the Berberè experience for London if at all?

The pizza market is the same across the world: people who are looking for an accessible and casual dining experience with food that warms the soul. Our aim in both Italy and London is to offer a great product, served with care and attention to detail in a beautifully designed environment. London is a very competitive market which teaches us to always perform at the highest standard possible, from the preparation of the dough to serving customers. All of our pizzaiolo are extensively trained under our Head Chef, where they are taught how to look after our live sourdough starter (we feed ours twice daily in every single one of our pizzerias). A fun fact is that we often import ideas from London, sometimes are successful (like our crust dippers), sometimes less so (like our garlic bread, which was a best seller in the UK but wasn’t popular in Italy as it was ‘too garlicky’.

3. You’ve created a recognisable and consistent brand across cities. How do you ensure that every Berberè location feels authentic but locally rooted?

Something that has always been really important for us is to be genuine and make Berberè feel like your neighbourhood pizzeria, with this in mind we always respect the building and the history behind it, adapting the design so that it has the same soul as other Berberè’s but ensuring they are always different and site specific. At the same time, we try to connect with the neighbourhood both via community activities or by getting our team in local events.

4. What’s something that diners rarely see but which plays a key role in delivering the Berberè experience every day?
The care and attention of all of the staff - from the pizzaioli who create a top quality dough, the product team who hand-select the ingredients to the front of house team who offer a warm welcome to everyone on arrival. There is a lot of work that goes into refreshing mother yeast and maintaining an artisanal product across numerous sites, alongside the research that goes into sourcing our ingredients. We are the only pizzeria in the UK that uses organic type 1 flour, something we import from our supplier in Emilia Romagna. We source our mozzarella from a family-run business in Naples, our natural wine list is created in collaboration with a few small wine suppliers, such as Passione Vino – it’s fundamental to us to work with independent small suppliers that care as much about their product as we do! Smaller, independent suppliers cost much more than standard market prices but we intentionally maintain prices which are accessible, although it means slightly lower margins today, it means a stronger business which can last decades.

Another thing that really adds to the Berberè experience is our radio station, Pizza or Vinyl, which is programmed by a DJ and plays the same music in all of our pizzerias – lunchtime on a Monday should have a very different vibe to a Saturday evening at 9pm!

5. How do you foster creativity and passion among your team, especially across different countries and cultures?

We want Berberè to be a welcoming space for both our clients and our team (we have over 400 staff from over 40 countries)! We try to organise regular get togethers between store managers and head chefs so we can exchange ideas and feedback, we organise an annual, anonymous survey which encourages all staff to tell us how they feel about absolutely everything, then we (the founders) visit each pizzeria to discuss with the teams about the survey. We learn a lot from our teams. And we make sure to hire people who share our passion for creating a genuine brand together.

6. Has there been a particular moment in the Berberè journey that still sticks with you today? A story, a reaction, or a turning point?

We didn’t start out as a pizzeria but as a restaurant which also made pizza, over time our offering evolved to be only pizza as we realised that was what the customers were coming for. Fundamentally, quite early on in our journey we realised it’s impossible to please everyone and our unique approach to certain things didn’t appeal to everyone but it’s also what brings certain people to us - for example it’s very unusual for a pizzeria not to stock Coca Cola and people have even tried to smuggle it in in the past!

Something that’s also quite incredible is that some of our customers have been coming to us since we opened our first location in a small shopping centre just outside of Bologna and their kids who used to eat with them are now at university! It’s a wonderful thing to realise that something that you created has been a part of a family’s life for so long. From an Operations POV a major turning point was our third opening in the city Florence (our first outside of Bologna). It was when we realised that the business was growing and we needed to give the team tools and trust them - it was when we started to create training plans, manuals, reports etc.

7. As you look ahead, what’s one ambition or goal you’re excited about for the St Christopher’s Place location or the wider brand?

Becoming a reference point for pizza in London (and maybe one day the UK!) – as a brand Berberè is well-known in Italy and it would be great if we could become a household name in Britain as well. The London team and the team in Italy who support all their work deserve it!

8. And finally, what’s your personal comfort dish after a long day?

Salva – When not pizza, pasta!
Matteo – Fried chicken and a tomato salad!

Berberè’s journey is a testament to passion, authenticity, and dedication to quality. From their unique living sourdough to their commitment to working with independent suppliers, Matteo and Salvatore have built a brand that not only honours tradition but also embraces innovation and community. As they settle into their new home at St Christopher’s Place, their ambition to become a beloved pizza destination in London is clear - and their story is just beginning.

Watch the video here to hear directly from Matteo and Salvatore and discover what makes Berberè truly special.