This Granny Is A ‘Knight’ & She Sells Italian Goodies, Including $250 Moschino Panettone In S’pore
Sip free coffee with Italian ‘knight’ Dottoressa Giuseppina at her showroom, which offers gourmet Italian treats like X’mas panettone from $35 to $250 for a branded Moschino loaf coated in edible gold.
Where do Italian expats in Singapore go when they want to eat cookies, chocolates and Christmas panettone from artisanal brands in Italy that aren’t common here? To the second floor of a nondescript shophouse on Duxton Road. Jupiter 57, a heritage Italian food importer, has been a fave of the community — as well as Singaporeans keen on Italian culture — for 20 years. It is owned by Italian mum-and-son duo Dottoressa Giuseppina (who goes by Aunty Giusy), 67, and Jahan Rezai, 36. They offer a curated array of Italian confectioneries, olive oils and wines, including a whopping 70 types of panettone ranging from $35 to $250 during the Christmas season. While most of the panettone is sold out now, there are still a few up for grabs.
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Owner has been knighted
Aunty Giusy first set up Jupiter 57 (which she named after her astrology house and birth year) in 2004, when she and her family relocated to Singapore because of her husband’s job as a structural engineer. At the time, the genial lady who hails from a small town near Venice, couldn’t find good panettone in Singapore. This inspired her to import the confection directly from Italy. Since then, her small biz has grown to become one of Singapore’s largest importers of Italian goods — they supply items to five-star hotels like Shangri-La and Conrad.
As she’s super active in the Italian community in Singapore, Aunty Giusy received a knighthood (she holds the title of a Cavaliere) from the Italian president in 2009 for promoting Italian culture overseas. “Our culture and products are now known wherever we are in Southeast Asia, including Singapore. Because we came out of Italy, it’s important to give back to our country,” she explains enthusiastically.
Cosy shophouse at Duxton with free Italian coffee
At Jupiter 57, the highlight for customers is its quaint shophouse setting at Duxton. A cosy, homey space where patrons can shop for Italian products off the shelves, while sipping a complimentary cup of coffee (you can also buy the Bialetti brand of beans home) and having a chat with Aunty Giusy and Jahan.
Jahan officially joined his mum’s business in 2020, after shutting down his biz consultancy (he used to represent smaller Italian brands in the SEA market) to focus on Jupiter 57 full-time.
He tells us their Duxton space is often mistaken for a cafe, though it’s more of a casual showroom for customers to view their products. “It’s not a cafe, it’s not a restaurant, people don’t sit down and get charged a bill. It’s a showroom, and when we have guests over, we offer them a free coffee. It’s a rare concept – you can come in and have a nice cup of Italian coffee and learn about our food, not necessarily having to buy anything. We like to keep that casual vibe,” Jahan explains. Customers get to taste samples of certain snacks, too.
During the off-peak season, Jahan says some folks lounge there for hours, chatting with the duo about Italian culture. “It’s amazing the range of customers we see – from the casual aunty or uncle, to the corporate customer in a suit,” he laughs.
Panettone from $35
For their festive panettone, they offer options from a more economically priced $35 panettone from Italian confectioner Borsari (unfortunately sold out just as we published this story), to an ultra luxurious $250 Moschino panettone. The Italian fashion house collaborated with top pastry brand Martesana from Milan to produce the glamorous loaf.
What’s in a $250 panettone?
Who on earth buys $250 bread? According to Jahan, it’s more common than you might think: “Panettones are usually purchased as a gift. So when someone wants to give a nice gift, then as with any gift, they’ll decide how much they want to spend, whether it’s $50 or $200. So it doesn’t really have a specific customer profile,” he says.
Moschino Panettone, $250
True to the brand’s signature golden logo, its panettone is studded with hazelnuts, candied oranges and raisins, with its entire dome cloaked in white chocolate glaze blended with edible gold for a mega luxe gleam. It’s packed in a posh Moschino collector’s gift box. Its partner bakery, Martesana, is a heritage bakery founded in1966. It won a bronze medal in the World Pastry Championship in 2023.
Dolce & Gabbana Panettone with spray bottle of wine, $190
If you’re looking to get your hands on Jupiter 57’s panettone, head down ASAP. The showroom is set to close for the Christmas season from 21 December. They will reopen in January, though the exact date hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Jahan says only limited stocks of their Moschino Gold ($250) are left. Those looking for a 'cheaper' fashion brand alternative can try the Dolce & Gabbana Panettone, currently available in either Sicilian Almond ($138) or Wine Spray ($190) flavours. The latter comes with a bottle of Vecchio Samperi wine spray that you’re supposed to spritz onto the panettone. Fancy. D&G collaborated with Fiasconaro, a famous Sicilian bakery founded in the 1950s.
Look out for CNY-friendly offerings
If you miss their Christmas collection, there’s always Chinese New Year. Jupiter 57 will soon offer gourmet Italian goodies that can be gifted during CNY. Jahan tells us to look out for their assortment of fine chocolate-dipped clementines from Italy’s oldest confectioner Romanengo, which will come in traditional hand-crafted wooden boxes (from $90 to $160).
Jupiter 57’s showroom is at 34A Duxton Rd, S089498. Open daily 11am - 7pm. Closed from 21 Dec - Jan (date TBC). Tel: 9137 6564. More info via website and Instagram.
Photos: Glyn Seah, Jupiter 57
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