The Story of AR Accessories
Born in the historic coastal town of Balestrate, Sicily, and flourishing across the Atlantic to Mahwah, New Jersey.
The journey of AR Accessories began in Sicily with founder Gioacchino Passalacqua. Immersed in the rich agricultural and culinary traditions of southern Italy, Gioacchino witnessed a recurring challenge: brilliant family-run producers who made extraordinary pasta, oils, honeys, and preserves were entirely absent from global shelves because the maze of international food regulations was insurmountable for small businesses.
Rather than allowing these gems to remain hidden, Gioacchino established AR Accessories with a singular mission: to discover small, family-owned, non-industrial realities and take them literally by hand into the world of international trade.
In 2016, a critical expansion took place. Gioacchino joined forces with Angelo Competiello, combining their deep culinary roots and executive trade expertise to establish AR Accessories USA. With an import and distribution warehouse platform located in Mahwah, New Jersey, AR Accessories eliminated intermediaries, allowing American restaurants, specialty grocers, and food lovers to access artisanal goods directly with total quality assurance.
Balestrate, Sicily
Our Italian headquarters oversees producer scouting, quality audits, regulatory certification, and luxury travel coordination along the Mediterranean coast.
Mahwah, New Jersey
Our US distribution hub manages customs clearance, cold-chain storage, rapid fulfillment, and client partnerships across all fifty states.