Vincenzo and Angelo Zaurrini opened this Little Italy landmark on Saint-Laurent in 1954, betting that Montreal's Italian community wanted more than what local grocers were stocking. The first thing the brothers imported was radicchio, which accounts for the "fruiterie" in a name that now covers considerably more ground: a cheese counter, charcuterie, butcher, bakery and produce section, a Cucina counter turning out fresh pasta and prepared dishes, and aisles of imported oils, vinegars and coffee, much of it DOP and IGP certified.

The storefront measured 15 feet wide at the outset and grew through eleven expansions into neighbouring spaces. Vincenzo's children, Celia and Mario, took over in 2011 and rebuilt the store after a fire in 2016.