Who AC Retail Advisory is
We work alongside owners, CEOs and general managers in Retail & Food as a strategic partner — not an executor. We bring vision, method and analytical rigor to the decisions that drive growth.
Who we serve
We work alongside company leadership — owners, CEOs and general managers — of organizations operating in food retail (including restaurant chains), food industry and the hospitality sector:
- Food startups scaling up, often VC-backed, that must move from a validated idea to a structured, replicable organization.
- Restaurant chains and food formats in growth, looking to consolidate the model, structure processes and accelerate development.
- Food industry companies that sell — or want to start selling — to large-scale retail and hospitality, and are looking for a partner to structure and grow that channel.
We don't consult for large retailers: we advise the companies that work with them, from the supplier's side. We also support Venture Capital funds investing in food, alongside the management of their portfolio companies.
How we work
We are the strategic partner that sits at the table with ownership and management. Our value lies in the big-picture vision, the method and the rigor with which we read the numbers and steer decisions.
Peer to peer
We come from those who have led food businesses as CEOs. We speak the language of decision-makers, with the concreteness of someone who has owned the P&L.
Data-driven
Every recommendation rests on quantitative analysis: P&L, unit economics, management control. No improvisation.
Modular
We intervene where it truly matters, tailoring support to the company's stage and goals.
AI-powered advisory
We integrate artificial intelligence as a lever for analysis: we read P&L and management-control data faster and deeper, spot patterns and anomalies, and reach decisions with a stronger basis.
AI speeds up the work, but strategic judgment stays human — built on over twenty years leading food businesses. It's this combination, data and craft, that makes the difference.
Andrea Calistri
Founder & Strategic Advisor
Over twenty years as a CEO in Food Retail and organized foodservice, always with full P&L responsibility. He built retail networks from scratch, taking them to dozens of stores and tens of millions in revenue, and led a food group to the Financial Times FT 1000 recognition among Europe's fastest-growing companies.
Not a consultant who studied the industry, but a manager who led food businesses to the top of their markets. Today he puts that experience to work for owners, CEOs and general managers — from strategy to execution.
