#209: Betting Big on America After 60 Years in Italy

In this episode, Jason sits down with Matteo Sarnari, Business Development lead for the Americas at Clementoni, an Italian toy and game company that has been designing puzzles, board games, and educational toys since 1963. Matteo pulls back the curtain on why a company with 700 employees and more than 8,000 SKUs waited six decades to make a serious push into the US, and how that timing collided head-on with the 2025 tariff shakeup. He shares what it took to open a new showroom in El Segundo, why thinking like a European brand is the easiest mistake a newcomer can make, and how US and European toy buyers actually differ. If you have ever wondered what it takes for an established international brand to start over in a brand-new market, this conversation is for you.