The food scientist asked an interesting question.
He wants to know if Italy and the Indonesian rainforests have in common. He replied with a smile.
Few of us would connect Italian ice cream with Indonesia's tropical forests, but that is about to change thanks to a nut that is little known outside of the Asian country.
The tree of the same name as the nut is native to the north and east of Indonesia.
The nuts, which can be more than 40 metres tall, are an excellent substitute for dairy.
He started a vegan ice cream brand called Nth Wonder.
After a successful launch of its ice cream in Indonesia, the firm now plans to export it to Singapore, Europe and the US.
It is also developing yogurt, cheese, and milk substitute.
"I think the Kenari is a hidden gem," says Mr. Giannuzzi. He says that as the nut grows on wild trees, it encourages the protection of rainforests instead of them being cut down to make way for oil palms.
The Kenari trees get all they need from the rain.
The eastern end of the Lesser Sunda Islands is where Mr. Giannuzzi's firm gets its Kenari from.
The trees in Alor produce the nuts all year long. They are usually 2.5 cm in length.
California produced over one million tons of almonds this year, so you wouldn't want to lift 16,000 tons.
Felix Kusmanto and Debby Amalia King are entrepreneurs.
East Forest Kenari Nuts has been selling dried nuts in Indonesia for the past six years. It will soon also ship to the UK and the EU.
It also comes from Alor Island.
According to Ms King, locals used to see kenari trees as having no economic value. We want to create a sustainable path for locals to walk into the rainforest to harvest Kenari.
We want to support education and educate the young people that this is a good chance to go back to your village. These are goals for a long time.
She wants to see the harvesting of the nuts remain based on wild trees and the planting of new trees in the seventh year.
Ms King does not want a mono-culture farm.
20 tons of dried Kenari are produced per month. The nuts are processed in a factory in Indonesia. unsalted and salted are both available, as well as additional flavours such as cinnamon and chocolate.
The Indonesian government and Kawanasi are working together to promote the nuts both inside and outside the country.
The pili and galip are two of the world's leading authorities on the kenari. The trees are native to the Philippines.
She believes that the commercial development of wild Kenari could benefit the indigenous people of the Indonesian rainforest.
She says that the nut has a lot of potential to benefit small farmers. "If we could commercialise more wild nuts from the rainforest, it would help to protect our rainforests and keep our food systems fresh."
She is hopeful that the creation of man-made farms will not happen.
The industry is helping to preserve the rainforest. It's something that would have to be carefully monitored because it could change in the future.
Nth Wonder sells a kenari paste that can be shipped around the world without the need for expensive refrigerated goods. Adding water, sugar and flavourings can be used to turn this paste into ice cream.
The technology is perfect for the business to approach and we sell ice cream directly to consumers. It's able to capture all the market opportunities.
He thinks that kenari products will be a hit with young people who care about the environment. He says the kenari is the right fit.
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