antonella mundo shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi antonella, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Right now, my days are built around execution. I wake up at 5:30 AM and start working immediately—emails, payments, operational decisions. By 6, I’m already out of the house. There’s no real separation between planning and doing, because at this stage I have to handle both at the same time.
Production is the core of the business. In the kitchen, I organize the workflow based on volume, optimize processes, and maintain consistent standards across every product. It’s not just about cooking—it’s about building a system that can scale. I usually work until 6 or 7 PM, often making real-time decisions on costs, logistics, and priorities.
In the evening, I go back home to my son and spend some time with him, but the reality is that every day is a direct investment in building the company.
It’s not an easy routine, but that’s not the point. I’m building something solid, and that requires discipline, speed, and the ability to adapt quickly. At this stage, every single day matters.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
“Too busy to cook” has always been my mantra. I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was 21, and at the peak of my career in Italy, everything I had built collapsed. About four years ago, I found myself at the center of a major situation that forced me to start over—from scratch, and far away.
I’ve always been a businesswoman. I never had a passion for cooking, and despite eating out often, I never had the time—or the mindset—to prepare meals for myself. I was always too focused on building, growing, and working.
When I decided to move to California and build a ready-meal brand, people thought I was crazy. I didn’t speak English, I had limited financial resources, and I was entering a completely new market. But I wasn’t chasing a passion—I was solving a problem I knew very well.
Today, I’m building what I believe is a new model: high-quality, organic, ready-to-eat Italian meals designed for people who don’t have time to cook but still want to eat well. It’s not about convenience alone—it’s about redefining what “fast food” can be.
Too busy to cook? Me too. Choose FaBene.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Early in my career, when I started working for a major telecommunications company in Italy, I met Rossella, a sales manager who had a strong impact on me.
At that time, I didn’t fully see my own potential. I was just focused on working and doing my job. She was the first person who recognized something more—she saw leadership in me before I could see it myself.
She trained me, pushed me, and most importantly, helped me build confidence. In just a few months, I went from being the newest agent to managing an entire new sales office. That shift completely changed how I saw myself.
That experience shaped the way I approach everything today. I learned that potential is often invisible until someone challenges you to step into it. And once you see it, you can’t go back.
It’s the same mindset I brought with me when I decided to start over in a new country and build a business in an industry I had never worked in before.
When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
Honestly, no one.
I had a complex childhood, marked by absence, loneliness, and difficult experiences. I grew up without a real support system, and very early on I understood that I couldn’t rely on anyone else to carry me through.
Over time, that became one of the most important lessons of my life: no one is coming to save you. At some point, you have to decide to stand up for yourself and take responsibility for your own direction.
It’s not an easy mindset, but it builds something very strong—resilience, independence, and the ability to move forward even when there’s no clear path.
That’s the same mindset I bring into everything I do today.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, it is—and that’s exactly why I can sometimes be uncomfortable.
I’m not able to say things just because they are popular or aligned with what social media wants to hear. I’ve never been interested in being politically correct if it means not being honest.
That approach has had consequences, and I’ve paid for it. But I’ve also learned that authenticity is non-negotiable. If you start shaping your voice to fit expectations, you lose clarity—and without clarity, you can’t build anything meaningful.
So what people see publicly is exactly who I am: direct, independent, and focused on what I believe is right, not what is easy to say.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Absolutely, yes.
I don’t rely on external validation. I’ve learned to work, build, and move forward without needing recognition or praise. In fact, I’ve always found it difficult even to give compliments, because I tend to focus on what needs to be improved rather than what’s already been done.
For me, the standard comes from within. If something isn’t at the level I expect, I keep pushing until it is—regardless of whether anyone notices or not.
That mindset has been essential in my journey. When you’re building something from nothing, especially in a new country and in a completely new industry, you can’t depend on feedback or approval. You have to trust your own direction and stay consistent.
In the end, it’s not about being recognized. It’s about building something that works.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fabene.us
- Instagram: fabene.us
