Pitango Gelato, a Maryland restaurant group that focuses on artisanal Italian gelato and sorbet, foods and baked goods, has appointed Dinah Bengur as CEO.
Bengur has extensive experience in strategic development and business operations from her tenure at Bengur Bryan & Co., an investment banking firm. Since January, Bengur has ledPitango’s strategic reorganization during the post-covid period.
“Dinah is the right leader for Pitango,” said company founder Noah Dan. “Her experience in finance, franchising, and business development, will strengthen Pitango’sgrowth in the years ahead.”
“I am very excited to be leading the Pitango team as we begin to look to national growth opportunities,” said Bengur. “Pitango has a talented management team that positions it to navigate the changing environment. Combined with Pitango’s unwavering commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, and strong brand loyalty, the company has a unique value that will enable it to grow in existing and new markets.”
Pitango launched in 2006 with a manufacturing facility on a Lancaster, PA, farm and a single retail location in Baltimore’s Fells Point. Today, it has five gelato and coffee shops across Baltimore, Washington, DC, and Virginia; a bakery in Baltimore, MD; and a production facility in Baltimore County, MD, all of which are company-owned. Pitango places an emphasis on authentic, high-end ingredients to create simple and natural comfort flavors, without preservatives or artificial ingredients. “Consumer fatigue with industrial products, novelties and marketing gimmicks creates a real opportunity for Pitango to expand its authentic, natural products across a larger consumer base,”said Dan. “It’s a niche market, but growing.”
Dinah Bengur received a Bachelors degree in French at Colby College and a Masters in International Relations and International Economicsat Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). At Bengur Bryan she focused on retail and consumer banking and worked as a financial manager for two franchise companies.
