Gruppo Petti celebrates 100 years !

The high quality of Petti preserves reaches the milestone of its first 100 years.

“In our family, the passion for tomatoes has been passed down for 100 years, offering products that enhance the authentic flavor of Tuscan tradition.”

ONLY AND ALWAYS ITALIAN (AND TUSCAN) TOMATOES

From Tuscany to supermarket shelves:
A journey to discover a product born with a premium vocation, confirming its excellence on consumers’ plates.

Family Business and Excellence

Family-run businesses that become best practices are characterized by business objectives capable of lasting over time.

In the case of the Petti family, the goal has been clear from the beginning and has strengthened over the decades, reaching the milestone of 100 years in 2025:
producing tomato preserves with excellence and high-quality raw materials.

Currently, the family operates two separate companies:

• One specializes in the production of concentrates and private-label (PL) products for foreign markets.
• The other, Italian Food in Tuscany, focuses exclusively on the Petti brand and private-label production.

Timeline

1925
Antonio Petti, the first generation of the family, a descendant of an ancient landowning family from the Nocerino-Sarnese region, establishes the first production plant in Nocera Superiore (SA): Ditta Antonio Petti fu Pasquale.

1950
Pasquale, Antonio’s son, marries Maria Gambardella, who joins the company and becomes a key figure in production.
Over the next 20 years, the company becomes a European leader and one of the largest tomato producers worldwide.

1973
Antonio Petti, son of Maria and Pasquale, takes over the management of the Campania plant, introducing major innovations and transforming the company into S.p.A. (joint-stock company).
The family acquires the Venturina Terme (LI) production plant, which is named Italian Food S.p.A.

1990s

• Italian Food focuses on processing and packaging fresh tomato preserves.
• Meanwhile, Ditta Antonio Petti fu Pasquale shifts its production model, specializing in tomato concentrate in cans and passata in cartons for export.

2005

The fourth generation joins the company: Pasquale Petti works alongside his grandmother Maria in managing Italian Food in Tuscany and transforms it into an independent industrial reality. 

2013 

Italian Food launches a line of high-quality canned tomato products under the family brand, the first in Italy made from Tuscan tomatoes. At the same time, in Campania, Veronica begins assisting her father Antonio in managing the company in Nocera Superiore. 

2025

The Petti Group celebrates 100 years; the family shares joy and satisfaction for this important anniversary with all employees, customers, and partners. 

A COMMITMENT TO QUALITY

Using exclusively Italian and Tuscan tomatoes, Italian Food is led by Pasquale Petti, representing the fourth generation.

This company has focused on key values that have made its brand stand out on store shelves:

• A premium market positioning
• Distinctive packaging
• Targeting markets receptive to high-quality products
• Combining tradition and innovation
• Strong ties with the Val di Cornia region (Livorno province) and its community

LOW-TEMPERATURE PROCESSING

To ensure the best flavor in its passata and other products, Petti has implemented low-temperature processing.

This method innovates the traditional homemade preserve-making process, preserving the taste and color of freshly harvested tomatoes.

At the Venturina Terme plant, 13 production lines are dedicated to tomato processing:
“Last year, we processed 80,000 tons of fresh tomatoes, a record that makes us the largest tomato processing plant in Tuscany in terms of fresh raw material processed.”