"To us, biodiversity means fostering genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity with a clear purpose, i.e. to enable natural environments to maintain a stable and resilient balance over time. Biodiversity is our first ally because it helps soil fertility, pollination, climate regulation, and plant disease control, making our vegetables healthy and tasty," reports Mauro Mastrototaro, owner of the processing company of the same name founded in Apulia in the 1960s.
Mauro Mastrototaro
The care placed on the productions, from sowing to processing, is the strong point of Fratelli Mastrototaro Food. The company grows tomatoes, artichokes, aubergines, peppers, and courgettes and mainly markets premium processed products made in Apulia. The range also includes delicious pickles aubergines, mushrooms, peppers, artichokes, tomatoes, olives, and courgettes in oil, as well as antipasto biscegliese, a real explosion of flavour. The same vegetables are used to make fragrant pâtés, ideal for embellishing tables with tasty and colourful starters, and delicious side dishes.
"We process around 900 tonnes of vegetables every year, all from our own crops. On 17 March 2025, we started the first transplants of round tomatoes of the Gong F1 variety, an early and very productive hybrid able to fruit well even in case of high temperatures. The fruits, with a very bright red colour and high Brix level, have a good tolerance to splitting. The variety is therefore especially suitable for early production, and that is why we use it for the production of dehydrated and puréed tomatoes. We are also harvesting artichokes, which reach good prices on the fresh market. Temperatures should drop over the next few days, so harvesting may slow down. We also process artichokes for the high-end big retail trade as a premium product."
"Although we use modern technology, processes are artisanal, in fact, our products are fresh and not in brine, as they are processed a few hours after harvesting. The result is that, when eating one of our artichokes, for example, you can enjoy the same taste as if it had just been harvested."
"Our top products include our giardiniera, made with vegetables from the garden that are just blanched for a few seconds to maintain the fragrance and crispness of the ingredients: cauliflower, carrot, pepper, celery, and fennel, and borettana onion. The recipe is of paramount importance in artisanally processed products because there is a risk of the vegetables losing their flavour if they are not balanced with the liquid. The ingredients are processed fresh, just as they are harvested. They are cut by hand and processed separately given the different cooking times, which guarantees the crispness of the final product."
During an episode of the 'Boss in Incognito' TV show on Rai2, Mauro told a story of passion and dedication, highlighting the soul of Mastrototaro Food: a company that combines tradition and innovation, making the name of Bisceglie relevant on a national level. In the episode, Mauro - incognito, as the format requires - collaborated with some of his most experienced employees: Franco guided him in the fields, Gaia showed him how to prepare grilled peppers in oil, Ameer introduced him to the jarring of dried tomatoes, while Marianna and Giusy involved him in the creation of the colourful giardiniera and packaging. The experience was an opportunity to value the work of the employees and discover new ideas for improvement, in perfect harmony with the values of a company that never stops growing thanks to painstaking work.
"The added value of our productions is that they combine our two aspects: the farming one, which involves the respect for natural cycles, and that of a processor of products marketed in various high-end distribution platforms and specialised shops. Over the years, we have also conquered shares abroad, in Canada, Japan, Germany, and Switzerland."
For more information:
Mauro Mastrototaro
MastrototaroFood
Via S. Andrea 299
Bisceglie (BT) - Italy
+39 0803958604
+39 335 7277459
info@mastrototaro.org
www.mastrototaro.org