The story of Attilio Mastromauro and his family is inextricably intertwined with the history of the Granoro pasta factory, which spans the entire 20th century up to the present day.
1900
1900: The Beginnings
Leonardo Mastromauro, Attilio’s father, started a proto-industrial pasta production plant.
The driving force? A donkey. The drive shafts were real tree trunks. The dough followed rhythmic, dancing rhythms. Attilio, fascinated and intrigued at six years old, was often at his fatherās side.
In the first post-war period, the process of industrialization of production activities, which had characterised the years preceding the First World War, suffered a setback.
1921
1921: Corato - New York
In 1921, Attilio’s Dad, Leonardo, thought he could build a big pasta factory on the other side of the ocean. Little Attilio and his whole family set sail aboard the āGuglielmo Pierceā to discover the new world. America was a promise, it was immense, and Attilio grrew up with a strong sense of responsibility.
In 1925: the decision to return to Italy. First, Attilio’s father, Leonardo, returned to assess the feasibility of his dream, that of building his Pasta Factory in Puglia, in Corato, the same dream that, years before, had pushed him to move to America.
In 1929: The return of the whole family to Italy and the introduction of the internal combustion engine into industry.
Pasta was popular, there was great demand and in 1936 the application of the internal combustion engine in industry made it stable and controllable so as to obtain constantly high-quality pasta.
1950
The 1950s
In the second post-war period, Italy started up again. The Mastromauro family and Attilio were not caught unprepared. The pasta factory expanded, systems with new technologies for the production of pasta were installed. Attention to detail was central to Attilio Mastromauro’s vision. To the pain of losing his father Leonardo, Attilio contrasted the joy of his marriage to Chiara and the birth of their daughters Marina and Daniela.
1967
The turning point came in 1967: Granoro was born
Attilio strongly wanted to create a pasta factory that reflected his thoughts and intentions, that would produce quality pasta with the technological innovations he created. With the support of Chiara, on January 21, 1967, in the presence of the Prime Minister Aldo Moro, he inaugurated his pasta factory: Granoro.
Modern production facilities, two production lines, no hesitation. The challenge to move towards innovation and investment in the future of those who know they were taking a leap into the dark, but believed in themselves and their people from Puglia. Two years later, other warehouses were added to the first, the company grew without losing the imprinting of a large family, which lived among extraordinarily modern machinery and layouts.
āI, Attilio says about himself, feel like a very inventive thinker and I believe that this has been, and is, my strengthā
āI feel like I'm just a very inventive thinker and I believe that this has been, and is, my strengthā
1970
The renovation of the facilities
In 1970, the plant was expanded further, with more investments to renovate the production facilities and install new lines for the production of pasta and Special Shapes, such as semolina and egg nests. In 1972, a new production line for short pasta was added.
In those years, the factory was equipped with a modern packaging system that speeded up the packing process.
The first advertising campaigns
Starting in the early 1970s, Granoro invested in communication, creating its first advertising campaigns. Attilio and Chiara worked together to handle the plantās image, as well as personally overseeing production, meticulously controlling its quality. Production, which initially reached 50 quintals a day, soon reached 700 quintals a day.
1980
The 1980s: Granoro in a female form
Female figures are decisive in the history of Granoro. Not only Chiara, Attilio’s wife, but also Marina and Daniela Mastromauro, after obtaining a university degree, joined the company. A “pink” trait that accentuated the pasta factory’s care and attention to detail.
1984: Two new production lines were added
In 1984, the old systems still present in the factory were dismantled and two new lines were installed.
1990
The 1990s: Quality and attention to the consumer
Years of hard work and great satisfaction. The awards came one after another: Market Espresso, Pratica, Corriere della Sera and other press outlets recognised the brand as a guarantee of excellence. Attilio and Chiara were now joined by their daughters, Marina and Daniela.[Ritorno a capo del testo]āā¦The best ever. Perfect cooking time, ideal consistency, excellent level of stickiness, exquisite flavour, good porosity and just the right colourā¦ā ā Pratica, Feb. 1993. The companyās plans focused on very specific standards and this resulted in quality certifications such as ISO, EMAS, IFS, BRC, etc., while attention was increasingly being paid to the Mediterranean diet as an example of healthiness and nutritional completeness..
1992: renovation of the production systems
In 1992, the short pasta production plants were renovated with high-tech lines, which were extremely advanced for the time. āWhen starting up the new production plant,ā Attilio Mastromauro himself recalled in an interview, āI found that the pasta, after drying, was a little dark and did not have a straw-yellow colour as per the supply contract. [ā¦] I suggested that the owner, who was a mechanical engineer, and his four engineers should modify the design of their plant by adopting the improvements I had studied: the results were excellent because the pasta returned to a bright colour.ā
1998: BioGranoro produced with 100% organic wheat
The culture of healthy eating has always been the foundation of the deepest ethical principles and values of Pastificio Granoro. The company’s efforts in seeking new production technologies have never lost sight of the cardinal principle of all company production: offering consumers quality products for a healthy diet.
2000
New Millennium: the internationalization of Granoro
From Corato, Granoro pasta explores the world: in recent years, exports have increased to Brazil, Australia, Canada, the USA, Japan, China, as well as throughout Europe.
Ready-to-Use Sauces
In the early 2000s, Granoro lines were enriched with ready-made sauces. A quick, practical and tasty way to enhance pasta, produced with tomatoes and vegetables grown in Italy and processed fresh within a few hours of harvesting, to guarantee intense quality and flavour.
2003
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and āLe SpecialitĆ di Attilio"
The Granoro Bio EVO Oil came to life, a blend obtained from āCoratinaā olives (a typical cultivar from the hinterland of Corato, the companyās headquarters) and Ogliarola. The olives are hand-picked, pressed with stone mills and the oil is cold-extracted.[Ritorno a capo del testo]In the same year, the “Le SpecialitĆ di Attilio” (Attilioās Specialities) line was created, dedicated to the founder of the pasta factory. A prestigious line and pasta shapes with rough extrusion, produced with superior quality durum wheat semolina with 14.50% protein. “Le SpecialitĆ di Attilio” are especially highly-appreciated by haute cuisine.
2007
Bonds with the land: legumes
The Granoro catalogue was enhanced with the addition of legumes chosen and selected for their flavour, uniformity of colour, size and ripeness. Boiled naturally, they are lightly salted, with a salt content of less than 1%.
2010
A matter of the heart
In the wake of the attention to health and a healthy diet and the collaboration with research institutes, in 2010 the Cuore Mio Bio line was born, produced by mixing raw materials grown 100% from organic farming in Italy: quality durum wheat semolina with flour from a special cultivar of barley, with a high content of betaglucan, a soluble fibre that helps reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood.
2010 2012
A two-year period devoted to making a dream come true
The Granoro Dedicato line āDedicated to our land"
Granoro Dedicato is the fruit of long, hard work, a journey made of people, who together have shared ideas and visions, committed themselves and worked towards a common goal: to produce durum wheat of the highest quality from which to obtain an excellent and completely-Apulian pasta, from the field to the table.
Our tradition is closely linked to the territory. With the Dedicato project we want to contribute to strengthening a direct bond between farmers and consumers, based on the sharing of values such as respect for the environment, the recovery of tradition, the authenticity of products from Puglia.
2013
Wholemeal Bio line
The attention to respecting good nutrition is reaffirmed with the advent of organic wholemeal pasta, produced with only Italian wheat, stone-husked, ground whole and with wheat germ.
2014
Gold Seal for Attilio Mastromauro
For his constant pursuit of product and process innovation, Attilio Mastromauro received the Golden Seal from the University of Bari in May 2014.
Research pays off
The results of the research begun in 2012, funded by Granoro and carried out by the Institute of Life Sciences of the Scuola Superiore SantāAnna in Pisa with the aim of thoroughly investigating the functional properties of pasta enriched with barley beta-glucans were presented at the Congress of the European Society of Cardiology in Barcelona and then in the scientific journal āJournal of Cellular and Molecular Medicineā. The contribution of beta-glucans is good for the heart.
2015
"Due minuti" spaghetti
In 2015, 2 Minuti spaghetti was launched, an extrusion process patented by Granoro, to obtain a pasta format, Spaghetti, with a completely original cross-section.
GOODBYE DON ATTILIO
Attilio Mastromauro, founder and soul of Pastificio Granoro, passed away
On June 16, 2015, at the age of 102, Attilio Mastromauro, founder and soul of Pastificio Granoro, passed away. A life devoted to pasta, on which his company ā now managed by his daughters Marina and Daniela ā has carried out important research, favouring local raw materials. The goal: to obtain a kind of pasta that holds its shape when cooked and that brings all the flavour of Puglia to the dishes.
āThe legacy I leave to young people is the exhortation to think and reflect, as I have done since I was a boy, because only by exercising these two faculties of the mind can you obtain results and continuous improvements in life as in work. Only through the freedom of thinking can you create projects. To young people I say: think and cultivate your passionsā.
2016
The Granoro White Line was enriched with new additions
In 2016, Granoro expanded its range of flours with the Type ā1ā flour and the multi-cereal preparation with natural sourdough. Today, the range also includes 100% Puglia flours.
2017
Granoro turned 50
In the presence of the member of parliament Maria Fida Moro, daughter of the then Prime Minister Aldo Moro, who inaugurated the Pasta Factory, on January 21, 2017 Granoro celebrated its 50th anniversary.[Ritorno a capo del testo]A prestigious milestone, which relaunches future challenges.
2018
First paper pack
First pasta factory in Italy to produce Organic Pasta in 1998 and first to choose recyclable packaging in PAPER in 2018
2022
A new look
On the occasion of its tenth anniversary, the 100% Apulian wheat pasta, Granoro Dedicato, renewed its image. The new packaging, in its graphic choice, describes the Granoro world, full of values and history, which finds its complete fulfillment in the Dedicato project, the first Italian certified supply chain pasta, created to enhance the durum wheat grown in Puglia and support Apulian cereal farming.
At the heart of the company’s commitment are respect for and appreciation of the work of all the people who contribute to achieving the excellent quality of Granoro products.
The new image of Granoro Dedicato passes through here, it is a hymn to Puglia, with a stylish look, inspired by the colours and warmth of the Apulian land and with a package made with materials selected in respect of the environment and sustainability.