Article

Let's start with a widespread misconception: canned or jarred tomatoes are all the same – the main thing is that they are cheap. What a misjudgment! The family-owned company Mutti proves the exact opposite: it has turned this mundane convenience product into a super brand, charges premium prices, and is still growing at an above-average rate. Find out how the FMCG brand Mutti has achieved this remarkable feat.

History: Where does the Mutti brand come from?

The story begins in 1899 in Basilicanova near Parma: Marcellino and Callisto Mutti found Fratelli Mutti¹, It was the next generation of a family in which Uncle Giovanni Mutti (1805–1894) was already considered an agricultural pioneer for introducing the principle of crop rotation. For him, the quality of a tomato began with its cultivation – and this conviction is still embedded in the Mutti brand today.²

In 1909, Ugo Mutti, Marcellino's son, converted the farm into a small factory and began to combine the trust gained in Mutti with innovation: he launched the first canned tomato extract ("conserva nera") – a minor revolution at the time. Another milestone followed in 1951: tomato paste in a tube – practical, long-lasting, iconic.

Francesco Mutti has been running the company since 1994, representing the fourth generation of the family. He is not an anonymous boss, but someone who has internalized the tomato harvest cycles and knows what a perfect tomato smells like. This is a strength of family businesses that should not be underestimated: their proximity to the product, which everyone learns from childhood.

It was also Francesco Mutti who, in the 1990s – when he was just in his mid-20s – realized how fierce international competition had become. The consumer goods market was flooded with cheap tomatoes from China and other large producers. The trend at the time was toward discount stores and private labels, i.e., low-cost shopping. Appreciation for product quality declined.

During this time, Mutti decided to build his brand as an alternative: he focused on high-quality tomatoes, fresh and 100% from Italy, with a convincing taste and produced with passion. The price reflected the quality: Mutti products were not as cheap as goods made from watery Chinese tomatoes.

From the very beginning, a passion for tomatoes has shaped the company: "(It is) a long-lasting love story," it proudly states on its website. And further: "Our mission is to bring out the full flavor potential of tomatoes. That has been driving us for over 120 years."³

Result: Muttis' brand history, rich in stories, innovations, and emotions, contributes to the brand's appeal.