This mixture of colors and smells must have tickled the ingenuity of Donato Martino, who, in 1870, with a simple and brilliant intuition, customized the watermills and made the milling business available to his son Andrea.
Andrea Martino picked up his father’s idea and founded the first Martino family mill in 1904, thus starting a 100-year history that still lasts today. Andrea Martino’s is in fact the first of four generations that will succeed each other at the helm of the company, which has become a model today, a winning example of Made in Italy, able to successfully meet the challenges of modernity because it has put the teachings of its tradition to good use.
In its first years of operation, the Martino mill immediately emerged as an innovative, solid, and down-to-earth company that bases its principles on a quality product and a healthy work environment where every employee feels part of a family.
World War II, however, put a strain on the company, which was heavily hit by German bombing. It fell to Nicola Martino, who took over from his father Andrea, to put the company back on its feet.
Within 10 years, the mill was reborn and became a pasta factory as well, and Nicola Martino, a very pragmatic person, helped the family brand establish itself in Italy and abroad as a synonym for “quality pasta”
It was 1978 when Pasquale Martino inherited from his father Nicola the knowledge of grains, further enhancing the culture of a quality product. He initiated, thanks to his great skills as an entrepreneur, an unprecedented industrial development and, with a far-sighted view, decided to convert production from pasta to Couscous.
It is 1994 and Martino becomes the first ever producer of Italian Couscous. The unique qualities of the raw materials of this product, 100% Made in Italy, become the hallmark of this success story, propelling the company into the world market.
The fourth generation of entrepreneurs in 2008, brings a woman to the helm of the company for the first time: Emma Martino. At her father Pasquale’s side, she takes care, with great courage, tenacity and flair, of a century-old tradition of quality products and healthy values.
She is the one to introduce a new strategy of product differentiation according to new consumer needs. This innovation allows the company the increase and development of new markets globally.
In 2016, the Martino family decided to implement a new production line for conventional and gluten-free couscous, which led the company to more than double its production capacity and become a leader in the industry.
It is in 2024 that Martino comes to celebrate an important milestone. The 120-year anniversary marks a real turning point. It is at this time that innovation enters prominently into the Company’s business strategy.
Martino quality arrives in the world of snacks and ready meals with tasty yet light and protein-packed products for a growing and increasingly complete offering: couscous taralli, couscous galette and ambient couscous-based ready-to-eat dishes. Three brand new lines designed for the current needs of consumers, who are increasingly attentive to food trends.
Ready meals, like snacks, is a healthy and growing market. In order not to lose appeal, however, it is necessary to push innovation and aim higher and higher, and the Martino family has done so once again.
