Chitarra Italian square pasta made from durum wheat

History of the Pastamanicni Brand

Mariano Mancini founded Azienda Agricola Mancini in 1938, later his son Giuseppe expanded it from 5 hectares to 70 hectares, combining agricultural work with the development of the footwear sector. He also passed on to his son Massimo the values of reliability and a grounded approach, which allowed him to pursue his own dreams. Thus, Massimo Mancini completed agricultural studies in Bologna under Giorgio Stupazzoni, an economist specializing in pasta production chains. This is how the dream of a pasta manufacturing company was born.

In 2010, Massimo Mancini established Mancini Pastificio Agricolo, where pasta is produced exclusively from wheat grown on their own fields, surrounding the brand on all sides. Some call it a company nestled among wheat fields spanning 300 hectares.

Mission of Mancini Pastificio Agricolo

Good Agricultural Practice is a set of features that Mancini Pastificio Agricolo applies to ensure environmentally friendly and sustainable management of agricultural activities, aiming to produce raw materials of the highest quality and healthiness with minimal environmental impact and zero chemical residues.

The goals of Good Agricultural Practice are:
- to respect natural resources (air, water, soil) through optimized agronomic interventions and rational external inputs;
- to produce high-quality raw materials that are most suitable for our transformation process;
- to ensure the health safety of the final product.

These objectives are achieved through continuous crop monitoring and implementing self-control measures during the production process, such as frequent soil, plant, and pathogen analyses. Crop rotation is practiced to maintain and improve soil fertility, alternating with durum wheat cultivation and improving crops (lucerne, clover, vetch, peas, chickpeas) or renewing crops (sunflower).

The packaging material used for the pasta is the result of ongoing research with industry experts to ensure the best possible preservation of the pasta combined with maximum recyclability of the packaging. Made solely from cellulose derived from wood from forests managed according to strict environmental, social, and economic standards (FSC® certification), the bag can be completely disposed of with paper waste. The ATICELCA® 501 UNI 11743 method certifies its recyclability.

Advantages of Italian Pastamancini pasta over other similar products
Wheat is harvested annually in summer only when it naturally reaches full maturity and the appropriate moisture level to ensure better preservation. The use of state-of-the-art threshers allows real-time analysis of grain quality parameters.

Threshed wheat is cleaned and stored using cold techniques, bringing it to a temperature of 18°C, ideal for halting insect and mold activity without resorting to chemical agents. Different wheat varieties are mixed into a single blend that characterizes each pasta batch.

Wheat grains are ground into semolina with the appropriate granulation for Mancini’s pasta production method. Milling is carried out continuously throughout the year, allowing the company to produce pasta always from fresh semolina, which is essential for achieving a product with a pronounced wheat aroma and flavor.

Perfection at Pasta Mancini begins in the fields but is realized in the pasta factory: the roughness of spaghetti and short pasta results from using bronze dies rather than Teflon, as in the food industry. The dough is pushed through a round perforated disc, as was done decades ago, rather than a rectangular one, as is common in nearly every modern pasta factory. This ensures even pressure, providing greater uniformity, especially in long shapes.

 To preserve and enhance the important nutritional properties of Mancini wheat, special drying recipes have been developed for each pasta shape based on a combination of temperature, humidity, ventilation, and resting principles. Mancini pasta is dried at temperatures below 55°C, with peaks reaching a minimum of 36°C. These values correspond to a drying time of 24 to 44 hours depending on the format, ensuring a full-value and tasty product.

Each package of Mancini pasta displays the harvest year as proof of the artisanal pasta factory's mission: to produce pasta only from wheat that grows directly in the surrounding fields. Since January 2021, packaging features a QR code printed on the bottom, which, when scanned, allows instant access—without intermediaries—to quantitative and temporal data from the four main production phases, verifiable through Blockchain technology.

Manufacturer information