Italian food company celebrates 150 years of traditional flavors
Canton, Mass.-based Pastene balances tradition with innovation
Updated: 8:23 PM EDT Apr 8, 2025
PRODUCTS IT OFFERS. YOU KNOW, HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU OPEN A CAN OF TOMATO PASTE AND USE HALF OF IT AND THROW THE CAN IN THE REFRIGERATOR AND THROW IT OUT? A WEEK LATER, A TOMATO PASTE TUBE IS NATURAL. THE YELLOW AND RED LABEL IS A FAMILIAR SIGHT AT THE SUPERMARKET. AFTER ALL. PASTINI HAS BEEN A TRUSTED PRESENCE ON LOCAL SHELVES FOR GENERATIONS, SAY OWNERS MARK AND CHRIS TOSI. THE REASON PASADENA’S BEEN AROUND FOR 150 YEARS IS THE QUALITY OF OUR PRODUCT. WE COULD CHEAT, BUT THERE’S NO REASON TO. WE’VE BEEN TESTED FOR ALL THIS TIME, AND WE’RE VERY PROUD OF WHAT WE OFFER THE CONSUMER. SO IS IT PASTINI OR PASTINI? IN THE UNITED STATES, IT’S PASTINI. IN ITALY, IT’S PASTINI. THE COMPANY WAS RUN BY ITALIANS FOR PROBABLY THE FIRST 130 YEARS, AND THEY ALL CALLED IT PASADENA. SO IF IT’S GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE ITALIANS, IT’S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. THE FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS BASED IN CANTON, PRODUCES A LINE OF ITALIAN FOOD PRODUCTS THAT TOSI SAY. DESPITE ITS LONGEVITY, THE COMPANY KEEPS UP WITH CONSUMER TRENDS, OFTEN BRINGING IN NEW PRODUCTS AND RETIRING ITEMS THAT SIMPLY DON’T WORK ANYMORE. AT TIMES WE WERE SELLING CANNED CORN, CANNED BEANS, WE WERE SELLING ALL SORTS OF PRODUCTS WE MADE THROUGH TWO WORLD WARS AND PROHIBITION AND MANY OTHER MAJOR EVENTS IN THE US. AND THE COMPANY IS STILL HERE AFTER 150 YEARS. PASTINI HAS HUMBLE ROOTS IN BOSTON’S NORTH END. MR. LUIGI PASTINI ARRIVED IN THE NORTH END AROUND 1848 AFTER 26 SOME ODD YEARS AS A PUSHCART. HE AND HIS SON OPENED A RETAIL STORE IN FULTON STREET IN THE NORTH END AS A PRODUCE WHOLESALER. THE ITALIAN IMMIGRANTS WERE COMING IN WITH A VENGEANCE, AND THERE WAS A GREAT NEED FOR OLIVE OIL, SO PIETRO PASTINI WENT BACK TO ITALY AND STARTED SOURCING OLIVE OIL, WHICH WAS THE VERY FIRST ITEM, WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY WHEELS OF CHEESE. FAST FORWARD AND PASTINI OFFERS ONE PRODUCT FOR EVERY YEAR THEY’VE BEEN IN BUSINESS. 150. OUR MOST POPULAR WOULD BE OUR CANNED TOMATOES. WHETHER IT’S OUR KITCHEN READY, IT’S PROBABLY OUR NUMBER ONE SELLER, FOLLOWED BY OUR SAN MARZANO DOPS. WHILE MOST ITEMS ARE IMPORTED FROM ITALY, THE KITCHEN READY TOMATOES ARE FROM CALIFORNIA. CALIFORNIA TOMATO IS A LITTLE SWEETER THAN THE ITALIAN TOMATO, AND IT’S PEELED AND THEN GROUND AND THEN TOPPED WITH A PUREE, SO YOU DON’T NEED A TOMATO PASTE. YOU DON’T NEED MANY OTHER THINGS LIKE A LOT OF THE OTHER CANNED TOMATOES. IT’S A VERY UNIQUE TOMATO. A GREAT STARTER FOR A FRESH SAUCE, BUT FOR A TOMATO WITH A DIFFERENT FLAVOR. TOSI TURNS TO THE SAN MARZANOS. IT’S A SPECIFIC TOMATO. VARIETY THAT WAS GROWN AROUND THE MOUNT VESUVIUS SOILS, SO IT HAS ALSO A DISTINCT FLAVOR. SO I USE THE KITCHEN READY FOR MORE OF A FRESH SAUCE. THE DOP FOR A SIMMERING SAUCE. WHAT EXACTLY IS DOP? IT’S A CERTIFICATION SPECIFIC TO ITALIAN GOODS, SIGNIFYING THAT A PRODUCT IS PRODUCED, PROCESSED AND PREPARED. TRADITIONALLY IN A SPECIFIC REGION, ENSURING QUALITY AND AUTHENTICITY. OUR PRODUCTS COME FROM ALL OVER ITALY. THE MOST NORTHERN ITEM WOULD PROBABLY BE OUR ARBORIO RICE, AND THEN THE SOUTHERN ITEMS WOULD BE AGAIN THE CANNED TOMATOES, THE OLIVE OILS FROM PUGLIA AND THE NEWER PRODUCTS IN ROTATION AS SIMPLE AS TED JESSICA OLIVES, WHICH ARE FROM GENOA. PEOPLE THINK OF PESTO FROM THAT’S GENEVIEVE’S, ONE OF THE PRODUCTS I LOVE USING THE MOST NOW IS SUN DRIED TOMATOES. OUR SUN DRIED TOMATOES ARE VERY UNIQUE. THEY ARE ACTUALLY FROM CALIFORNIA. AS TRENDS COME AND GO, THE TOSI’S SAY PASSINI WILL EVOLVE, BUT ALWAYS STAY TRUE TO ITS ROOTS, PROVIDING SIMPLE QUALITY ITEMS FOR HOME COOKS. AND WHILE PASADENA WAS FOUNDED IN BOSTON, THEY’VE ALSO HAD AN OFFICE IN MONTREAL SINCE 1908. MARC TOSI SAYS THAT THE FIRST BRUINS GAME IN 1924 WAS A BIG DEAL AGAINST MONTREAL FOR BOTH OF THE OFFICES, BECAUSE PLAYERS ACTUALLY WORKED FOR PASADENA, CARRYING THE HEAVY OLIVE OIL CRATES AROUND. SO TO MAKE SOME EXTRA CASH AND TO GET SOME OFFLINE TRAINING, THEY WEREN’T MAKING THE SAME MONEY BACK THEN. NO, NO,
Italian food company celebrates 150 years of traditional flavors
Canton, Mass.-based Pastene balances tradition with innovation
Updated: 8:23 PM EDT Apr 8, 2025
Known for its iconic yellow and red label, Pastene is a supermarket staple. Founded in the 1840s by Luigi Pastene in Boston’s North End, the company started as a produce wholesaler largely catering to Italian immigrants, sourcing olive oil and wheels of cheese from Italy. Today, Pastene offers more than 150 products, including its popular “Kitchen-Ready” tomatoes and its popular San Marzano DOP tomatoes from Italy.The Tosi family, owners of the Canton-based company, attribute its success to maintaining tradition while also adapting to modern trends. Though olive oil is still a staple product, trending items like California sun-dried tomatoes and Genovese taggiasca olives are also part of the mix. Despite evolving tastes, the Tosis say Pastene remains true to its origins, delivering simple, authentic ingredients for home cooks.
CANTON, Mass. —
Known for its iconic yellow and red label, Pastene is a supermarket staple. Founded in the 1840s by Luigi Pastene in Boston’s North End, the company started as a produce wholesaler largely catering to Italian immigrants, sourcing olive oil and wheels of cheese from Italy. Today, Pastene offers more than 150 products, including its popular “Kitchen-Ready” tomatoes and its popular San Marzano DOP tomatoes from Italy.
The Tosi family, owners of the Canton-based company, attribute its success to maintaining tradition while also adapting to modern trends. Though olive oil is still a staple product, trending items like California sun-dried tomatoes and Genovese taggiasca olives are also part of the mix. Despite evolving tastes, the Tosis say Pastene remains true to its origins, delivering simple, authentic ingredients for home cooks.