A Century of Pasta. De Cecco and The Italian Culture of Food

Good afternoon to everybody and thank you for having me. I'm Saturnino De Cecco, Vice President of F.lli De Cecco. I have a dual citizenship, Italian and US, and a degree in economics from Rome. My career spans 36 years in consumer goods, 29 at Unilever where I worked in finance, marketing, and sales, eventually running Bertolli olive oil. In 2008 I was sold with the business to a Spanish company and moved to Houston, then consulted before joining De Cecco three years ago to run the US subsidiary. De Cecco was founded in 1886 in Fara San Martino by Filippo De Cecco, who invented the indoor low-temperature drying method that preserves the quality of the pasta. We still use that method today: bronze dies for texture, mountain spring water at 56°F, and drying for 18 to 36 hours. This gives our pasta a superior al dente texture and flavor compared to high-temperature dried pasta, which becomes mushy. We use 100% durum wheat semolina, and we certify every batch with DNV. In the US pasta market — a $1.5 billion commodity category — we are growing despite a premium price of about $1 more per pound, while most other brands decline. Barilla dominates but their US-made pasta cannot legally be sold in Italy, whereas De Cecco is the premium choice in Italy and worldwide. Our philosophy is simple: a small quantity of high-quality ingredients, cooked with passion and conviviality. That is the essence of Italian food culture, and De Cecco embodies it.