An innovation that gave birth to an excellent tradition
Antonio Mattei: the beginning
In 1858 at Via dell’Appianato, today’s Via Ricasoli, Antonio Mattei, a baker and pastry cook from Prato, opened his biscuit factory and store. Mattei was a craftsman of humble birth, but he played a leading role in the history of Italian cooking.
Antonio Mattei cookies factory became well know beyond the borders of the city of Prato, as testified by the awards in Italy and abroad and by the special mention at the International Exposition of Paris in 1867.
Antonio Mattei also perfected a recipe creating the dry almond biscuit which was bound to become Prato’s most typical and traditional biscuit.
Ernesto Pandolfini and the new generations
Antonio Mattei’s children had never been much interested in their father’s business, but among the apprentices working with him in the factory there was one of proved talent and passion, Ernesto Pandolfini, grandfather to Marcella, Elisabetta, Francesco and Letizia.
He was an orphan and had been raised by his aunt Italia, who took over Mattei’s business, in 1908, for her beloved nephew. That is how the story of three generations of biscuit makers begins.
Biscotti della Salute and other delis
Ernesto Pandolfini created and developed new products, such as the Filone candito, Brutti Buoni, Biscotto della Salute, which are now thought of as the bakery’s signature products and whose recipes and cooking methods are as strictly followed as those used in the making of the Biscotto di Prato.
Biscottificio Antonio Mattei member of the Unione Imprese Storiche Italiane
Since 2015 Antonio Mattei biscuits factory is a member of the Unione Imprese Storiche Italiane, the association of ultra centenarian Italian Companies which unites brands of established prestige and international prominence.
The stamp entitled to Mattei Biscuits Factory
On September 29th, 2016, Italy's post office Poste Italiane issued a stamp entitled to Mattei Biscuits Factory, commemorating the high-quality craftsmanship, in a project promoted by the Ministry for Economic Development.