Our Story
Two families, two traditions, one shared passion for the art of pastry
Martinucci was born in the heart of Salento from the encounter between the Panese family’s bread-making tradition and the Martinucci family’s pastry creativity. Since 1950, our history has been a blend of innovation and passion that has led us to grow over time, always remaining faithful to the values of quality, research, and connection with the local area.
With a view to growing responsibly and sustainably, Martinucci has obtained SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) certification. This certification is based on a methodology that incorporates industry best practices. It analyzes workplace health and safety, reviewing the company’s management systems and health and safety policies and procedures, as well as work ethics, and assessing the company’s compliance with national and international labor laws and regulations.
2024
For over 70 years, Martinucci has perpetuated the family’s passion for pastry making, combining tradition with a constant eye for innovation. From Puglia to the world, our desserts tell stories of taste, quality, and authenticity, becoming staples on the tables of professionals and families every day.
2017
IFS Certification
The IFS (International Food Standard) aims to support the effective selection of private-label food suppliers for large-scale retail, based on their ability to provide safe products that comply with contractual specifications and legal requirements. It represents a widely recognised standard, both in Europe and worldwide.
2013
Separation of traditional production from industrial production.
1994
Following Rocco’s passing on 18 December 1981, the baton was passed to his children, who were able to build on their father’s teachings. In 1984, they decided to complement the traditional production present in all our retail outlets with an industrial production of cakes, semifreddo desserts and gelato, guided by the same clear values of quality, tradition, innovation and respect for the territory that continue to shape our choices every day.
1981
During these years, the Martinucci chain was born. Between the 1960s and 1970s, Rocco had the vision to open several stores in Salento, including pastry shops and ice cream parlors in Santa Maria di Leuca and Lido Marini, important towns where we still operate today. He was accompanied on this adventure by his wife and children, who inherited from Rocco the secrets of the trade and, above all, his passion for their work. Thanks to his determination and the support of his family, Rocco Martinucci’s creations quickly became a benchmark throughout the area.
1960
Thanks to the art learned from his father Giovanni and the bread-making tradition of his wife Annunziata, Rocco Martinucci combined continuous experimentation with the success of his products, launching himself into the world of catering and pastry making in 1950, the year that appears in our logo.
The small Pasticceria Martinucci workshop was a crossroads of the greatest minds in the Italian pastry tradition: Sicilians, Neapolitans, and Venetians, all called upon by Rocco and his wife to share their knowledge and craftsmanship.
1950
During those years, a new and sweeter chapter began, with Giovanni Martinucci, known as Giovannino, as its protagonist. Born in Salento to a Neapolitan parent, Giovanni worked first as a tinsmith and later as a driver. He often accompanied orchestras performing at local festivals and fairs. While waiting for concerts to end, he reinvented himself as a gelato maker, purchasing a rudimentary ice cream machine: a simple iron basin, ice and salt, so as not to wait in vain.
Driven by the typical Italian entrepreneurial spirit of the 1940s, Giovanni travelled from one festival to another with his equipment, preparing gelato on the spot. His son Rocco followed him with the same enthusiasm from a very young age. Success came quickly. Soon, people no longer waited only for the arrival of the band, but also for the father and son who accompanied it with their sweet creations.
These stories intertwine when Rocco Martinucci marries Annunziata Panese.
1940
In the second half of the 1920s, the Panese family founded an old bakery adjacent to their home in Specchia. This was considered a return to their roots, as the family surname itself had historically been attributed to “bread bearers” in the Holy Land. During those years, Santo Panese established the small bakery following the ancient traces of his family’s proud history. Thanks to the strong work ethic that characterises the people of Salento, the small bakery quickly evolved from a purely family-run activity into a fully equipped workshop dedicated to the production of bread and traditional pastries.
1927
The values behind our desserts
Behind each of our creations are conscious choices, experience, and a way of doing things that combines know-how and technology to create desserts designed for professionals.
Quality & Excellence
We combine industrial precision and care to transform every dessert into emotion.
Tradition and Authenticity
We bring to the table a family story that lives in every dessert, as authentic as the shared passion that drives our work.
Innovation and Progress
By listening to our customers’ needs, we innovate to deliver memorable desserts.
Customer Passion
We work together to keep our customers’ needs at the heart of what we do
People Growth
We grow with purpose, uniting ambition and social responsibility
Production Sites
Quality production
industrial heart
Since 1984, the year the company opened its first production facility dedicated to the industrial production of gelato and pastry, Martinucci has continuously invested in expanding its production capacity while ensuring the highest manufacturing standards. Thanks to a forward-looking approach to growth, several investments have followed, leading to the opening of four additional facilities. In 2017, the second production site was inaugurated, specifically focused on gelato production.
In 2022, the third production facility was opened, dedicated to the production of desserts for the Ho.Re.Ca. sector. In 2023, the fourth facility was inaugurated, focusing on the production of Pasticciotti. Finally, in October 2025, the most recent facility was developed for the production of Premium Desserts for the restaurant industry.
Production Sites
Quality production
industrial heart
Since 1984, the year the company opened its first production facility dedicated to the industrial production of gelato and pastry, Martinucci has continuously invested in expanding its production capacity while ensuring the highest manufacturing standards. Thanks to a forward-looking approach to growth, several investments have followed, leading to the opening of four additional facilities. In 2017, the second production site was inaugurated, specifically focused on gelato production.
In 2022, the third production facility was opened, dedicated to the production of desserts for the Ho.Re.Ca. sector. In 2023, the fourth facility was inaugurated, focusing on the production of Pasticciotti. Finally, in October 2025, the most recent facility was developed for the production of Premium Desserts for the restaurant industry.
75.000
total floor area
Our production facilities continue to expand to better meet the needs of professionals worldwide.
Specchia (LE)
15.000mq
Total covered area: 5,200 square metres
Cold storage area: 1,700 square metres
Presicce 1 (LE)
26,000 sqm
Covered area: 3,500 sqm
Storage facilities: 600 sqm
Presicce 2 (LE)
34,000 sqm
Covered area: 8,400 sqm
Storage facilities: 1,200 sqm
Our Presence Worldwide
Today, Martinucci exports its products to over
30
countries worldwide
with an export rate exceeding 30%
Quality Certifications
We certify the quality of our pastry products through the documentation of every stage of our production processes, in full compliance with applicable regulations.
