It all began from a small provincial workshop back in 1868….
In that year and in a small workshop in the province of Vicenza, in Caltrano, the Zuccato Story began. Since then, throughout the twentieth century and up to today, the company has been able to innovate and renew itself. Initially the store was a grocery counter, then Federico Zuccato had the intuition to introduce the sale of sauerkraut, and already in the early twentieth century the company controlled 100 percent of the production and distribution process.
That is why, in the case of Zuccato sauerkraut, we talk about total control of the supply chain and, therefore, total quality control. From 1992, the year in which Zuccato took part in the “Quality Assurance” project, until 2010 when the company obtained the certificate of compliance with the IFS Standard, all the certifications obtained are the result of a passion for quality that has its roots in 1868.
Selection of the best raw materials, optimization of production stages, quality certifications.
150
Years of
innovation.
Since the beginning of the 1990s, Zuccato F.lli has had a policy for quality, later integrated with the criteria of continuous improvement of environmental performance, to the point of adopting the principles of integrated pest management for the main product and cha has made the Company famous: sauerkraut. Thanks to the shared commitment of all the staff, this path has materialized with the certifications obtained from 1995 to the present. The constant search for improvement and the goal of ensuring maximum transparency allowed the first certification according to ISO 9001 and then in 2001 with the environmental certification according to ISO 14001.
Further efforts by the company, starting in spring 2003, made it possible to obtain certification and supply chain traceability (ISO 22005:08) in cabbage cultivation and sauerkraut production.
During 2009, the certification process against the IFS Standard, which concluded in February 2010 with the award of the certificate of conformity, represented a further step forward for the company in the ‘integration of the quality/environmental system with new improvements in both management and infrastructure.
From 1868 to today; company expansion, new markets, many new products. Zuccato, an Italian story.
Zuccato was founded in 1868. And like all Italian food companies of greater tradition, it was born in a small artisan store in a small provincial town. The town is in the province of Vicenza and is called Caltrano. The name of the company’s founder is Federico Zuccato. Geographically we are at the foothills of the Veneto Prealps in an area of our country destined to become one of the most important areas for industry and commerce. In 1884 the Zuccato family expanded with the entry of Federico’s brother Rinaldo. The firm took on the corporate name that still distinguishes it today: Fratelli Zuccato. The store in the early days is a classic grocery store where you can find everything from bread to cheese, oil, and salted fish. Then Federico has the brilliant intuition to introduce the sale of sauerkraut, which was already an integral part of the culinary habits of the inhabitants of the Asiago Plateau in those years. Sauerkraut immediately became a “flag” of Fratelli Zuccato and began to invade even the towns and stores near the main office. But it is the bad weather of 1898 that imparts a dizzying acceleration to the company. Adverse natural causes, in fact, put most of the fruit and vegetable crops in the area into crisis. Sauerkraut, on the other hand, stored in typical wooden baskets, held up well and became the first and only vegetable available.
It is a success story. Fratelli Zuccato intensified production and distribution, and already in the early 1900s controlled the entire production and distribution process of the product. The success of Zuccato sauerkraut never stopped despite the crisis of World War I, which had a fighting front in the very areas near the company’s headquarters. In the 1930s, the company was among the first to equip itself with motorized machines. And the new generations of Zuccato continued to invest in raw material quality and technological innovation. Giustiniano, Battista, Rinaldo, are the names of these contemporary food pioneers who transformed sauerkraut from a “poor” food for peasant society to a tasty and nutritious vegetable to be consumed year-round. Fratelli Zuccato invented a pasteurization process to keep all the beneficial and healthy properties of sauerkraut inside tin cans. Another great idea that allows the product to be sold in Italy and around the world throughout the year. After World War II, the company restarted with momentum, always focusing on technological innovation to follow the production and preservation of sauerkraut.
From the 1980s to the present. An evolving narrative.
In the 1980s, the company continuously invested in facilities and technology with automated production and quality control systems that enabled it to expand its product range more and more. Sauerkraut, cucumbers, pickles, olives, products in oil. All Zuccato products always follow the founders’ philosophy: quality control of raw materials and state-of-the-art technological processing. Fratelli Zuccato today processes more than 10,000 tons of vegetables annually. Production uses technologically advanced and largely automated processing and control systems. Packaging lines are autonomous and separate. Add to this the care and selection of raw materials, and it is easy to see why those who eat Zuccato savor a special taste.
