15 Garfield Avenue
Somerville, Ma 02145
Toll Free: 866-34-PASTA
617-623-0013
FAX 617-623-0053
In 1942, Italian immigrant Ralph F. Matarazzo gathered his life savings to start Ralph's Potato Company. The business was very small at first, and it operated out of his home's basement in Medford, Massachusetts. He used among other things, a self-modified washing machine to peel potatoes. The company sold peeled potatoes to Boston area Restaurants and Institutions. His business grew quickly, and he devised a plan to separate his company's peeled potatoes from his competition which earned him a place in the Book of "Who's Who in the East", circa 1950.
Working countless nights with scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ralph invented a process to keep his peeled potatoes from darkening. He immediately patented his process and launched the brand Sta-Wite potatoes. The new brand was a huge success, and twin factories were built in 1945 in Medford, MA. With the market dominance of the peeled potato industry, Ralph F. Matarazo decided to take on a new challenge with his son, Ralph D. Matarazzo. In 1947, they created Italo-American Ravioli Company.
Italo-American Ravioli was a full-line mass-produced cannery that sold to major accounts throughout the Northeast. Accounts included A&P Grocery Stores, Pastene Company, J.P. Monarch, and S.S. Pierce among others. Even though the canning process diminished a certain level of flavor and ascetic appeal, Italo-American always maintained a solid reputation as a high quality pasta manufacturer.
Ralph and Ralph sold Ralph's Potato Company to be able to concentrate solely on the successful Pasta Company in 1949. Italo-American Ravioli thrived for over thirty years. Then, in 1979, Ralph D. Matarazzo took full control of the company. A quality strategic decision was made to downsize the cannery into one building and lease the sister property in Medford, MA.
The same year the business changed from a cannery to a Fresh-Frozen full-line pasta manufacturer. New technology and equipment allowed the business to raise the quality of the product exponentially. Italo-American Ravioli solidified it's reputation among Northeast Restaurants and Institutions as a highly consistent, high quality manufacturer.
In 1992, Ralph D. Matarazzo with his son, Dean Matarazzo created Deano's Pastacia Inc. Italo-American Ravioli Company was changed to Italo-American brand manufactured by the new Deano's Pastacia Inc. The business moved to a new facility in Charlestown, MA, also in 1992.
Over the next several years, Ralph and Dean Matarazzo perfected countless new recipes and modified existing manufacturing equipment to produce a more consistent high quality full-line of pasta products.
Along with wife Hala Matarazzo, Dean Matarazzo launched Original Gourmet Creations, Inc. in 1998. This new company creates exciting non-traditional pastas with the Matarazzo tradition of high consistency and quality. A new strategy of quality expansion was unveiled for both companies that continue today. In 2003, the business moved to Somerville, MA, where is continues to provide customers with exceptional service and products.
Somerville, Ma 02145
Toll Free: 866-34-PASTA
617-623-0013
FAX 617-623-0053