Origins in 1932 to 1952
All started in 1902 when Leonardo Mastromauro left his work of farmer and decided to become a maker of Pasta…
The great grandfather Leonardo founded the first Pasta factory. It was placed at Square Cannizzaro n. 7 in the city of Corato and the firm was titled “Leonardo Mastromauro & sons”.
At that time it was the spontaneous strength of the wind that set free the wheat from the bran to obtain semolina. The semolina drawn out was mixed up with water into a so-called cam-mixing machine, which was driven by a blindfold donkey or sometimes by men strength.
The obtained mixture was then poured like a waterfall into a bar kneading – machine to amalgamate it and to render it homogeneous. Then there was a hydraulic screw press provided of a piston that pressed the mixture trough the various shaped draw plates producing different size of Pasta.
The drying process was also very important. It was carried out through rudimentary methods and thanks to the mild external climate. Particularly the long pasta was laid on reeds and it was exposed to the sun in the square in front of the pasta factory.
Then at evening it was taken in closed rooms artificially winded. 
The short pasta needed a different process instead. It was dried directly in a close room provided of a fan blade.
The pasta factory has therefore developed above all in the areas characterized by a temperate climate. On the basis of his experiences the pasta maker had to foresee the time of drying that the pasta needed, he had to recognize through his touch the pasta condition and the reached level of the drying process with no aid of technical tool, with no handbook or concerning technical literature. Just his experience.
Pasta was wrapped up with blue or white sheets of papers completed with fancy labels and sold in wooden cases, cartons or baskets.
