Pastificio Mennucci was established at the end of the past century in the heart of the rural area of Lucca, that is in a region famous for its food traditions. It was Giovan Battista Mennucci who originally opened a modest handicraft food activity in the village of Ponte a Moriano. A few years later, however, he managed to set up a grocer’s shop, which was divided into a bakery and an area used as small pasta factory. After his premature death, the small business was left in the hands of his son Maurizio, who transformed this handicraft activity into an industrial reality long before 1940. During the second world war, the pasta factory was bombarded and half-destroyed. After its hasty reconstruction, it was set on fire and once again destroyed by the German army in flight. Despite these events, production was resumed and the Mennucci pasta became, in the years that followed, a quality trademark appraised both in Italy and abroad. As a result of the successful growth of the business, the existing facilities, which had been enlarged and modernised over the years, were no longer able to meet production requirements. The new plant built in the industrial area of Ponte a Moriano, which was designed in line with the most advanced technologies, was completed in 1966. It was followed, a few years later, by a second plant almost exclusively used for the production of lasagne and other special kinds of pasta. In 1986, the company was transformed into a joint stock company entirely controlled by the founding family. At present, the company produces approximately 18,000 tons of pasta per year.