Pastene: A North End Success Story
Some Italian produce sellers were able to transition into storefronts from their humble pushcarts. They expanded their offerings by importing Italian specialties, like canned tomatoes and olive oil, to their growing customer base. The oldest and one of the most successful of these family businesses started in the North End back in 1874.
The story of the oldest specialty company in North America begins with Italian immigrant Luigi Pastene selling fresh fruit from a Boston pushcart. In time Luigi expanded his offerings to Italian imports, originally olive oil and cheese. He focused on North End Italians, giving them a taste of home as they adapted to new surroundings.
Pastene & Company established themselves at 69 Fulton Street in the North End, later expanding into the New York market and eventually nationwide. They also established an office in Naples, Italy to facilitate their import business. Luigi’s son Pietro would continue to expand the business, becoming the first to distribute California wines.
Pietro’s cousins, the Tosi family, took over the business after his death and helped make the brand a household name. In the 1960s Pastene introduced their signature “Kitchen Ready” canned tomatoes, today a staple of national supermarket chains. Six generations later, Pastene still stays true to its North End roots, still family run and now headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts.