The Ciao Method
IL POMODORO DI NAPOLI
“Excellence is not an action, but a habit.”
Aristotele
THE CIAO METHOD
Many phases, one quality standard
ll the stages of our production, from the choice of seeds and fields, through all the phases of processing and transformation of the fruit, all take place entirely in Italy, and are all aimed at guaranteeing the maximum freshness and quality of our products through a maniacal selection from seed to fruit , a careful and loving transformation , and cutting-edge quality control .
Above all, we ensure that each stage of the process that brings our products to our consumers is carried out with the utmost respect for the natural environment and its resources, making sustainability the guiding principle of our strategic and pragmatic choices to optimize our production and our impact on the planet.
CAREFUL SUPPLIER SELECTION
Our quality control begins in the field: we carefully select our suppliers and ensure the quality of their seed selection and the plots of land for tomato cultivation.
MONITORING FROM SOWING TO HARVEST
We monitor the growth of the fruit from sowing to harvest, which occurs in the months of July, August, and September.
EXCELLENT TRANSPORT
The tomatoes are harvested in 300 kg bins to preserve their organoleptic characteristics during transport by truck from the field to the Mercato San Severino plant.
PRELIMINARY TESTING AND SCREENING Upon arrival at the factory, initial random tests
are performed on raw fruit for an initial chemical and physical screening. The proportions of ripe, yellow, and damaged fruit are studied for each batch. Their average size is then calibrated on a sample basis.
PROCESSING WITHIN 6 HOURS
The raw material is processed within six hours of entering our plants: the golden rule that guarantees that we can a tomato at the peak of its freshness and aroma.
TESTS AND CHECKS EVERY 30 MINUTES
Our laboratory’s technical staff takes product samples every 30 minutes, at every stage of the production process, to monitor their physical and chemical characteristics. This involves a total of two checks per hour per processing stage, whether the product is whole (peeled), diced, or pulped.
Checks are also performed every 30 minutes on the tomato juice line (twice an hour).
The laboratory records and records the quality standards of Ciao – the tomato of Naples, verifying both that the final product meets these standards and that the entire production process is functioning properly.
COMPLIANCE WITH QUALITY STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS
Product analyses must strictly comply with certified quality and safety standards, including BRC, ISF, FSMA, HALAL, and KOSHER . For organic and San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino DOP
products , checks are supported by certifying bodies in compliance with the control devices defined for each product. Throughout the production process, the laboratory also performs continuous checks on the temperatures and pressures of the processing plants. Once the product is canned, further analyses are performed on each batch by an external ACCREDIA- certified laboratory .
FINAL INSPECTION AND QUARANTINE
The finished product is also inspected twice an hour before being quarantined, pending the results of stability tests and therefore its commercial safety. Only after this phase is the product ready for labeling and packaging.
CAREFUL AND RIGOROUS
PACKAGING Packaging is also subjected to careful testing in our laboratory to ensure the correctness of the wording and coding in compliance with the laws and regulations of the individual legislations of all the countries to which we export, each with its own peculiarities and needs.
