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The story of the Mattei bakery is a long one: it spans two and a half centuries and has seen many generations come and go, along with countless changes.

Major historical events have formed the backdrop to our small artisan story. In the meantime, machinery, technologies and working methods have all evolved.

But two things will never change:
the place where we make our biscuits, we are still here, in via Ricasoli
and the love we put into our work every single day.

FROM WOOD-FIRED OVENS TO THE FIRST MACHINES

The journey from the mid-nineteenth century to today has been long, but rich in innovation. From the founding in 1858 until the 1950s, everything was baked exclusively in wood-fired ovens. Between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the first industrial machines arrived: belt-driven mixers and a pasta-shaping machine for spaghetti, tools that made it possible to improve and speed up the work without compromising on quality.

THE YEARS OF GREAT INNOVATION

In 1950, the workshop gained new technologies: electric mixers, the first tunnel oven, gas ovens, and an electric cutter. In the 1990s, more important developments followed: a dough extruder, a new tunnel oven, and the first ventilated ovens, allowing for more even baking.

THE 2025 INNOVATION… AND THE "BRICIOLI" AFFAIR

In 2025, the workshop was updated once again with: new rotor ovens, new mixers, and a new dough depositor for the biscuit mix. And it is precisely this last innovation that caused a small… rumble in our Prato bakery. Many loyal customers used to come in especially to buy the production offcuts — the broken or slightly more toasted biscuits. These pieces are known to everyone by an affectionate name: the bricioli. They are often the end pieces of the little loaves, the most baked, most toasted parts — and therefore even more flavourful and crunchy.

WHAT HAS CHANGED IN PRODUCTION

With the new system, the biscuit loaves are deposited onto the trays lengthwise rather than widthwise. This means there are now 5 longer loaves per tray, whereas before there were 10 shorter ones. As a result, the end pieces — the most baked parts — are roughly half as many as before.

On top of this comes another important improvement: thanks to the new ovens and new technologies, baking is now far more even. The well-baked pieces go into the bags along with the other biscuits, and the very dark or almost burnt ones that used to be discarded are becoming increasingly rare.

The result? Less waste and ever more consistent biscuits. Even if, we have to admit, for devoted bricioli fans this is not exactly good news.

A LITTLE CURIOSITY

For many customers, the bricioli were almost a tradition: they would stop by the shop specifically to buy them, because they were more toasted, crunchier and more intense in flavour. Today, with the new technologies, they form less and less often — a sign that production has become more precise and more efficient.

TRADITION AND INNOVATION

From the mid-nineteenth century to today, many things have changed. We have introduced new machinery and pursued a continuous search for quality — both in raw materials and in production methods — with one single goal: to always improve, with the utmost respect for the final product.
And I can tell you that the satisfaction is great when things are done with care and turn out well.

Our customers' smiling faces confirm it… even if lately one or two are looking a little wistful over the increasing rarity of their beloved bricioli.

Letizia Pandolfini