Obituary: Marcello Mutti

"My father passed away in the house where he was born. The house within the company," his son Francesco recalls. A life spent at the "Corte" of Piazza di Montechiarugolo, as an entrepreneur of another era with a talent for innovation, "who saw the company," continues Francesco, "as something more than just economic profit. His vision was more rooted, focused on work, respect, and forward-thinking."
 
Marcello Mutti passed away at the age of 83, surrounded by the love of his family and the "heart" of his company. A gentleman, a captain of industry, with a noble soul and always attentive to research and sustainability, thanks to his farsighted approach. This foresight made Mutti a leading company. 
 
Born on Christmas Day in 1940, after graduating in Economics and Business, he married Angelita Rossi, whom he met at university, on September 19, 1966. From their marriage, Francesco was born, CEO of Mutti since 1994. A year before his wedding, Marcello Mutti had already become actively involved in the family business. His entrepreneurial spirit was evident from the start. 1986 marked the year of the glass jar for tomatoes, where quality became transparent. Glass, a material that allows full appreciation of the product, was adopted by the company at Piazza, dedicating an entire production line to tomato puree. Marcello Mutti’s choice turned out to be the driving force behind the company's renewed expansion in the Italian food industry. This is just one example of the entrepreneur who brought the name of Parma to the world, from his homeland, with honor and pride. Most of all, with the same "transparency" and spontaneity that he conveyed in every word during a first conversation, always earning great respect from his interlocutor.
 
Mutti has received many awards for its production methods, for control in every stage of production, and for the quality of its products. And Mr. Marcello never stopped working for his land, its fruits, and the sustainable development of his "Made in Italy": innovation centred on tomatoes. But there is more to his philosophy and way of operating, as he created a true community within the company: "With great frugality and many sacrifices alongside my mother Angelita, he managed to buy the remaining 50% of the company to restart with dedication to work," emphasizes his son Francesco. "The legacy he leaves us is that the company should be seen as a value, based on the importance of planning and building. A company where attention and respect for people must be a priority. My father was a reserved man, but with a huge heart, who had an innate sense of giving. He loved nature deeply, and when he saw it 'trampled on,' it pained him greatly. He cherished nature and its vast spaces, whether the plains or the African landscapes, where the eye is lost in the horizon. He was very attached to Parma, but he always preferred the vistas of Piazza over the city. He adored his family: my mother Angelita, who cared for him with great dedication, and my daughter Costanza. A deeply religious man, he had a strong Catholic Christian spirit: open to other religions, but firmly convinced of his own path. And because of this spirit, helping others, always discreetly, was a natural part of his daily life."
 
A man who spoke of sustainability long before it became a buzzword, with exemplary attention to reuse and waste reduction. With this mindset, he even collected objects dear to the company to preserve its history. Marcello Mutti was a man who, day by day, succeeded in creating a great family at the "Corte." "A noble entrepreneur," says Giovanni Grossi, Mutti’s procurement director. "After my studies, I had my first tomato campaign at Mutti in 1982, and I never left. I accompanied the company in its growth, and the company accompanied me. I always had a wonderful relationship with Mr. Mutti in these 42 years, a direct relationship filled with incredible respect. A pure person, endowed with rare intelligence and sensitivity. An elegant man, sometimes pleasantly ironic. And of great depth: with his sincerity and refinement, he always interacted with others in a polite, precise, and respectful way."
 
Marcello Mutti had handed over the reins of the company to his son Francesco 30 years ago, "but he was always present in his 'Corte,' as he had devoted his life to the company’s well-being," continues Grossi. "For Marcello Mutti, work was a mission. He was not an entrepreneur who only thought about profit: his goal was to create value every day for the people who collaborated with him. And now that he is gone, he leaves us with an exemplary legacy: the passion for work and respect for people." An entrepreneur who was attentive to his employees, "who knew how to create a family within his company," concludes Grossi, a 'Master of Labor.' "The beautiful story of Mutti stems from the local roots and the concept of family, where I myself have grown professionally and personally. Mr. Marcello knew how to inspire in every employee a deep attachment to the company, so much so that here at Piazza, the air has always been filled with dedication. He had a care for his collaborators, expressed even in small gestures, that reflected his way of being. Gestures that inevitably conveyed his values: important values for making entrepreneurship something extraordinary, not necessarily tied to financial interest but to the well-being of the people who worked with him. In this way, every employee always felt part of a journey to create the company's history together."

Marcello Mutti was also actively involved in the defense of the tomato processing industry at an international level. He was instrumental in the creation of AMITOM of which he became a Vice-President, and he remained on its Board and that of OEIT (now TomatoEurope) for many years after retiring from running his company. The global tomato sector loses a great man and on its behalf we present his family our most sincere condolences.  

Sources: Mutti SpA, Gazetta di Parma