Face to face with: MARA SPEZIE | SANA Partner

February 2026

Mara Spezie is a family run agri food company that has been cultivating and processing authentic Calabrian chili peppers in Calabria for over 30 years through a short supply chain. Founded with the aim of preserving and promoting the traditions of the territory, the company offers certified organic and 100 percent Italian products such as chili peppers, tomatoes, and wild fennel. Specialized in the production of dried and processed chili peppers, both conventional and organic, sweet and hot, Mara Spezie serves markets in Italy and abroad, also supported by FDA export certification. The raw material is hand harvested, carefully selecting healthy and fully ripe pods, and processed within 24 hours to ensure an excellent, safe, and natural product, free from preservatives and colorants, with zero chemical residues. In line with its commitment to sustainability, the company powers its production facilities using 100 percent electricity from renewable energy sources.

MISSION
The company's mission is to provide customers with customized products while maintaining high ethical, quality, and sustainability standards.

What inspired your participation in SANA Food 2026, and what goals or expectations are guiding you in this new edition?

Participation in SANA Food is an opportunity to connect with new companies of interest within the HoReCa, risto retail, and delicatessen sectors, as well as with national and international buyers. During the exhibition, we will also present newly developed products and items featuring innovative packaging solutions to our long standing clients.)

Today’s consumers are increasingly conscious about health and well-being. How has this awareness influenced your production choices or inspired new product concepts?

Ensuring consumer health and well being while respecting the environment has been our primary goal since the very beginning of our journey as an agri food company. For this reason, we chose to adopt a short supply chain model. From cultivation to sale, our approach is natural and genuine. We cultivate using organic fertilizers, respecting the environment and biodiversity. The product we harvest has zero chemical residues. We practice crop rotation, a centuries old yet highly effective agricultural technique. We process our products without the addition of colorants, preservatives, additives, or artificial flavorings. In doing so, we contribute to the healthy Mediterranean diet, which helps reduce the risk of allergies and improves overall quality of life. Our organic products represent a growing trend. Increasingly in demand, they are rich in antioxidants, have a higher concentration of nutrients, and offer a more authentic taste.)

Tradition and innovation often go hand in hand in a company’s growth journey. How do you manage to honor your roots while giving them a contemporary interpretation?

Tradition is a heritage to be preserved and represents the essence of our success. Our grandparents refined a handcrafted knowledge of processing techniques and passed it down to us as a legacy. Even today, in our workshop laboratory, our products undergo the same production process used decades ago, enhanced by modern technological tools that ensure safety and authenticity.) 

Transparency, sustainability, and traceability have become essential values in today’s market. How do you bring these principles to life in your distribution practices?

We have chosen a short supply chain model to ensure rigorous monitoring of the product's lifecycle, from the origin of the raw material to the final consumer. Transparency means being able to document, with objective evidence, every stage of production, processing, and storage. For this reason, we rely on advanced management software systems that allow full traceability of each product through batch tracking, covering all phases of the supply chain.