San Marzano Tomatoes

America's Favorite San Marzano Tomato

San Marzano tomatoes are widely recognized by top chefs, Italian cooks and food aficionados as the gold standard for taste. At Cento, we go to great lengths in monitoring our planting, growing and harvesting processes to ensure our tomatoes retain the world-renowned flavor that makes them so special. Cento is the only United States brand that has its production facility in the area known as Sarnese Nocerino in the Campania Region of Italy, literally in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. The rich volcanic soil, high water table and ideal Mediterranean microclimate all combine to make San Marzano tomatoes the premier choice for any recipe.

Traceability

Cento Certified San Marzano Tomatoes are certified by an independent third-party agency, Agri-CertIn 1985, Bioagricert became the first body accredited by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture for the certification and control of vegetable, animal, and processed organic products. In 1993 Bioagricert was recognized by the Ministry of Agricultural Politics as Authorized National Body for the Control and Certification of Organic Productions. Bioagricert is also notably recognized as the first Italian organization working to promote the organic culture in countries outside Europe. Today, Bioagricert works throughout Italy as well as many countries throughout Europe, Asia, South America, and North America as an authority in food inspection and certification., and produced with the proper method to ensure superior quality. From seed to shelf, our tomatoes are monitored and held to the highest of our standards.

In support of our full transparency initiative and commitment to quality and safety, we created PAC Traceability for Find My Field, which brings traceability to a number of our tomato products. Using the lot code on each can and Google Earth, you can now view the field in Italy where your tomatoes were grown. Each can is labeled with a lot code for its specific field to helps us ensure each and every crop is up to our standards.

Certified by an independent E.U. approved US accepted third-party agency under UNI EN ISO 22005:20008 for supply chain and product traceability. ISO is an independent, non-governmental, international organization not affiliated with any consortium, agency or DOP/PDO

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IN FEBRUARY OUR SEEDS ARE DISTRIBUTED TO OUR SELECTED FARMERS.
OUR SAN MARZANO SEEDLINGS START IN GREENHOUSES UNTIL THEY ARE READY TO PLANT.
THE SAN MARZANO PLANTS ARE HAND TIED AND GROW TO FULL TERM BY JULY.
THE CROP IS HAND PICKED ACCORDING TO OUR STANDARDS.
EACH SAN MARZANO IS THEN HAND SORTED. ONLY THE BEST ARE CHOSEN FOR CANNING.
THE TOMATOES ARE STEAM PEELED AND PACKED FRESH IN BPA FREE CANS.

The San Marzano Tomato

A San Marzano tomato is similar in appearance to a Roma tomato, but thinner and more pointed. The walls of the tomato are much thicker with fewer seeds, which makes San Marzano tomatoes less acidic and sweeter than other tomatoes. These tomatoes are best suited for warmer climates, making the Sarnese Nocerino area of Italy the ideal location to grow them; the rich volcanic soil from Mount Vesuvius supplies the tomato plant with all the nutrients it needs. This area also has a very high water table which ensures the plants get the necessary water supply throughout their growth.

Cento Certified San Marzano Tomatoes are still grown in the traditional method: once the seedlings have matured, the plants are moved to the fields where they are hand-tied to wooden poles. When the tomatoes are vine-ripened, they are picked by hand and ultimately steam peeled and canned for your enjoyment all year long.

Unmatched Certification

Here at Cento, we put our San Marzano Tomatoes through a rigorous set of certification stages to ensure premium quality and authenticity. Year after year we continue to raise the bar for this coveted tomato variety. To view our process and learn more about Cento San Marzano Tomatoes, click below.

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