Biscottificio Antonio Mattei

Biscottificio Antonio Mattei was founded in 1858 in Prato, Tuscany, by Antonio Mattei, who is credited with developing the recipe for the almond biscuit now known across Italy as biscotti di Prato or cantuccini. The recipe won prizes at international exhibitions in Florence in 1861, London in 1862 and Paris in 1867, establishing the Prato bakery's reputation well beyond Tuscany within its first decade. The business has kept Mattei's name even though his direct family line did not continue it: the Pandolfini family took over the bakery in 1908 and has run it ever since, guarding the original recipe as a family secret while introducing additional Tuscan sweet specialties over the following century. The bakery still operates from the same historic building in central Prato that it has occupied since 1858. In 2018 the company opened a Bottega & Museum in Florence, extending its retail and storytelling presence beyond Prato and offering tastings alongside its traditional almond biscuits, torrone and other confections. In 2019 it trademarked a specific shade of blue — 'Blu Mattei' — as a distinctive packaging color unique to the company, formalizing more than 160 years of visual identity around its signature product.