From Ashes to Growth: The New Era of Mancin Nadia

It was 1983 when Nadia Mancin, together with her husband Martino De Agostini, decided to create a company that, over the years, became a leader in fish processing, first appreciated throughout the Po Delta area, and later across Italy.
She gave the company her reversed first and last name and worked there until the end of her days, in that challenging year 2024 for her children – Marco, Michele, and Monica with her husband Fabio Negri – who were reacting with strength to the devastating fire that, in 2023, destroyed a large part of the company in Rivà, a hamlet of Ariano, in the Veneto Polesine area.

The new Mancin Nadia
No panic, just the determination of those who know that working well is too important in life, and the will not to leave anyone behind, fully aware that it was also thanks to them that they had come this far. These were the thoughts of the De Agostini siblings on that January night in 2023 in front of the burning factory.
Generous thoughts that led to a restart as early as the next day, when an agreement was signed for a warehouse to move the saved machinery in order to continue production.
Meanwhile, the restoration work would go ahead to build an even more cutting-edge facility, larger than before, also investing in new markets such as the foodservice sector.
Until that moment, the company had been present in the mass retail channel with a range of products generating a turnover of 17.5 million euros, with 12% coming from exports. With its affiliated company MGIB, which manages a modern purification plant and distributes mussels, clams, cockles, smooth clams, razor clams, and oysters under the Marinsieme Frescovivo brand, revenue rises to 27.5 million euros.

The inauguration of the new facility
On May 30, the inauguration of the new 6,000-square-meter plant took place, preceded a couple of weeks earlier by a press conference and company tour reserved for trade journalists, where Marco De Agostini, CEO of the company, together with his family, Commercial Director Paolo Pavani, Head of Communication and Marketing Gianluigi Veronesi, and Chef Fabio Tacchella, author of the new recipes in distribution, presented the guidelines of the new corporate projects.
"We turned a very serious crisis into a new opportunity for growth," said Marco De Agostini, CEO of Mancin Nadia, "and we did it without leaving anyone behind. No job was lost, and we guaranteed the salaries of all our one hundred employees every month.
The family, with the arrival of the founder’s grandchildren – Martina, Andrea, Giulia, and Lorenzo – can continue to exist, grow, and produce sustainably for many years to come, being at the center of every target market. With these new tools and our usual energy, we now aim for an ambitious goal: to reach 20 million euros in turnover. And to do that, we have decided to open up to the large foodservice market with service products developed by Chef Fabio Tacchella, capable of responding to the new needs of a sector that is suffering from staff shortages.”

Marinated products and new items
“Our marinated products are the modern evolution of the traditional preservation technique typical of the Delta area between Chioggia and Comacchio,” explains Paolo Pavani, Commercial Director of Mancin Nadia. “From eel to oily fish fillets, and seafood salads, marination was the method used to lower the pH and preserve for a long time thanks to a mix of water, vinegar, and salt. Thanks to improvements in the cold chain and packaging techniques, we have refined the marination, making it lighter and more digestible.”
“Today, in fact, the context has radically changed: lighter, healthier, and balanced dishes are preferred; transparency, traceability, and sustainability are sought,” states Gianluigi Veronesi, Head of Marketing and Communication. “According to NielsenIQ 2024, ready and semi-prepared fish-based dishes are constantly growing: +5.6% in value in Italy, with +4.1% in the Ho.Re.Ca. channel and a growing presence in private label lines. Foodservice itself must compensate for the lack of personnel, must be able to manage fixed dish costs, and that’s why the company, as anticipated by Marco De Agostini, has launched a new line of ready-to-eat fish dishes designed to meet the real needs of the Ho.Re.Ca. sector.
The first test products include: Tarantina-style mussels, Marinara mussels, Octopus with potatoes, Cuttlefish with peas, Base Mare. These are highly recognizable dishes, able to guarantee ease of use for the restaurateur and culinary quality for the end customer. We have developed two complementary commercial strategies: a professional line for the Ho.Re.Ca. channel – smart formats, optimized shelf life, versatility in the kitchen. Alongside it, a retail line designed for home consumption, offering a gastronomic experience at home.”

The role of Fabio Tacchella
Fabio Tacchella is one of the most well-known chefs in the professional world, having participated in and won numerous international competitions, and Mancin Nadia entrusted him with the task of developing the ready-to-eat recipes.
“Together with the head of R&D, we created a technical and gastronomic team to create a new line of fifth-range ready meals, conceived specifically for the Ho.Re.Ca. channel. These are traditional seafood dishes designed to meet the growing need for efficiency in professional kitchens while maintaining the values of well-crafted cuisine: taste, recognizability, and respect for the raw ingredient.”

Base Mare
Base Mare by Mancin Nadia is a seafood appetizer that combines the authenticity of fresh mollusks with practicality that revolutionizes the way of cooking.
What are its plus points?

• Time optimization: it eliminates long hours of preparation. Ready to use, allowing the chef to focus on the magic of service and presentation, letting the quality speak for itself.

• Uncompromising quality: each portion is made with carefully selected ingredients. An authentic and genuine experience that enhances the flavor of the sea in every bite.

• Economic savings: it reduces operational costs thanks to simple preparation that also helps contain expenses related to gas consumption and staff, investing in a product that combines excellence and practicality.

Luigi Franchi