“Drago Conserve” was founded on September 28, 1929, in Syracuse, a city renowned for its ancient tuna fishing tradition. The visionary behind it was great-grandfather Sebastiano Drago, who decided to preserve seafood to make it accessible in every season. Among the first in Italy to can the prized Mediterranean tuna, “Drago Conserve” has made quality its primary mission since its inception. Initially, the target market was end consumers. In those years, processed tuna was placed in large cans, filled with olive oil, and sealed. This allowed the tuna to be preserved well beyond the usual consumption standards of fresh tuna.
In the 1960s, the company, now under the management of Sebastiano’s son Francesco, moved to a larger facility and then, in 1991, to its current plant on Via Stentinello in the industrial area of the city, under the guidance of his son Giuseppe. During this period, “Drago Conserve” entered the large-scale retail trade, which today significantly impacts the overall turnover. Over the years, with the entry of the sons Pierpaolo and Alessandro into the business, “Drago Conserve” has expanded its production structure and catalog from generation to generation.
In 2017, following further expansion of the facilities, the company embarked on a path of revision and modernization aimed at consolidating its position in the seafood preserves sector. This led to the need for a simpler, unique, and easily recognizable image, resulting in the creation of a new logo that immediately evokes the sea, specifically the wave. A comprehensive graphic restyling was carried out to modernize the product and bring the brand closer to younger consumers. The graphics were completely overhauled to stand out on the shelves while improving the consumer’s purchasing experience. To this end, few but identifiable colors were chosen, and only clear information was included. At the same time, the technical features of the jars and cans, which ensure the product’s absolute integrity against any external agents and a shelf life of up to 3 years, remained unchanged.
Since 1929, “Drago Conserve” has refined its production techniques without ever losing sight of its great tradition. The first traps have been replaced by modern tools, but nothing has been sacrificed from the heritage of tradition and experience accumulated over nearly 100 years. In recent years, the fourth generation, led by Alessandro and Pierpaolo Drago, has been a strong driving force for the company’s growth, focusing on internationalization and positioning it as one of the most important production realities in the sector.
“We run a company made prosperous over nearly a century by our predecessors, and we are strongly determined to make it grow even further,” explains Pierpaolo Drago, the company’s sales manager. “Our goals are ambitious, and to achieve them, the only way is to always focus on the quality historically guaranteed to our customers.”
“Our 95 candles,” says Alessandro Drago, the company’s marketing and communication manager, “are not a point of arrival but a new beginning. We have a great responsibility towards our workers, the main creators of Drago’s quality, and towards all the customers who trustingly choose our products every day.”
“Drago Conserve” thus looks ahead without ever forgetting its past, treasuring its history with the aim of fostering development in its land. Because it is not enough to do business in a “healthy” way, one must also be able to generate transformations for future generations.