For almost six decades, the name Rega is synonymous with a deep bond between land, family and tradition—a link with roots that sink into the volcanic soil of Campania. Founded in 1965 in Striano, in the province of Naples, from a small farm the reality has become one of the main producers of San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes, today celebrated by chefs, pizza makers and professionals of the sector. Luigi Rega is the third generation of the family and the entrepreneurial mind behind Rega USA. With a vision that blends inheritance and innovation, Rega has built an American presence considered a reference point for authenticity, quality and integrity.
What is the inspiration behind the company?
Rega was founded in 1965, when my grandfather, Luigi Rega, began his agricultural activity as a farmer with my grandmother. They had the intuition of combining their experiences and creating a small artisan company in Striano, at the foot of Vesuvius, in a naturally fertile and ideal area to produce San Marzano DOP tomatoes. I grew up in the family business with my cousins, breathing every day the culture of our territory and the meaning of hard work. Driven by my grandfather and my father, I always knew I wanted to bring my family history to the world.
My initial inspiration stems from the deep sense of belonging I felt towards our company—through a name that, little by little, began to expand internationally. In 1999, my father began traveling and exporting our products to the United States, building friendships and a network of customers in the American market. As a child I accompanied him to New York in summer, sitting silently in meetings, absorbing everything. I watched him explain what San Marzano tomatoes really were, defend authenticity and create confidence.
I followed his footsteps and, thanks to his guide—from the early years in which I accompanied him to the trade fairs here—we founded REGA USA in 2010, to strengthen the presence and expansion of the name Rega in the US market. Today my father is no longer with us, but I want to emphasize that he was the real pioneer. Every day I continue to carry out his teachings, as a man and as an entrepreneur, continuing what was our common project and expanding it with new innovations, always keeping faithful to our roots.
When did you decide to found Rega USA and what was the turning point that changed the company’s international trajectory?
The turning point was to transform REGA USA from a simple business—initially managed only by me— into a fully structured organization, with warehouses and offices on the East Coast and the West Coast, dedicated logistics and a direct presence in various areas of the United States.
This structure has allowed us to support our tomatoes other essential brands, such as Latteria Sorrentina—leader in the dairy sector and producer of the authentic Neapolitan fiordilatte—as well as the best Italian flours. In this way we offer a complete range of products to chefs and pizzerias through our distributors.
I wanted to create a company that embodied everything in which he believed: transparency, authenticity, respect for customers and the courage to innovate without abandoning tradition.
The opening of the first warehouse on the East Coast gave us immediate operational stability. The opening of the second on the West Coast doubled our capacity and allowed us to ensure freshness, efficiency and rapid delivery—three essential factors in the US food industry.
Participating in trade fairs and events gave us further momentum: we built a REGA Team composed of pizza makers, a sales team that supports our distributors and a future-oriented marketing department. Over time, that seed has become what Rega USA is today: a solid organization with warehouses, offices, a logistics network and a reputation that honors the legacy I have received.
We are constantly looking for new talents to expand both the commercial network and the marketing department.
What were the biggest challenges you faced along the way?
At first, the main challenge was to make people understand the difference between a really Italian product and one that only imitates it. We focused on transparency: tell the story of our chain, our territory and the certifications that guarantee authenticity.
Another great challenge was international logistics—variable costs, customs bureaucracy, local competitors and other companies that had already targeted the American market before us.
From 2010 to today we have faced very difficult times, such as the explosion of container prices during COVID and, more recently, the strong increase of new duties. These changes forced us to make important decisions without the time necessary to plan: build stock in the United States, manage cash flow and above all ensure continuity to our customers while maintaining uninterrupted service and initially absorbing much of the increases internally.
Today we have finally returned to a more stable situation, and our customers have chosen to continue buying quality products—even at a higher price.
Finally, internal growth was a challenge to itself. Building a reliable business network and maintaining high standards in such a competitive market requires passion, dedication and deep bond with our roots. It is not a job you can improvise, and today it is not easy to find people who really believe in what they do. The sense of belonging is essential.
How does the involvement of your family at every stage of the process affect quality and authenticity of Rega products?
Our philosophy stems from the origin and history of our territory. We only use Italian raw materials, processed according to tradition and without shortcuts. Every product comes from an authentic bond with the land that generates it, and we honor it at every stage.
Rega’s strength lies in a real enlarged family that over the years has specialized in different areas: some manage the production, others—like me—the commercial part, and my cousins founded a farm dedicated to the harvest of fresh tomatoes and the San Marzano DOP. It is a force that few can boast.
Our family structure is not symbolic—it is real. Rega is really a multigenerational commitment in which each branch of the family plays a vital role. Me, my sisters and my cousins have not inherited “positions”: we have inherited responsibility. Growing up in the company meant learning how each area worked, not because it was required, but because it was part of our identity.
Being part of Rega means being part of a chain that begins in the fields and arrives in kitchens all over the world.
What makes our structure unique is how we share responsibility. Some family members manage the business side, others oversee industrial operations, others still lead the agricultural division dedicated to cultivation and harvesting. This distribution is not simply functional: it creates a rare integration level. We do not follow fashions; We follow principles rooted in decades of experience. This sense of responsibility guides our choice.
Speaking of production: San Marzano D.O.P. tomato is central in your identity. Why is she so unique?
San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes are unique because they represent a perfect synthesis of geography, history and human knowledge. They grow exclusively in a very limited area of Campania called Agro Nocerino-Sarnese, which includes 41 municipalities. This area is located on a volcanic soil enriched over the centuries by the eruptions of Vesuvius. The mineral composition of the soil, combined with a microclimate influenced by the proximity of the sea and the surrounding mountains, creates ideal conditions for a naturally sweet tomato, rich in pulp and poor of water.
But soil and climate are just a part of history. San Marzano is unique thanks to the people who cultivate it. Generations of farmers have preserved cultivation methods that have not changed much in recent decades. Still today, tomatoes are collected by hand in precise ripening moments, ensuring a quality that industrial processes cannot replicate.
D.O.P. certification is not a marketing label: is a guarantee that everything—from seed to harvest to transformation—take strict rules.
Rega is among the leading producers of San Marzano D.O.P., and with this role comes a responsibility that we take very seriously.
What role do they play in the future of Rega?
Sustainability is no longer an option—it is an obligation. For us it begins with respect for the land that supports our family for generations.
Two years ago we acquired a second production plant in Benevento, Italy, which allowed us to improve efficiency, reduce waste and expand our line while maintaining strict control over quality and environmental impact. From bald tomato to San Marzano DOP, tomatoes, to biological versions—a project on which we are focusing more and more.
Being certified bio is a great strength: We respect the land and we take into account the well-being of the consumer.
One of our main goals for the future is the expansion of the organic line. Our bio range includes peels, tomatoes, glass past, fine pulp, Piennolo tomatoes and ready sauces such as marinara and garlic sauce.
We also completed an important redesign of the Rega brand. The new design better reflects our identity—modern, clean, respectful of tradition but in line with today’s aesthetic expectations.
My greatest desire is that future generations of my family—and our clients—look at Rega and see not only a brand, but a commitment to doing things right, with respect for the past and trust in the future.
What are the key factors that distinguish Rega in following the Italian tradition?
Our strengths are origin, quality, reliability—and especially people. All our products are made in Italy, coming from subsidiaries such as organic tomatoes and territories naturally suited to their cultivation, such as Agro Sarnese-Nocerino for San Marzano DOP.
Quality is constant and uncompromising, the result of meticulous work that begins in the fields and comes to the consumer.
But Rega’s real strength is people: an enlarged family composed of farmers, producers, collaborators, pizza makers and distributors who bring passion, dedication and sense of responsibility in their work every single day. Without them, none of our results would be possible.
For me this is not only a company: it is the history of my family, the result of the sacrifices of my grandfather and my father, and the responsibility to carry out a name that represents our territory.
Every day I try to honor what they taught me: work with humility, respect the earth and build something that lasts over time.
If Rega is recognized in the United States today, it is thanks to people who believe in our project and share the same love for this work. It is thanks to them if we continue to grow, remaining faithful to our roots.
The industry is moving towards authenticity, simple ingredients and traceability. Consumers want real products and a genuine story. I think the future will reward companies that invest in quality and territory.
We keep the Italian tradition alive respecting the origin of our products and the way they are realized. We do not adapt our recipes for the American market: what comes to the United States is exactly what we produce and consume in Italy.
L’articolo Rega: a family story born in the shadow of Vesuvius proviene da IlNewyorkese.
