It all began with an almond. A small fruit, shiny and spotless like a pearl. A symbol of Sicilian flavour, perfectly balanced between sweetness and crunchiness. The Sicilian pastry shop Tomarchio was founded in the late 1950s, but in those days it was just a company specialising in processing dried fruit. Then flour came along the hands of the first pastry chefs, and fresh eggs. Children, grandchildren, cousins ready to taste. Lips smeared with chocolate, pistachio smiles. And finally the legendary “Tortina“. One of the first “merendina“ in 1960s Italy.

Since then, Tomarchio has come a long way. And a long time has passed. The children have grown up, workshops have expanded. The baker's confectionery tradition and the secrets of Sicilian confectionery have been passed on from one generation to the next. 'It's always the same, as good as ever', the families who have been buying our “tortina” for so many years proudly tell us. But it is not. It has been improved, it has become better, healthier, fresher. We work every day, and a lot, to make this happen. Everything gets better, without ever changing. We do this with the “tortina” and with all our other products. Our Sicilian pastry shop today produces biscuits, almond pastries, torroncini, mouth-watering pastries.

Some of the old machines, true works of art, are still in operation. Others, replaced by more advanced and safer systems, are displayed in our shops like works of art in a museum. We know how important our past is, we love our present, but we always look toward the future. Even now that we have grown, however, we continue to cherish the almond and still treat it like a jewel.