Pennsylvania Macaroni Company

What Pennsylvania Macaroni Company does

Pennsylvania Macaroni Company (Penn Mac) is a third-generation, family-owned specialty Italian food retailer founded in 1902 by Augustino, Salvatore, and Michael Sunseri, immigrants from Trabia, Sicily. The company operates a single flagship retail store at 2010 Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh's Strip District alongside a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at pennmac.com, shipping perishable and non-perishable Italian specialty goods to addresses across the continental United States (excluding Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, APO, and PO boxes). Its catalog exceeds 5,000 SKUs spanning imported and domestic gourmet cheeses (including Auricchio Provolone), imported dried, fresh, and gluten-free pasta (including Dal Raccolto), olive oils and vinegars, San Marzano tomatoes and pasta sauces, deli meats and charcuterie, preserved vegetables, coffee and beverages, pizza-making supplies, gift boxes and gift cards, party trays for catering, and an adjacent home winemaking supplies category featuring carboys, corks, and pre-order fresh Chilean wine juice. The company also distributes a private label line, Penn Mac's, of pasta sauces (Marinara, Artichoke, Mushroom, Pepper Sweet and Spicy, San Marzano, Tomato Basil, Vodka).

The business makes money through three primary revenue streams: in-store retail sales at the Strip District location, direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales shipped Monday through Thursday (with perishable items in styrofoam coolers with ice and dry ice, carrying a $7.75 cooler charge), and gift box sales (priced at $8.00 per box). Pricing is unit-based with no formal tiers, with individual SKUs ranging from $0.25 (corks) to $75.00 (glass carboy), Penn Mac's branded sauces priced at $7.95-$11.99, and a 5lb bag of pasta at $49.75. Sales tax is charged only on non-food items in Pennsylvania. Distribution is omnichannel but localized: a single physical retail location complemented by national DTC e-commerce, curbside pickup (Tuesday through Saturday with noon cutoff for next-day fulfillment), Monthly Clubs subscription service, and catering/party tray offerings. Marketing is primarily conducted through pennmac.com, email, and Facebook organic social, with phone and email customer service.

The customer base is a long tail of individual consumers (Italian cooking enthusiasts, home chefs, foodies, gift shoppers, home winemakers) augmented by a secondary B2B segment of restaurants, delis, and catering operations procuring Italian ingredients. The company holds no patents, has no disclosed external funding, has no parent company, and has made no acquisitions; it remains wholly under Sunseri family control. Operations are limited to a single retail location with no international physical footprint and no third-party marketplace presence beyond its own pennmac.com storefront.

Name

Pennsylvania Macaroni Company

Legal name

Pennsylvania Macaroni Company Inc.

Website

https://pennmac.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pennsylvania Macaroni Company is a third-generation, family-owned specialty Italian food retailer and e-commerce operator based in Pittsburgh, serving individual consumers, gift shoppers, food service businesses, and home winemakers across the continental United States with over 5,000 imported and domestic Italian specialty SKUs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Italian Food Retail

NAICS

Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), Specialty Food Retailers (4452), All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298)

SIC

Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Imported & Regional Specialty Food Stores (CRAHAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mediterranean/Greek/Italian/Spanish Grocery Stores (CRAHAFAJ)

Keywords

• Italian specialty foods
• Gourmet cheese retail
• Imported Italian pasta
• Home winemaking supplies
• Italian gift baskets

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Store Sales: In-store sales of Italian specialty foods including cheeses, deli meats, olive oils, vinegars, pasta, sauces, and more from the physical retail location in Pittsburgh's Strip District. The store features live 'Now Serving' video at cheese and deli counters.
2. E-commerce Sales: Online sales through pennmac.com with shipping Monday through Thursday. Perishable items shipped in styrofoam coolers with ice and dry ice. Non-perishable items ship via standard carriers. Sales tax charged only on non-food items.
3. Gift Box Sales: Sale of gift boxes (14in X 10in X 11in) for $8.00, allowing customers to send curated Italian food gift packages to recipients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pennsylvania Macaroni Company retails a curated catalog of over 5,000 authentic Italian specialty food products — including imported and domestic gourmet cheeses, fresh and dried Italian pasta, olive oils, vinegars, San Marzano tomatoes, house-brand Penn Mac's pasta sauces, deli meats, charcuterie, olives, artichokes, coffee, beverages, and home winemaking supplies/Chilean wine juice — through a flagship brick-and-mortar store in Pittsburgh's Strip District and a national e-commerce site (pennmac.com). The company also sells gift boxes, gift cards, monthly subscription clubs, and catering-style party trays and sandwich platters.

Product overview

Pennsylvania Macaroni Company (Penn Mac) operates a specialty Italian food retail and e-commerce business with over 5,000 specialty products. The core offering is an online store (pennmac.com) with physical retail location in Pittsburgh's Strip District. The product portfolio centers on Italian imports including gourmet cheeses (Auricchio Provolone, specialty Italian varieties), imported pasta (fresh, dried, and gluten-free including Dal Raccolto), olive oils and vinegars, tomatoes and pasta sauces (featuring Penn Mac's house-brand sauces including Marinara, Artichoke, Mushroom, Pepper Spicy/Sweet, San Marzano, Tomato Basil, and Vodka), deli meats and charcuterie, wine making supplies and Chilean wine juice for home winemaking, coffee and beverages, artichokes and vegetables (Roland, Cara Mia brands), gift boxes and cards, party trays for catering, and pizza baking supplies. Services include curbside pickup and monthly subscription clubs. Founded in 1902 by the Sunseri family, the company emphasizes authentic Italian specialty foods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Penn Mac's: Company's house brand of pasta sauces including Marinara, Artichoke, Mushroom, Pepper Spicy, Pepper Sweet, San Marzano, Tomato Basil, and Vodka sauces.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Trader Joe's: Trader Joe's is a national specialty/gourmet grocery chain with strong private-label Italian product lines, frozen meals, and gift-able pantry items. Overlaps with Penn Mac on Italian specialty assortment and gift-friendly packaging, but at massive multi-store scale.
• Sur La Table: Sur La Table is a national kitchen and specialty food retailer carrying Italian-imported pantry items, olive oils, gift baskets, and cooking supplies. Comparable to Penn Mac on gift-box and specialty Italian pantry assortment, though its primary identity is kitchenware rather than imported food.
• Whole Foods Market: Whole Foods is a national premium/specialty grocery chain carrying extensive Italian cheese, olive oil, pasta, and sauce assortments. Comparable to Penn Mac as a specialty food retailer, though it operates broadly across many cuisines rather than specializing in Italian imports.

Direct peers

• Di Bruno Bros. Philadelphia-based Italian specialty food retailer with a flagship store, e-commerce site, cheese and deli counters, gift baskets, and curated imported Italian assortment. Closest operational and category analog to Penn Mac — single-region Italian deli/cheese/specialty retailer with national shipping.
• Zingerman's: Ann Arbor-based specialty food retailer and mail-order business offering cheeses, deli meats, oils, vinegars, and gift baskets across an own-brand portfolio. Comparable to Penn Mac as a specialty deli/cheese retailer with national e-commerce, gift offerings, and deep assortment curation.
• Gustiamo: Gustiamo is an online-only importer and retailer of authentic Italian specialty foods (olive oils, tomatoes, cheeses, pasta) sourced directly from small Italian producers. Comparable to Penn Mac's imported Italian specialty catalog, but operates digitally without a physical storefront.
• Italian Harvest: Italian Harvest is an online retailer specializing in imported Italian pantry staples, oils, vinegars, sauces, and gift assortments. Comparable to Penn Mac in Italian-specialty e-commerce focus and gift-box merchandising.
• Goldbelly: Goldbelly is a curated online marketplace for iconic regional and specialty foods, including Italian imports, gift boxes, and meal kits shipped nationwide. Comparable to Penn Mac as a specialty food e-commerce and gift-box destination serving a national customer base.
• Eataly: Eataly is a global Italian marketplace combining retail, restaurants, and cooking schools selling imported Italian cheeses, pasta, olive oils, sauces, and gift items. Directly comparable to Penn Mac's imported Italian specialty assortment and experiential retail format, though at substantially larger multi-location scale.

Regional players

• Pastosa Ravioli: Pastosa Ravioli is a New Jersey-based Italian specialty food maker and retailer offering fresh pasta, sauces, cheeses, deli items, and gift packages. Comparable to Penn Mac's Italian deli/specialty focus, but operates primarily in the NY/NJ metro and does not directly compete in Penn Mac's Pittsburgh geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PennMac/live
• Facebookfacebook.com/PennsylvaniaMacaroniCompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pennsylvania-macaroni-company

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pennsylvania Macaroni Company