Our company
Who are we?
Born as a family-run business, at Capua 1880 we are proud to have reached an international caliber thanks to our industry-recognised expertise and knowledge of everything citrus, built across 5 generations.
We’re proud to be long-standing members and supporters of our industry’s most important associations, such as IFEAT and EFEO, and to have been contributing since over a century (and counting!) to the growth of the Citrus and F&F industry worldwide, while retaining the reliability and the customer-centric focus that are typical of a family-run company.
Five generations since 1880
At our headquarters we proudly show the portraits of our ancestors all the way back to our “founding fathers”, Caterina and Domenico Capua, who in 1880 opened the first factory in Reggio Calabria to produce essential oils for the Paris and Grasse perfumers.
The plant was heavily destroyed by the infamous “Strait of Messina” earthquake in 1908, which completely devastated the cities of Reggio and Messina. Unfortunately, Caterina and Domenico perished too. Their surviving son, Vincenzo Capua (2nd generation), had the strength to rebuild the business and steer it towards a more industrial structure, expanding the essential oils range from just bergamot to all citrus fruits.
Domenico “Mimmo” Capua took over in 1946, representing the 3rd generation of the family to successfully guide the company, alongside Pina, his wife. Mimmo and Pina were crucial in saving and relaunching the company after the difficult period of WWII. Pina is currently Honorary Chairman of the company – it is so inspiring to see her still coming to the office everyday.
In the 80s, Mimmo handed over the reins to his son Gianfranco Capua (4th generation), although he continued working and traveling until the very last. In the 90s, Gianfranco reshaped the company with his visionary, future-oriented approach: he saw the potential of new technologies, and was able to place Capua 1880 at the heart of the industry internationally. In recognition for his contributions, Gianfranco was knighted “Cavaliere del Lavoro” by the Italian Presidente della Repubblica in 2019.
Currently, Gianfranco is Chairman of the Board, at the helm of the company alongside his sons Giandomenico and Rocco Capua, the 5th generation and co-CEOs, who have grown up breathing the air inside the business since a young age. They are currently fully hands-on across all aspects of the company.
Our history perfectly reflects the core values that we put in our products: passion, commitment, resilience, reliability, quality and vision.
