There’s a day we’ve been waiting for, and it has finally come. On Saturday, August 29th, at 8:00 PM, we’re opening the doors of our shop at Via Lago Grande 52, in Ganzirri. This isn’t just a shop opening: it’s the day a bet made years ago, between two friends who grew up on the same shore, finally becomes a place you can walk into.
Two friends, one lake, one bet
Lillo Mangraviti and Salvatore Ruello grew up on the shores of Lago Grande in Ganzirri, in the same village, breathing the same salt air. At some point their paths — different, yet always tied to the same lake — met in an idea as simple as it was ambitious: that what their fathers had done for generations on the lake deserved not just to survive, but to be told to the world. That’s how MA.RU was born — a name that is also a signature: the initials of their surnames, Mangraviti and Ruello, joined in a single project.
Lillo’s roots, Salvatore’s rigor
Lillo is the fourth generation of a family of “cocciulari” — clam farmers: he learned to read the lake before he could read words, and carries with him the artisanal knowledge, patience, and community ties passed down through generations. Salvatore, a civil engineer, chose to put his training at the service of the same lake he grew up watching: rigor, method, and a vision of blockchain traceability that guarantees, product by product, exactly where what reaches your table comes from. Two different worlds, one single bet: growing the territory while staying true to how it has always been done — but telling that story with today’s tools.
The day we’ve been waiting for: Saturday, August 29th, 8:00 PM
We invite you to experience it live, with us. At 8:00 PM sharp, we will officially open the MA.RU shop at Via Lago Grande 52, in Ganzirri, and with it launch our brand-new website, live for everyone from that moment on. It will be an evening of celebration, open to anyone curious to get to know our story — and the story of the people behind it.
Live show cooking: our bet, told through the senses
Words alone can never fully capture a flavour. That’s why, for our grand opening, the MA.RU staff will prepare a genuine live show cooking right in front of you: a story told through gestures, through the aromas rising from the pan, through the same artisanal care Lillo and Salvatore put into every single crate they pack.
Free tasting: the Rizza, the Fimminedda, the Cocciula — and the Strait’s fresh catch
All guests will be treated to a free tasting of the dishes prepared during the show cooking: the Rizza di Ganzirri (Tapes decussatus), the Fimminedda (Donax trunculus) and the Cocciula (Ruditapes decussatus), hand-harvested every day by the Cooperativa dei Molluschicoltori di Ganzirri, our long-standing partner on the lake. Alongside the lake’s products, our shop also carries fresh catch from the Strait of Messina, strictly seasonal: only what the sea offers at a given time of year, with no shortcuts.
More than a shop: the new MA.RU website goes live
Starting Saturday, August 29th, you’ll also be among the first to explore our brand-new website, where you can read Lillo and Salvatore’s story, get to know the products of the Lake and of the Strait up close, and — for those who can’t make it to the shop in person — order our frozen product with shipping across Italy, traced from crate to plate thanks to blockchain. Fresh product, in strictly limited quantities, will remain, as always, exclusive to those who visit us in person.
We’re waiting for you
Saturday, August 29th, 8:00 PM, at Via Lago Grande 52, in Ganzirri. Bring your appetite, your curiosity, and your interest in the people behind MA.RU. Follow us on Instagram (@ma.ru_srl) or our Facebook page, or message us at +39 380 697 6792: we’re waiting for you with open arms, and the table already set.
