Francesco di Mauro, a retired Italian Navy Captain, founded Ittica Alimentare Salerno in Cetara in 1969. His innovation was a steam pasteurizer for glass jars, making the anchovies and tuna visible before purchase, a format so successful it was widely copied across Italy. IASA remains the only Italian producer doing most anchovy work by hand, gutting, salting, and packing each fish individually. Cetara's three siblings, Vincenzo, Salvatore, and Lucia di Mauro, now run production, commercial operations, and exports respectively.