Food service
What's the largest catering size for tomato paste?
Our largest catering-size tomato paste is Zer Tomato Paste from Türkiye in a 4.5 kg tin, packed 3 to a case. It's the genuine high-volume option in the range, sized for a restaurant, catering kitchen or central production facility running sauces, stews and marinades daily rather than a smaller kitchen using paste occasionally.
This page covers the full Zer tin lineup leading up to the 4.5 kg size, who actually needs that scale versus a smaller format, and how to handle a tin that large once it's opened.
The Zer tin lineup
Zer Tomato Paste is made from in-season tomatoes at the producer's Bursa, Aydın and Manisa facilities. If your kitchen's draw doesn't yet justify the 4.5 kg tin, Lio's glass-jar range tops out lower but still scales to a 3070 g resealable jar — see tomato paste in glass jars for that comparison.
| Size | Case pack | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| 400 g | Case of 24 | Standard kitchen use |
| 800 g | Case of 12 | Busier kitchen, still moderate volume |
| 4.5 kg | Case of 3 | High-volume catering, daily sauce and stew production |
Who actually needs the 4.5 kg size
The 4.5 kg tin makes sense once a kitchen's weekly paste use genuinely supports opening and finishing a container that large without it sitting around losing quality — a shawarma or grill restaurant making sauces and marinades daily, or a catering operation cooking for volume, are the typical fit. A café or small kitchen using paste occasionally is usually better served by a smaller tin or a resealable glass jar, even though the per-kilogram case cost on the larger tin looks more efficient on paper.
Matching size to actual weekly draw, not just theoretical value, is the same planning logic covered in tomato paste: glass jars vs tins for the trade, which goes deeper into sizing a purchase to real kitchen volume.
Handling a large tin once opened
Once a 4.5 kg tin is open, it shouldn't sit open and in contact with its own metal for extended storage — decant what won't be used within a day or two into a sealed, non-reactive container and refrigerate. Portioning a large tin into smaller working containers as it's used keeps the bulk of the tin fresher for longer than repeatedly reopening the original.
Order the size that fits your kitchen into an inquiry alongside the rest of your pantry — sauces, olives and dried herbs from the same catalogue — and it comes back as one written quotation, typically within a business day.
Related questions
Is 4.5 kg really the largest tomato paste tin you carry?
Yes, that's the largest currently stocked. If a job needs something even larger, note it in your inquiry and we'll look at what our supplier houses can source.
How should a 4.5 kg tin be stored once opened?
Decant what won't be used within a day or two into a sealed, non-reactive container and refrigerate, rather than leaving the paste in the open tin for extended storage.
Is 4.5 kg tomato paste more economical than smaller sizes?
It's typically more efficient per kilogram, but only if your kitchen's usage genuinely supports finishing a container that size at a reasonable pace — otherwise a smaller tin or resealable glass jar keeps the product fresher.
Can I order the 4.5 kg tin alongside smaller Zer sizes?
Yes — a kitchen sometimes stocks both, using the 4.5 kg tin for peak-volume periods and a smaller tin for slower weeks. Both combine on the same inquiry.