Barilla since 1877

Barilla is the leader in the World pasta market, in pasta sauces in continental Europe, in bakery products in Italy and in crispbreads in Scandinavia.

Barilla group: 137 years of history

For Barilla, everything begins with wheat: the pasta it makes and has been been making with passion for more than 135 years contains the best grains, grown in the same countries where the pasta is manufactured.
Barilla has always had a direct relationship with farmers, a choice that overtime has allowed the company to obtain the best raw materials.
Pasta has been the queen of Barilla's products since 1877, when Pietro Barilla opened his shop in the center of Parma, where he also made bread. Over the years the company enriched its products portfolio by adding cookies, mini cakes, bread sticks, and pasta sauces. To keep up with modern times, Barilla also brought pasta as a ready meal to several countries. The mediterranean diet is the lighthouse that guides Barilla's choices: 'Give people food that your would give to your own children', said Pietro Barilla, father of Guido, Luca and Paolo, who currently run the company. Barilla's industrial story began in 1910, when the first factory opened. And as far back as the 50s the company was already the market leader in Italy for pasta. In 1975 the bakery line was launched, the italian breakfast. Today Barilla can count on over 135 years of experience with 30 plants worldwide.

the years the company enriched its products portfolio by adding cookies, mini cakes, bread sticks, and pasta sauces. To keep up with modern times, Barilla also brought pasta as a ready meal to several countries.
The mediterranean diet is the lighthouse that guides Barilla's choices: 'Give people food that your would give to your own children', said Pietro Barilla, father of Guido, Luca and Paolo, who currently run the company.
Barilla's industrial story began in 1910, when the first factory opened. And as far back as the 50s the company was already the market leader in Italy for pasta. In 1975 the Mulino Bianco bakery line was launched, the italian breakfast. Today Barilla can count on over 135 years of experience with 30 plants worldwide.

'We consider the company’s position not as a personal privilege, but as a responsibility for the transmission of values, behaviors and skills that must be nurtured over time for the generations to come.' - Guido, Luca and Paolo Barilla

Good for you, good for the planet

What the world calls 'sustainability', for Barilla is a unique and distinctive way of doing business: Good for You, Good for the Planet.
This is a strong identity that expresses the company’s contribution to the sustainable development of communities and the planet, an expression of scrupulous attention to the quality of products and processes that are carried out every day at Barilla.

360° quality is Barilla's way of doing business, from seeds to crops. from developing new products, to investing in the local territories.
The company's mission is to help people to live better, by bringing wellbeing and the joy of eating well into their everyday lives.
In 2009 Barilla found the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition and came to the conclusion that real quality is obtained when the food one produces is good both for people and for the planet. The Barilla center breakthrough was to put the traditional food pyramid next to the environmental pyramid which illustrates the impact of food production and consumption on the environment. in a nutshell, fruits, vegetables and cereal based products, such as pasta, have the lowest impact on the environment.

Barilla has committed on the health level as well: salt, fat and sugar reduction; hydrogenated fats elimination; wholegrain cereals increase.

A little bit of history

1877 - The Barilla story begins with Pietro Barilla Sr in a bread and pasta shop in Parma, Italy.

1910-1946 - Riccardo Barilla, son of Pietro, at the helm of the company. First pasta factory and first trademark.

1947-1978 - Pietro & Gianni Barilla take the reins of the company, developing modern production and marketing systems. In 1971 the Company is divested to the U.S. multinational Grace.

1979-1993 - Pietro Barilla

returns to the helm of the Barilla Group. Industrial strategy and leadership in Italy.

1993 - Guido, Luca and Paolo Barilla take the leadership of the company.

1994-2003 - Internationalization process with acquisition of important brands: Filiz, Wasa, Kamps, Harry’s.

2004 - Inauguration of Academia Barilla. 2009 Launch of the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition.

2012 - Inauguration of the new Sauces Plant in Rubbiano (Parma, Italy).

2013 - The year of Brazil and launch of gluten-free products.