Barilla Pasta
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Barilla is an Italian multinational food company founded in 1877. It is the world's largest
pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...
producer. The company uses the slogan ''Noi la pasta, tu la fantasia'' ("We have the pasta, you have the imagination").


History

The company was founded in 1877 as a bakery shop in
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
, Italy, by Pietro Barilla Sr. The company expanded in 1908, and in 1910 Barilla inaugurated a new pasta factory equipped with a "continuous baking" oven. After the death of Pietro Barilla Sr., his sons Riccardo and Gualtiero took the reins of the family company, increasing the production and distribution of products, thanks to technological innovations which allowed the company to rapidly transform itself, over the course of the 1920s and 1930s, into the most important bread and pasta company in Emilia-Romagna. In 1919 Gualtiero Barilla died, leaving his brother Riccardo at the helm of the company together with his wife Virginia. In 1947 Riccardo also died and the management passed to his sons Pietro and Gianni, exponents of the third generation. With the advent of the two Barilla brothers, the company experienced a phase of great development, and in 1952 the production of bread was suspended to concentrate solely on pasta. In those years, Barilla quickly transformed itself from a regional company to a company with a strong presence in northern Italy, thanks to the quality of the products, the balanced prices and its innovative capacity, such as the use of
cardboard Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. Their construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard, made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light brown ...
to pack pasta. In 1960 Barilla became a joint-stock company, and in the following years it opened new factories, in Rubbiano, which marked Barilla's entry into the cracker and breadsticks sector, and in Pedrignano, just outside Parma. The company remained in the hands of the Barilla family until 1971 when the American chemical company W. R. Grace acquired a controlling interest. However, Grace left day-to-day control in the hands of Pietro Barilla, grandson and namesake of the company founder. Pietro reacquired control in 1979, and the company has remained privately held ever since. In 1993 Pietro Barilla died at the age of 80 and the management of the company passed to his children
Guido Guido is a given name. It has been a male first name in Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Argentina, the Low Countries, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal and Latin America, as well as other places with migration from those. Regarding origins, there ...
,
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, and
Paolo Paolo is a masculine given name, the Italian language, Italian form of the name Paul (name), Paul. It may refer to: People Art * Paolo Abbate (1884–1973), Italian-American sculptor * Paolo Alboni (1671–1734), Italian painter * Paolo Anton ...
. This led to the fourth Barilla generation, and throughout the nineties the company continued the internationalization process, which began at the beginning of the decade under the management of Pietro, opening in 1999 the first production plant in Iowa, in the United States. This expansion continued with the acquisition of various foreign companies in the food sector, such as the MISKO pasta company in Greece (1991), the Turkish pasta company Filiz Makarna (1994), the Swedish
crispbread Crispbread is a flat and dry type of bread, containing mostly rye flour. Crispbreads are lightweight and keep fresh for a very long time due to their lack of water. Crispbread is a staple food and was for a long time considered a poor man's diet ...
producer
Wasabröd Wasabröd is a Swedish producer of Scandinavian style crispbread (). The Wasabröd company has been in business since 1919, opening its first bakery in the city of Skellefteå. Since 1983 it has been under foreign ownership, first by the Sw ...
(1999), the joint venture with the Mexican Herdez in 2002 (pasta brands Yemina and Vesta). In 2002 Barilla took over the German company Kamps AG, which was then sold to the Czech
Agrofert Agrofert is a Czech Conglomerate (company), conglomerate holding company headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic. It operates agriculture, Food industry, food, Chemical industry, chemical, construction, logistics, forestry, Energy industry, energy ...
in 2013, except for the French soft bread company Harrys, which still belongs to the Barilla Group. In 2007 Barilla opened a second production plant in the United States, in Avon, New York. At the beginning of 2021 Barilla finalized the acquisitions in Canada of the Catelli company (including Lancia) and, in the United Kingdom, of the majority stake in
Pasta Evangelists Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally only made with durum, although ...
, a London-based start-up for the production of fresh pasta for home delivery; operations that mark the international growth of the Barilla Group and its desire to identify and anticipate consumer needs and values around the world. In December 2022 the Group also acquired Back To Nature, a US brand specialising in plant-based, non-GMO products.


Overview

The Barilla family has been at the helm of the company since its foundation in 1877. Barilla Group controls Barilla (multinational pasta maker), Mulino Bianco, GranCereale,
Pan di Stelle Pan or PAN may refer to: Food * Pan (cooking), a piece of cooking equipment * Harina P.A.N., a pre-cooked corn meal * Pan or Paan, a North Indian term for betel Prefix * ''Pan-'', a prefix meaning "all", "of everything", or "involving all m ...
, Pavesi,
Voiello Voiello is an Italian food company based in Torre Annunziata, specialized in pasta manufacturing. It operates under Barilla Group Barilla is an Italian multinational food company founded in 1877. It is the world's largest pasta producer. ...
,
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(Italy), Harrys (France),
Wasabröd Wasabröd is a Swedish producer of Scandinavian style crispbread (). The Wasabröd company has been in business since 1919, opening its first bakery in the city of Skellefteå. Since 1983 it has been under foreign ownership, first by the Sw ...
(Sweden), Catelli (Canada), MISKO (Greece),
Pasta Evangelists Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally only made with durum, although ...
(United Kingdom), Filiz Makarna (Turkey),
Back To Nature The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral c ...
(United States), Yemina (Mexico) trademarks. The group produces many types of
pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...
, and is the world's leading pasta maker with 24.5% of the Italian market. It produces pasta in over 160 shapes and sizes. Barilla brand pasta is sold in numerous restaurants worldwide, such as those belonging to the
Pastamania Pastamania is a Singaporean fast casual restaurant chain that specialises in Italian cuisine. It offers mainly pasta and also sells pizza. Aside from Singapore, the restaurant also has outlets in various other countries. About The first Pastam ...
chain. It is also the leading seller of bakery products in Italy. Through its acquisition of the Swedish company Wasa, it is the world's leading producer of flatbread (a Scandinavian staple), selling 60,000 tons annually. Barilla Group has 30 production sites, 15 in Italy and 15 in the rest of the world: production plants are located in Italy and in Greece, France, Germany, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, the United States (in Ames, Iowa and Avon, New York), Mexico and Canada. The company also operates
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s in Italy, Greece, Sweden, Turkey, the US and Canada. While its central office is in
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
, it has corporate offices in several other countries as well, such as Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the US, Mexico, Brazil, Australia and Japan. Barilla is distributed in the UK by Euro Food Brands Ltd. Barilla's Italian production facilities are located in Parma,
Foggia Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...
, Marcianise,
Castiglione delle Stiviere Castiglione delle Stiviere ( Upper Mantovano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Mantua, in Lombardy, Italy, northwest of Mantua by road. History The town's castle was home to a cadet branch of the House of Gonzaga, headed by the Marq ...
,
Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...
,
Melfi Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Geography On a ...
, Rubbiano,
Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
,
Muggia Muggia (; ; ) is an Italian (municipality) in the Province of Trieste, regional decentralization entity of Trieste, in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia on the border with Slovenia. It has 12,703 inhabitants. Lying on the eastern flank of th ...
and
Ascoli Piceno Ascoli Piceno (; ; ) is a (municipality) and capital of the province of Ascoli Piceno, in the Italy, Italian region of Marche. Geography The town lies at the confluence of the Tronto, River Tronto and the small Castellano (river), River Castell ...
. Its plant in Greece (near Thiva) is the third largest in Europe. The plant where the pasta was made is noted on the packaging by a code letter,Information from Barilla Spaghetti n.5 packaging whereas products made in Italy are explicitly labeled as such. The
wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
used to make the final product is purchased from around the world. In 2023, the company had a turnover of €4.869 billion, with a net profit of 284 million euros. In 2024, Barilla was ranked as the first food company in the 2024 Global RepTrak® 100 rankings for its reputation, securing the 29th position worldwide.


Other activities

In 1987, on the initiative of Pietro Barilla, the Barilla Historical Archive was created to collect, preserve and enhance the company's historical documentation, starting from 1877. The archive is located in the Barilla plant in Pedrignano, near Parma, and it contains over 60,000 documents divided by sector, also including the documentation produced by the brands subsequently incorporated into the company:
Voiello Voiello is an Italian food company based in Torre Annunziata, specialized in pasta manufacturing. It operates under Barilla Group Barilla is an Italian multinational food company founded in 1877. It is the world's largest pasta producer. ...
, Mulino Bianco, Pavesi, Filiz, Wasa, Harrys. On 30 November 1999, the Italian
Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...
declared the Barilla Historical Archive "of remarkable historical interest" because it "bears witness to the development of the food industry in Parma and the evolution of society in Italy". Since 2018 the new internet site is active and available, in which it is possible to visit the different sections of the archive, among which are the photo library and TV advertising with more than 2700 commercials. The Barilla Historical Archive, in 2001, has been among the founding partners of Museimpresa, an Italian association that collects more than 100 members as Museums, Archives and Cultural Institutions and that represents a very useful place for meetings, changes of experiences and knowledge. In 2014, the Barilla Historical Archive contributed to the installation, at Corte di Giarola near
Collecchio Collecchio (Parmigiano dialect, Parmigiano: ) is a town in the province of Parma, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It is located by road southwest of the centre of Parma. A major food-producing area, it is home to multinational Italian dairy and fo ...
(Parma), an ancient 11th century Benedictine Grancia, the Museum of Pasta, with equipment and documents of extraordinary interest, including an entire pasta plant dating back to 1850 and the oldest sample of industrial spaghetti dating back to 1837. The Museum of Pasta is inserted in the circuit of Museums of Food of the province of Parma, as well as the Museum of Tomato, installed in the same Corte di Giarola. In 2009, the BCFN - Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (now "Fondazione Barilla") was established: it is a multidisciplinary, independent think tank working for food sustainability and healthy lifestyles.


Sponsorship and promotion

As of 2020 the 'global testimonial' of the company is
Roger Federer Roger Federer ( , ; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 3 ...
. The company has sponsored the
Italian national basketball team The Italy men's national basketball team () represents Italy in international basketball tournaments. They are administered by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). Italy has qualified for 38 EuroBasket tournaments, winning two gold medals ( ...
on several occasions, as well as the Italian race car driver
Alex Zanardi Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi (; born 23 October 1966) is an Italian professional racing driver and paracyclist. He won the CART championship in 1997 and 1998, and took 15 wins in the series. He also raced in Formula One from 1991 to 1994 and again ...
. Furthermore, Barilla is currently the main sponsor of the US alpine skier
Mikaela Shiffrin Mikaela Pauline Shiffrin (born March 13, 1995) is an American FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, World Cup Alpine skiing, alpine skier who has the most World Cup wins of any alpine skier in history (men or women) and is considered one of the greatest alp ...
and tennis player
Coco Gauff Cori Dionne "Coco" Gauff ( ; born March 13, 2004) is an American professional tennis player. She has a career-high ranking of world No. 2 in singles and of world No. 1 in doubles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Gauff has won ten career ...
. In 2021, Barilla created a Spotify playlist with songs timed just long enough for the perfect pasta. In 2025,
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
announced a partnership with Barilla as the sport's "official pasta partner".


Barilla Hellas A.E.

Barilla Hellas A.E., known by its domestic trade name MISKO (), is a
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
company, owned by Barilla Group, that produces and sells
pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...
in Greece. It also serves other parts of the world, particularly the
Greek diaspora The Greek diaspora, also known as Omogenia (), are the communities of Greeks living outside of Greece and Cyprus. Such places historically (dating to the ancient period) include, Greeks in Albania, Albania, Greeks in North Macedonia, North Maced ...
. MISKO, the largest pasta producer in Greece, was founded in
Piraeus Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...
in 1927 and was acquired by Barilla in 1991, selling Barilla's pasta and sauces along its own product line-up. In 2000, the company built a new production facility in
Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia (; modern Greek, modern: ; ancient Greek, ancient: ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Central Greece (adm ...
which is the third largest in Europe.


Controversies

In 2013, after the chairman Guido Barilla made comments regarding his opposition to adoption by gay families and unwillingness to showcase gay families in his advertisements, some called for a
boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent resistance, nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organisation, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for Morality, moral, society, social, politics, political, or Environmenta ...
against Barilla products. Guido later apologized, and the company began advocating for LGBTQ causes. The company has partnered with the
Reuters Foundation Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
on the OpenlyNews initiative, a global LGBTQ news platform. In 2022, two Americans filed a
class action suit A class action A class action is a form of lawsuit. Class Action may also refer to: * ''Class Action'' (film), 1991, starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio * Class Action (band), a garage house band * "Class Action" (''Teenage R ...
in a California court against Barilla. They accused the company of emphasizing its Italian identity while the majority of its products are manufactured in the United States. Barilla attempted to have the case dismissed, but a judge ruled that the plaintiffs had suffered "economic injury" due to the deceptive advertising.


Russian invasion of Ukraine

In April 2022, Barilla announced the suspension of all new investments and advertising activities in Russia, limiting production to essential food items such as pasta and bread, and committed not to profit from its presence in the country. Despite these measures, Barilla's Russian subsidiary reported a significant increase in financial performance for 2022, with gross profit rising to 3.6 billion rubles from 2.8 billion rubles in 2021, and profit from sales increasing to 1.3 billion rubles from 204.6 million rubles. As of December 2024, Barilla continues its operations in Russia.


References


External links

* {{Authority control Food manufacturers of Italy Multinational companies headquartered in Italy Companies based in Parma Italian pasta companies Italian brands Privately held companies of Italy Italian companies established in 1877 Multinational food companies Conglomerate companies of Italy Food and drink companies established in 1877 Pasta sauce brands