Barilla (company)

The company was founded in 1877 as a bakery shop in Parma, 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, to the balanced prices and to its innovative capacity, such as the use of cardboard 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.[3]

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.[4]

In 1993 Pietro Barilla died at the age of 80 and the management of the company passed to his sons Guido, Luca, Paolo and Emanuela. This led to the fourth Barilla generation, and throughout the nineties the Company continued the internationalization process begun 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 (1994), the Swedish crispbread producer Wasabröd (1999), the joint venture with the Mexican Herdez in 2002 (pasta brands Yemina and Vesta).[5] In 2002 Barilla took over the German company Kamps AG, which was then sold to the Czech Agrofert in 2013, except for the soft bread company Harrys, which still belongs to the Barilla Group.[6] In 2007 Barilla opened a second production plant in the United States, in Avon, New York.

Since December 2013, in order to have a direct relationship with the American customers, the company has opened some restaurants ("Casa Barilla") in the United States: the first was in New York, the second in California.[7]

The Barilla family has been at the helm of the company for over 143 years. Barilla Group controls Barilla (multinational pasta maker), Cucina Barilla, Mulino Bianco, Gran Cereale, Pan di Stelle, Pavesi, Voiello, First and Academia Barilla (Italy), Harrys (France), Wasabröd (Sweden), MISKO (Greece), Filiz (Turkey), Casa Barilla (United States), Yemina and Vesta (Mexico) trademarks.

The group produces many kinds of pasta, and is the world's leading pasta maker with 40–45% of the Italian market and 35% of the US market.[8] 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 chain.[9] 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.[10] The company markets pasta in the US as being Italian ("An Italian Favorite" marketing) in flavour, but most of the product in the United States is actually made in Iowa or New York and not Italy. The wheat used is mainly local.

Barilla Group has 29 production sites, 15 in Italy and 14 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), and Mexico. The company also operates mills in Italy, Greece, Sweden, Turkey, and the US. While its central office is in Parma, 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, Marcianise, Castiglione delle Stiviere, Cremona, Melfi, Rubbiano, Novara, Muggia[11] and Ascoli Piceno.[12] Its plant in Greece (near Thiva) is the third largest in Europe.[13] The plant where the pasta was made is noted on the packaging by a code letter,[14] whereas products made in Italy are explicitly labeled as such.[15] The wheat used to make the final product is purchased from around the world.[15]

In 2018, the Company had a turnover of €3.483 billion, with a net profit of 251 million euros. In 2019, turnover was €3.627 billion (with an increase of 4% compared to the previous year), while net profit reached € 267 million (+6% on 2018).[1]

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,[16] some called for a boycott against Barilla products.[17][18][19] Guido later apologized[20] and the company began advocating for LGBT causes.[21][22][23]

Barilla penne

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 about 50,000 pieces divided by sector, also including the documentation produced by the brands subsequently incorporated into the company: Mulino Bianco, Pavesi and Voiello.[24]

In 2009, the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN) was established: BCFN is a multidisciplinary, independent think tank working for food sustainability and healthy lifestyles.[25]

As of 2020 the 'global testimonial' of the company is Roger Federer. The company has sponsored the Italian national basketball team on several occasions,[26] as well as the Italian race car driver Alex Zanardi.[27] Furthermore, Barilla is currently the main sponsor of the US alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin[28] and tennis player Cori Gauff.[29]

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