Barilla

Italian Food Brand and Company
Barilla

https://www.barillagroup.com/en/who-we-are/historical-archive/

1877

Parma, New York

scenario
category
parties
tag
business/company

Barilla is an Italian food company, whose journey began in Parma in 1877 as a small bread and pasta shop, opened by Pietro Barilla sr.

It was however third generation Pietro Barilla who worked with his brother Gianni to develop and substantially expand the Barilla brand. In 1952, Barilla stopped the production of bread and focused solely on the production of pasta. In this same year Pietro traveled to New York to learn about the various methods used in one of the world’s largest consumer-driven economy.

It was there that his  interest was sparked to build Barilla into Italy’s premier pasta brand. However, following a series of disagreements between the two brothers, as well as due to the economic difficulties of the period, in 1971 Barilla was sold to an American chemical company, W.R. Grace.

While W.R. Grace had ownership, Pietro still mantained day-to-day control.

In 1979 Pietro then reacquired control, leaving the company to be controlled and owned by the Barilla family ever since.

It was the drive for success that led Barilla to hire Federico Fellini in 1984 to make one of the most famous campaigns calling in Paul Newman, Gerard Depardieu and Cindy Crawford to portray pasta as a sexily simple entrée. This commercial helped make Barilla one of the most known Italian brands of all times.

In 1993, Pietro died, leaving the management of the company to his children.

During the nineties, the company continued its internationalization. In 1999, the first American plant was opened in Iowa.

In 2007, Barilla opened a second production plant in the United States, in Avon, while in 2013 it started the opening of a series of American restaurants under the name of "Casa Barilla," recalling the slogan used by the company in Italy: "where there's Barilla, there's home." In the United States, the company has long employed the slogan "the choice of Italy."

Related Vectors

Pietro Barilla

Media gallery

Sources

“Historical Archive.” Historical Archive | Barilla Group, October 26, 2021. https://www.barillagroup.com/en/who-we-are/historical-archive/. 

Gonizzi, Giancarlo (eds.), Barilla: Centoventicinque anni di pubblicità e comunicazione. Parma: Barilla Alimentare Spa, 2003.

Author Dellannia Segreti and Giulia Crisanti