Barilla (company)

Barilla is an Italian multinational food company. It is the world's largest pasta producer.[2]

Barilla S.p.A.
Private (family-owned)
IndustryFood processing
Founded28 September 1877 (1877-09-28)
FounderPietro Barilla
Headquarters
Parma
,
Emilia Romagna, Italy
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Guido Barilla (Chairman)
Products
  • Pasta
  • ready-made sauces
  • bakery products as biscuits
  • toasted bread
  • cereals
  • snacks
  • pastries
  • soft bread
  • brioches
  • power snacks
  • cakes and crisp bread
Revenue €3.382 billion (2015)[1]
€308.36 million (2015)[1]
€172.06 million (2015)[1]
Total assets€2.797 billion (2015)[1]
Total equity€1.103 billion (2015)[1]
Number of employees
8,106 (2013)
Divisions20 brands
Websitebarillagroup.com

Overview

The company was founded in 1877 as a bakery shop in Parma, Italy by Pietro Barilla.

It remained in the hands of the Barilla family until 1971, when American chemical company W. R. Grace acquired 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. It is now helmed by the elder Pietro Barilla's great-grandson, chairman Guido Barilla, and brothers and vice chairmen Luca Barilla and Paolo Barilla. They are the fourth generation of Barillas to lead the company.

Barilla Group controls Barilla (multinational pasta maker), Mulino Bianco, Pavesi, Voiello, Alixir and Academia Barilla (Italy), Wasabröd (Sweden), MISKO (Greece), Filiz (Turkey), 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.[3] It produces pasta in over 120 shapes and sizes. Barilla brand pasta is sold in numerous restaurants worldwide, such as those belonging to the Pastamania chain.[4] 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.[5] The company markets pasta in the US as being Italian ("An Italian Favorite" marketing) in flavor, 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 several production plants all over the world: in Italy, 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's Italian production facilities are located at Parma, Foggia, Marcianise, Castiglione delle Stiviere, Cremona, Melfi, Rubbiano, Novara, and Ascoli Piceno.[6] Its plant in Greece (near Thiva) is the third largest in Europe.[7] The plant where the pasta was made is noted on the packaging by a code letter,[8] whereas products made in Italy are explicitly labeled as such.[9] The wheat used to make the final product is purchased from around the world.[9]

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,[10] some called for a boycott against Barilla products.[11][12][13] Guido later apologized[14] and the company began advocating for LGBT causes.[15][16][17]

Sponsorships

The company has sponsored the Italian national basketball team on several occasions,[18] as well as the Italian race car driver Alex Zanardi.[19]

References
  1. Annual Report 2015. Barilla Group.
  2. "Guido Barilla". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  3. Big portions: America's role in the rise of the world's biggest pasta-maker, The Economist, Jun 21st 2007
  4. "Unleashing the 'Mania' - 7 million plates of pasta sold... and counting!" (PDF). Asia Franchise & Business Opportunities (April - June 2008). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-27. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  5. Wasa official website
  6. "Barilla - Good for You. Good for the Planet". Barilla Group. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  7. Misko Careers Archived 2010-10-05 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Information from Barilla Spaghetti n.5 packaging
  9. "Pasta, Pasta Sauce, and Recipes | Barilla". Pasta, Pasta Sauce, and Recipes | Barilla. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  10. Cavan Sieczkowski (26 September 2013). "Barilla Pasta Won't Feature Gay Families In Ads, Says Critics Can 'Eat Another Brand Of Pasta'". Huffington Post. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  11. "Italian pasta brand Barilla in gay advert row". BBC News. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  12. Sara C Nelson (26 September 2013). "Guido Barilla, Pasta Chairman, Faces Backlash Over Anti-Gay Comments". Huffington Post (UK). Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  13. VcVeigh, Trevor (29 September 2013). "Pasta-maker in hot water as rival posts pro-gay imagery on social media". The Observer.
  14. Sara C Nelson (26 September 2013). "Guido Barilla, Pasta Chairman, Faces Backlash Over Anti-Gay Comments". Huffington Post (UK). Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  15. Somashekhar, Sandhya (19 November 2014). "Human Rights Campaign says Barilla has turned around its policies on LGBT". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  16. Wallace, Gregory (19 November 2014). "Barilla goes from worst to first on gay rights". CNNMoney. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  17. Weiss, Geoff (20 November 2014). "How Barilla transformed into a trailblazer for corporate equality". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  18. Photos - FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Italy) 2016, FIBA.com, Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  19. Rachel Cohen, Amputee race car driver Alex Zanardi to compete in NYC Marathon in handcycle category, USA Today, 11/1/2007
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