Famous Italian Brands #3: Barilla, From a Parma Shop to the World's Pasta Table

Artistic depiction; this illustration is not a historical photograph.

Welcome back to CIAP’s Famous Italian Brands series. We’ve explored Bialetti and Vespa/Piaggio, and now we’re heading to Parma to follow the story of Barilla. It began with a small shop and grew into a family-owned company whose pasta reaches tables around the world.

There’s a familiar lesson in this history: a business can start close to home, grow through changing times, and still carry its roots with it. Let’s look at the founder, the company’s journey, and what Barilla is today.

The founder: Pietro Barilla’s small shop in Parma

In 1877, Pietro Barilla opened a small bread and pasta shop in Parma. The Archivio Storico Barilla identifies the original location as Strada Vittorio Emanuele, now Via della Repubblica. It was a local enterprise built around everyday food: bread from the oven and pasta made for the people of the city.

Pietro’s sons, Gualtiero and Riccardo, carried the business into a new phase. In the early 20th century, the family expanded into industrial pasta production. The name “Barilla G. e R. Fratelli” reflected the brothers’ role in the growing company. The move from a shop to production at a larger scale did not mean leaving Parma behind. The city remained central to Barilla’s identity and its growth.

That change in scale is part of what makes the story interesting. The starting point was modest, but the family saw the possibility of serving more people while keeping the business rooted in the place where it began. It’s a reminder that growth often comes one thoughtful step at a time: understand what customers value, build the capacity to serve them, and keep adapting as opportunities change.

The history: rebuilding, modernizing, and finding a voice

Barilla’s next generations faced a changing world. Riccardo’s son Pietro joined the company in 1936, developing its sales network. After Riccardo’s death in 1947, Pietro and his brother Gianni took leadership roles as the business moved into the postwar period.

Their responsibilities were complementary. According to the Barilla archive’s biography of Pietro Barilla, Gianni oversaw areas including plants, administration, and purchasing, while Pietro focused on the market, sales, advertising, and public relations. Together, they helped guide the company through a period of modernization.

Artistic depiction of a mid-century factory scene, not a documentary photograph.

Pietro’s interest in how businesses reached customers took him to the United States in 1950. The Barilla archive describes his attention to the supermarket and distribution models he encountered there, then still unfamiliar in much of Europe. The visit helped shape his thinking about how pasta could be presented and sold to a broader public.

Advertising became an important part of that effort. Barilla invested in radio and print advertising, and in 1952 the company and its collaborators received the Italian National Advertising Award’s Golden Palm. The award recognized a campaign built around the phrase “With Barilla pasta, it’s always Sunday.” The line connected a simple product with the pleasure of a shared meal, giving the brand a warm and memorable voice.

Pietro and Gianni’s paths later diverged. Barilla’s official company history recounts that the brothers sold the company in 1971 and that Pietro bought it back in 1979. Since then, Barilla has remained in family hands. The transition marked another turning point, but it also restored the family’s direct stewardship of the business.

Across these decades, Barilla’s story was not simply one of making more pasta. It was a story of changing how pasta was produced, distributed, and introduced to customers, while retaining a connection to Parma. Businesses evolve, and the ones that endure often learn how to bring their founding values along for the journey.

The business today: family roots, global reach

Today, Barilla Group is headquartered in Parma and led by the fourth generation of the family: brothers Guido, Luca, and Paolo Barilla. The Group’s 2025 Annual Report reports 30 production facilities and 8,823 employees. Its products are exported to more than 100 countries. The report also describes Barilla as family-owned and identifies pasta as its leading business.

Artistic depiction of a modern production line, not a documentary photograph.

The company’s portfolio extends beyond the Barilla name. It includes brands such as Mulino Bianco, Wasa, Pavesi, and Harry’s. That range reflects a business that has grown far beyond its original Parma shop while remaining connected to its food-making origins.

For Italian-American professionals in Chicago, Barilla’s path may feel familiar in another way. A family business can carry cultural roots into new markets, build relationships over time, and make its name recognizable far beyond its hometown. Whether you are an Italian American professional in Chicago or part of a Chicago Italian American club, stories like this offer a chance to appreciate how heritage and enterprise can grow together.

Barilla’s history is not a formula every business can copy. But it does offer a useful point to consider: success is built over time, through people who take responsibility, learn from change, and keep finding ways to serve their customers. That spirit of connection and steady growth is one reason CIAP brings Italian-American professionals and businesses together across Chicagoland.

CIAP welcomes Italian-American professionals across Chicagoland. Monthly breakfast meetings resume January 2027, and weekly Italian wine features continue. Explore the Business Directory and learn about membership. To stay connected, contact Salvatore at salvatore@chicagolanditalians.com.