Barilla pasta has been a source of family pride for 130 years. While Barillas were involved in the baking trade as far back as the mid-15th century in Parma, Italy, it wasn't until Pietro Barilla opened his bread and pasta factory there in 1877 that the Barilla pasta story truly began.
The small family shop became a success based on the efforts of Pietro, a tireless worker, and his brother Gualtiero, the brains behind the growing business. The shop didn't even have running water at first - the Barillas carried water from the nearby church fountain to make the pasta. But their business soon grew so successful that they launched the company's industrial phase in 1910, moving the Barilla operations to Via Reppublica.
After Gualtiero died, Pietro's son Riccardo took over. The Barilla name soon became famous after Riccardo's wife Virginia had the idea to sell the pasta to shops in packets bearing the company name. During this time Riccardo's son Pietro became known to workers as the kid who rode around the factory on a bike. He later took over the plant in 1947 with his brother Gianni.
In 1971 Barilla was sold to multinational W. R. Grace of New York. In the ensuing years, Pietro experienced a period of unhappiness he attributed to a feeling that he'd abandoned the family tradition that had been entrusted to him. But in 1979 he made a triumphant return, buying the company back and restoring control to the Barilla family.
Pietro then guided Barilla to unprecedented success until his passing in 1993. Today, his sons Guido, Luca and Paolo continue the family tradition. Through their commitment to internationalization, they have built upon the achievements of previous Barilla generations to transform what was once a humble family pasta shop into one of the fastest-growing and most-respected brands in the world.
