Barilla America, Inc., the U.S.-based division of The Barilla Group, Italy’s largest food producer, was launched in 1996.  Just three years later, Barilla became the No. 1 brand of pasta in the United States (and today produces the fastest-growing pasta and sauce brands in their categories).  To achieve this milestone in such a short time is a testament to Barilla’s history of 130 years of excellence in food production, brand-building, product quality, and global consistency.

This dedication to excellence grows from Barilla’s guiding philosophy:  that the creation, cooking and eating of food is much more than simply meeting a basic human need – it is an art.

In keeping with this philosophy, Barilla America celebrates the best that culture has to offer in all its forms – art, music, film, literature, sports, and of course, the culinary arts. We partner with award-winning chefs and culinary organizations (such as Gourmet, Bon Appetit and Food & Wine magazines); musical artists (Andrea Bocelli sings on our TV commercials); athletes (Barilla is a sponsor of champion skier Bode Miller), filmmakers (Barilla was an original sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival); cultural institutions, visual artists, and many more. Our support of these artists and activities is just one way that Barilla encourages a love of life, a dedication to quality work, and a respect for tradition.

We are grateful to the millions of American consumers who have embraced Barilla and are honored to have received accolades from our customers and from leading culinary organizations and food retailers, including the Research Chefs Association (2003 Culinology Innovation Award); The Leonardo da Vinci Award (Outstanding Achievement in Advertising Marketing); Progressive Grocer’s Dry Grocery (2003 Best of Class Category Management Award); and Wal-Mart’s Food Division (2003 3rd Quarter Food Team Supplier of the Quarter Award for Excellence as a Merchant).

Born in Italy ― Made in America

When we set out to introduce Barilla to America, our first goal was to translate the long-standing, beloved Italian tradition of Barilla pasta to modern American daily life. We wanted to offer American consumers more than the basic pasta shapes they had seen on supermarket shelves for years – we wanted to bring authentic Italian cooking experiences into American kitchens by offering the exciting, unique shapes from the kitchens of Italy.

Through our Cross-Training Program, we brought our experts from Italy to the U.S. to teach their American counterparts our time-tested pasta-making techniques. We continue to cross-train, with ongoing supervision of our American operation by our Italian experts, and by sending our American pasta makers to Italy to ensure that our processes are maintained to the highest standards — the Barilla tradition of quality.

Barilla products sold in America are produced in America (with only a few exceptions), following the original Italian recipes and the exacting standards and processes that have been used for generations in Italy.  To ensure that you receive only the most authentic products, we consistently run tests to compare the quality of our U.S. production with our Italian production — and the results always are consistent. Barilla pasta, no matter where it is made, achieves the same level of quality and consistency in its U.S. and Italian plants. 

Our Plant: Ames, Iowa

Barilla’s pasta-producing plant, located in Ames, Iowa, is among the largest pasta plants in the United States and the third largest plant in the Barilla Group (the plant outside of Parma & Foggia, Italy, are the largest).  The Ames plant was inaugurated in 1997, began producing pasta in 1998, and officially opened all lines of production in 1999. 

This sleek, modern facility produces most of Barilla’s pasta cuts (except for lasagne and filled pasta, which are imported from Italy). For our pasta, we use only the highest grade durum wheat from farms in Arizona, North and South Dakota, and Canada. North American wheat, considered to be some of the best wheat in the world, is even exported to Italy as a raw ingredient – and if it is good enough to make pasta in Italy, it is good enough to be used in the U.S.

Our high quality wheat is ground into semolina in our own mill, attached to the Ames plant.  State-of-the-art Italian processing and packaging equipment ensures that our pasta products reach your home with all their flavor and quality intact. Our plant employees are committed to meeting and exceeding Barilla’s high standards of food production.

Our Offices: Bannockburn, IL

Barilla America’s corporate offices are located in Bannockburn, IL, a northern suburb of Chicago. Barilla selected this location – close to one of America’s great cities, in the heart of the country – for the diversity of people, ethnicities, and lifestyles.

At Bannockburn, our employees work in the areas of sales, marketing, distribution, finance, operations, quality and product development.  A key part of our corporate offices is a full-service, state-of-the art research and development center, including test kitchens. Here, our award-winning chefs develop and test recipes and products and our marketing experts conduct small consumer focus groups that help Barilla create only the most authentic, highest quality foods.