Barilla: A life of flavors

"Do you know how many types of pasta exist in the world?" asked a staff member at the Barilla University in Parma. "And do you know how many regional cuisines there are in Italy?" I was left speechless. Of course, these are all things you can learn at Barilla University.

For nearly 150 years, the Barilla Group has been operated by an Italian family. In 1877, Pietro Barilla opened a small shop selling fresh bread and pasta in the center of Parma, beginning to write Barilla's century-long history. By 1910, Barilla had already become a very large pasta brand, opening its first pasta factory and registering the Barilla trademark. After Riccardo Barilla's passing, in 1947, his sons Pietro and Gianni inherited the company business, actively developing modern production systems while launching large-scale intensive market communication activities. In 1975, the younger Pietro Barilla, based on the concept of rebuilding pasta and its position as the first course in Italian meals, worked to advance long-term industrialization development and advertising strategies, while simultaneously expanding the company's market supply of baked products. In 1996, Barilla Company actively expanded globally, including establishing new factories and completing mergers with important brands. In 2013, Barilla established a brand company in Shanghai, beginning its brand expansion journey.

Today, the company's leadership includes Paolo Barilla, who serves as Vice President of the Barilla Group. Beyond his business acumen, Paolo has a fascinating past as a Formula 1 driver, bringing a unique perspective to the family enterprise. This racing heritage has recently come full circle with Barilla's announcement on April 11, 2025, of a multi-year partnership with Formula 1, becoming its Official Pasta Partner. In the announcement, Paolo Barilla connected his two passions: "A lightning-fast F1 car and a delicious plate of pasta: what do they have in common? At first, it may not be obvious, but behind both, and the effort that goes into making them, are skilled professionals, passionate and determined, driven by the desire to keep improving. Our greatest satisfaction is being able to offer all the men and women of F1, after an intense competition, a well-deserved plate of pasta."

The partnership will see Barilla having a strong presence both on and off the track, with Pasta Bars in the prestigious Formula 1 Paddock Club and Paddock, along with trackside signage, digital activations, and consumer promotions reaching millions of spectators worldwide. Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali welcomed the brand, noting the shared values of "excellence, authenticity and the pleasure of living extraordinary moments together."

Barilla Academia University was founded in Parma in 2004 as a comprehensive department researching food. It also produces the brand's high-end products and serves as a restaurant brand, opening Italian restaurants worldwide offering high-quality pasta dishes. In 2009, the Barilla Food and Nutrition Center was established, bringing together globally authoritative scholars to conduct comprehensive research on the relationship between food and nutrition, fully funded by Barilla.

Today's Barilla has evolved from an initial small workshop operating bread and pasta businesses to become the world's largest pasta brand. It is also Italy's second-largest food brand, with pasta, pasta sauce, bread, and crisp biscuit businesses across the globe. I visited its headquarters in Parma, where they have the world's largest pasta factory, with a complete process from wheat grinding, pasta making, drying, cutting, to packaging—the level of modernization is astounding. Because the founder was very fond of art, sculptures and paintings are displayed throughout the factory, and in the clean public areas, only a cute small robot cuts the lawn by itself. The Barilla University in the city center consists of a library, Barilla classroom, and kitchen lights, with special layered stoves for cooking pasta, attracting thousands of chefs to study each year. To encourage Italian cuisine, Barilla holds cooking competitions worldwide.

As the core of the Mediterranean nutrition model, Barilla, using selected durum wheat as raw material combined with the most advanced production technology, has always been committed to providing more al dente pasta and pasta sauces to millions of consumers globally. For Chinese people, controlling the cooking time of pasta is very difficult, and Barilla pasta's characteristic is maintaining the "Al Dente" texture. To convey this to Chinese consumers, when the brand first entered China, pasta purchases came with a free timer, telling you when the pasta was properly cooked.

Italy has more than 20 culinary systems and 150 types of dry pasta shapes, evolving from the initial long shapes to short shapes, curled shapes, and wide shapes, each with different methods and textures, which, when paired with various sauces, further showcase the diverse beauty of traditional Italian cuisine. The earliest pasta was very similar to the thin, long pasta we eat today. Italians ground wheat into flour, kneaded and cut it, then dried it in the sun, cooking it with meat and vegetables in ovens. Thus, in many cities on the Italian peninsula at that time, people stretching and drying pasta could be seen everywhere on streets and squares.

After the Renaissance, the varieties of pasta and sauces gradually enriched along with the flourishing of art. The pasta itself became diverse; Italian creativity was fully expressed in this wheat dough, developing from the most common thin, long shapes to flat, spiral, butterfly, shell, and many other shapes, and creating colorful varieties by adding pumpkin, spinach, grapes, and more. With the introduction of chili peppers and tomatoes to Italy, the three famous sauce systems of pasta—tomato-based, fresh cream-based, and olive oil-based—were completely formed, combined with various seafood, vegetables, fruits, and spices, creating complex and varied sauce flavors.

Pasta ultimately represents "mama's taste" rather than complex cooking techniques. Barilla pasta's delicious and easy-to-cook characteristics make the complicated cooking process simple again. Cooking pasta only requires a moment of gentle stirring; Barilla has made complex pestos, olive sauces, etc., into unique, authentic pasta sauces like Barilla Pesto, Barilla Olive Pasta Sauce, Barilla Zucchini Eggplant Pasta Sauce, and more. Whether you are familiar with pasta cooking or not, you can obtain the most authentic Italian flavors through simple cooking.

As Ilaria Lodigiani, Barilla Chief Category & Marketing Officer, expressed regarding the Formula 1 partnership: "Over the next years, we look forward to welcoming all F1 fans to the table every race weekend to enjoy both the thrill of racing and the comfort of a great meal. This partnership is an invitation to celebrate the moments that matter together, because we believe that sharing a meal has the power to turn strangers into family."

Pasta has become Italy's international symbol, inspiring foreigners' enthusiasm for Italian culture. Barilla has 45 production bases worldwide, exporting to over 100 countries, with global annual consumption of 2.5 million tons, and has sub-brands in many countries, continuously passing on this ancient traditional Italian food culture. And now, with the Formula 1 partnership, the company extends an invitation to fans worldwide: "Benvenuti. The table is set, the race is about to begin, and everyone is welcome."

Part of the article was originally published in the September 2015 issue of Lifestyle magazine. Written by Angelina Saiyi Li.