Italy: Barilla invests €20 million in Parma plant

Barilla, the Italian pasta, sauces and bakery firm, has inaugurated its new Barilla Innovation & Technology Experience (BITE) centre in Parma, Italy, as its most significant investment in recent years to accelerate global research and development across its product portfolio.

The 14,000 sq mfacility, designed to act as a global innovation hub for over 100 markets, represents an initial investment exceeding €20 million (approximately $25 million), with a further €2 million (around $2.3 million) allocated annually for equipment upgrades.

The BITE facility brings together 200 specialists, including food technologists, engineers, and chefs, who work across new product development for pasta, sauces and bakery. The centre incorporates cutting-edge technology such as 3D printing for rapid prototyping and a specialised roughness meter (rugosimeter) to measure pasta texture at the micron scale. The company claimed the centre is an “open ecosystem”, hosting 84 active collaborations with international universities and research institutes.

The investment follows the company’s stated goal to drive international expansion and innovation, building on its previous commitment to spend €1 billion over five years, announced in 2018

Guido Barilla, chairman of the Barilla Group, commented: “The BITE, in addition to shaping what will be the products of tomorrow, represents a very clear entrepreneurial choice. Barilla must drive and anticipate trends and be able to engage with markets that are increasingly more open and international”.

Source: Barilla / ESM