Innovation Through Tradition: CEO Gianluca Di Tondo
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Established in 1887, Barilla is a family-owned Italian food company that has grown to become a titan of the industry. Despite its meteoric rise, the business remains family orientated in its approach and is inspired by its rich history of delivering joy with great food. Dedicated to nurturing future generations, Barilla consistently pursues excellent recipes and prides itself on its ability to combine innovation and tradition. For his significant contributions to the business, CEO Gianluca Di Tondo has received our award for this year’s Most Influential CEO – Italy (Food Manufacturing).
Over 145 years and four generations, the Barilla family has served communities and brought people together with the joy of tasty and wholesome food. Its high-quality products are made with specially selected raw ingredients from ethical supply chains. The business is passionate about making quality the natural choice for a better future. Its core values of courage, curiosity, integrity, passion, and trust continue to provide the foundation upon which Barilla has built its success. These guiding principles define Barilla’s company culture and enable the business to protect the interests of all individuals and our planet. By working towards this shared goal, the team at Barilla can overcome challenges and develop sustainable solutions that contribute positively to our environment.
For around 30 years, brothers Guido, Luca, and Paolo have nurtured the company that first began with their great grandfather, Pietro Barilla. In 1877, Pietro opened a bread and pasta shop in Parma and began the company’s journey to become the world’s largest pasta manufacturers. In 1910, Barilla built its first factory which consisted of 80 workers who produced eight tons of pasta and two tons of bread every day with the company’s state-of-the-art ‘continuous baking’ oven. The business is a renowned innovator of pasta production and in 1936, it created six continuous cycle presses that combined the functions of a kneader, mixer, and press. As of 1952, Barilla ceased its production of fresh baked bread to focus on furthering the brand’s presence in the pasta market.
Over the years, Barilla has acquired many well-known international brands to expand its portfolio of tasty products including MISKO pasta in Greece, Pavesi in Northern Italy, and Harrys in France. In more recent times, the company has continued to innovate with 3D printed, customised pasta and in 2022, it launched Al Bronzo pasta, made from premium quality Italian wheat.
Gianluca Di Tondo, CEO of the Barilla Group, has worked alongside the Barilla Group over the past few years to further the company’s esteemed legacy. With over 25 years of extensive experience in the food and beverage industry, Gianluca has worked in sales and marketing positions for numerous brands. Among his roles, he assumed global responsibility for the Heineken brand, taking full accountability for the company’s profit and loss, long-term vision, and strategy. In March 2020, Gianluca joined Barilla as Group Chief Marketing Officer. His contributions resulted in the Al Bronzo line, the launch of new logos for Barilla and Mulino Bianco, and the establishment of the Barilla Acceleration Team, a centre of excellence for digital skills and advanced analytics in London. In April 2023, Gianluca Di Tondo was appointed Barilla Group CEO.
On his leadership, Gianluca shares, “I have three main priorities at the top of my agenda: to strengthen our brands even further in Italy and make them even better ambassadors of the Italian way of enjoying food around the world; to continue to nurture our values and diversity, to further improve the sense of belonging among our people, and to attract new talent; for our consumers all over the world to acknowledge us as the most trusted food company.”
Barilla has invested significant time and resources into researching and educating others about the food chain, from production to waste, consumption, and sustainability.
Consumers’ purchasing habits continue to evolve, and Barilla has dedicated teams to address customers’ changing demands. By leveraging the expertise and experience of its workforce, the business can continue to meet the needs of today’s consumers. Since 2010, Barilla has reformulated 491 products by reducing the fat, salt, and sugar content, increasing fibre, and creating new products with cereals, legumes, and dried fruit. To meet the growing demand for high quality products, the company has returned to the traditional use of bronze dyes with its Al Bronzo pasta. Barilla has established long-lasting relationships with farmers who responsibly grow the premium Italian durum wheat for its pasta.
By investing in sustainable agriculture practices, Barilla can guarantee that its products are ethically produced. The business supports 9,000 farms involved in regenerative agriculture projects and thousands of farmers across 13 Italian regions. 100% of the Mulino Bianco brand is produced using renewable energy, and its pasta factories are trigeneration plants, which repurpose the heat produced to generate chilled water for air conditioning and refrigeration. In Barilla’s 2022 Sustainability Report, the business revealed that 99.7% of its packaging has been designed for recycling. Since 2010, Barilla is proud to report 32% reduced greenhouse gas emissions per tonne of finished product and 24% reduced water consumption in its plants.
In the production of its pesto, Barilla works in collaboration with farmers in Northern Italy to protect biodiversity. The Carta del Basilico, a basil charter, was developed to ensure consistent quality and sustainable agriculture. Since 2020, all basil has been sourced responsibly, with each member of the company’s basil-pesto supply chain annually reviewed under the sustainability criteria of the ISCC PLUS Certification Scheme. The Carta del Basilico is also committed to preserving soil health by continuously rotating crops and biodiversity areas. Lastly, Barilla empowers farming communities by signing multi-year contracts which provide them with a safe income.
For over 146 years, Barilla have opened its hearts and kitchens in its mission to provide tasty, wholesome food to customers all over the world. Committed to creating high quality products from sustainable ingredients, Barilla has brought families together for generations with exceptional food. The business has made significant contributions to the food industry with its research on waste and sustainability.
Gianluca Di Tondo, the CEO of Barilla Group, has furthered Barilla’s revered legacy with his contributions and passion to drive the company forward. With his vision and experience, Gianluca has guided the business through transformative change to become even more competitive on the international scene. Alongside the Barilla brothers, Gianluca is dedicated to progressing the Barilla story to nurture future generations and create a brighter future. For his influential leadership, Gianluca Di Tondo has been honoured as this year’s Most Influential CEO – Italy (Food Manufacturing).
