Pavesi brand celebrates its first thirty years in our Group
13 June 2024
Margaret Mazzantini, Pablo Picasso, Sofia Coppola, Nancy Sinatra and Mario Pavesi: what do a writer, a painter, a film director, a singer and an entrepreneur have in common?
These figures have a common heritage, a legacy of professionalism and values that makes them, in effect, inheritors of the art of their parents.
And apart from the artists, it is of course the figure of Mario Pavesi that we are interested in. Mario Pavesi was born in 1909 in Cilavegna, in the province of Pavia in the Italian region of Lombardy. He was introduced to production in a small bakery opened by his father, a carpenter, and his brother. And not just production, but also a specific entrepreneurial mindset that emphasises sales and all the human qualities that contribute to business success.
Therefore, after gaining experience in the workshop, Mario Pavesi was confident in his ability to take on the world on his own: in 1937 he hired three workers and opened his own bakery in Novara, where he began to produce the Biscottini di Novara – the forerunners of the Pavesini biscuits, which still retain their original taste and lightness today.
FROM PAVESINI TO TOGO, PAVESI SHAPES THE HISTORY OF ITALIAN SNACKS
After the hardships of the Second World War, during which he married Mariuccia Lodigiani, the woman who remained by his side throughout his personal and professional life, Mario Pavesi, with great resilience, courage and resolve, was ready to take another step forward: in 1945 he moved his business to the factory in Largo Leonardi, marking the beginning of industrial production.
The Pavesini biscuits, as we know them today, were born in Novara, in the Italian region of Piedmont. The original recipe was modified to reduce the moisture content, and an innovative study of wrapping made the iconic biscuits from Novara the first biscuits to be sold in packaging.
Subsequently, in 1954, Mario Pavesi opened another factory in Corso Vercelli and, after several important trips to the USA and Great Britain, conceived and began producing another product of the now legendary brand: Pavesi Crackers.
Ten years later, Pavesi is one of the largest industrial companies in Italy, with 1,800 employees and 80 branches spread out evenly over the entire peninsula. In the late 1960s, the brand’s third and fourth icons were launched: in 1967, the Ringo biscuits, named after none other than the Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr, were introduced to the market; in 1970, it was the turn of Togo, the fragrant chocolate-covered biscuit sticks that take their name from the Piedmontese word for ‘exceptional’, i.e. ‘togo’!
Later on, in 1984, Pavesi came up with another novelty that would win the hearts of consumers: the Gocciole biscuits were created, part of the ‘Amici del Mattino’ line of biscuits designed to meet the increasingly varied eating habits of Italians, which were so successful that a few years later they deserved to be a brand in their own right.
NOVARA CALLS PARMA: PAVESI JOINS OUR GROUP
Mario Pavesi died in 1990 at the age of 81. He had handed over the reins of the company to his sons ten years earlier. During that time, Pavesi went through a serious crisis.
In this scenario, Novara called Parma: in 1994, with the purchase of the Novara plant, Pavesi officially joined our Group and, with our support, embarked on a path of renewal.
And we are proud to have picked up the torch – the legacy of a man who, with his sharp intelligence and revolutionary insights, succeeded in creating a highly successful business and recipes that have shaped the history of excellent Italian food.
PAVESI TODAY: HIGH-QUALITY INGREDIENTS AND A COMMITMENT TO THE PLANET
Under our management, Pavesi has continued to focus on quality, starting with the raw materials that we process in our plants. All of the eggs we use to make our products are fresh, Class A eggs, sourced from cage-free hens. Our sugar is sourced from the best certified supply chains, and all our products are free from hydrogenated fats.
We also reinforce our commitment to sustainability by conserving essential resources and promoting recycling. In our daily work, we strive to reduce the amount of energy we useand to recycle as much of the water we use in our production processes as possible.
Today, in Italy, 100% of packaging for pasta, sauces, pesto, bread, biscuits and snacks is designed to be recycled, and is made exclusively from paper and cardboard sourced from responsibly managed forests.
PAVESI CELEBRATES ITS THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY SINCE JOINING OUR GROUP
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Pavesi and the addition of the Novara plant to our large family. In the last three decades we have grown, maintained our traditions and constantly innovated.
The Novara plant now employs more than 334 people of 12 different nationalities, working on eight production lines and producing up to 105,000 tonnes of products a year.
In celebration of this significant achievement, we have chosen to share our satisfaction with all the people who live and work in the Novara area. On the occasion of World Red Cross Day, celebrated on 8 May, we have made the decision to donate an ambulance to the local Red Cross to help with medical emergencies.
‘The plant is a leading centre of excellence in the bakery sector, and we are proud to be contributing to the growth and economic development of this area, which has long recognised the value of industry and which feels like home to us at Barilla,’said Novara Plant Director Federica Massari. ‘We are committed to investing in innovation on a daily basis, incorporating scientific advances into our work while maintaining the long-standing tradition of our bakery products. These biscuits allow us to share a story of experience, passion and taste. The Novara plant and the Barilla Group as a whole place a strong emphasis on people, with their skills and diversity, as they bring unique value to the company.’
OUR PLAYLIST OF THE MONTH
If you want to delve deeper into the topics we have just addressed, here are some reading, listening and watching suggestions:
- L’Italia dei Pavesini. Cinquant’anni di pubblicità e di comunicazione con Pavesi (Italy, the country of Pavesini. Pavesi: fifty years of advertising and communication), a book that traces Pavesi’s history, product by product;
- Untouched, a short film by Marco Paracchini presenting the city of Novara, waiting to be explored.
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