Barilla inaugurates new research and development centre in Parma

Barilla inaugurates Bite in Parma, the new innovation centre that stands next to the company's mill and offices, right where the multinational was born 148 years ago. Announced two years ago and costing over 20 million euro, it has an area of almost 14 thousand square metres - the equivalent of two football pitches - and is already ready to host 200 food technologists, researchers, engineers, food designers, professional tasters and chefs. Bite will also host 30 young talents each year.

'We know that a fundamental part of our work is to imagine and create quality products, which must respond and adapt to people's new needs,' said Guido Barilla, Chairman of the group. 'Bite, as well as giving shape to what will be the products of tomorrow, represents a very precise entrepreneurial choice, that of guiding and anticipating trends, and being able to dialogue with increasingly open and international markets.

Inside the new research centre, products will be developed for all the group's brands, from those intended for domestic consumers to those that take Italian taste to over 100 countries. The Innovation centre includes a design thinking area, spaces for tasting and sensory studies, two kitchens for pasta and bakery, and an auditorium. In addition, there are 9,000 square metres of pilot plants, where laboratories and experimental lines will be set up to test, prototype and develop pasta, sauces and bakery products, as well as to design innovative packaging solutions and develop advanced systems to guarantee excellent food quality and safety. Inside the Bite there is also the new Customer Collaboration Centre, where Barilla meets its customers through an immersive and multi-sensory journey.

The new research and development centre can also count on a network of 84 partnerships with universities and research centres, from the University of Parma to Wageningen University, from the Federico II University of Naples to the University of Bolzano, from the Italian CNR to the Dutch TNO and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo. Added to this network are collaborations withn various agrifood & tech start-ups from around the world, which Barilla selects every year to co-create innovative solutions. This is the case, for example, of the Good food makers programme, which since 2019 has gathered 1,200 applications from 41 countries and launched 28 collaborations ranging from sustainable indoor agriculture to the traceability of basil in pesto alla genovese, to logistics management with AI.

Bite has been designed following criteria of sustainability, inclusion and accessibility: the structure integrates renewable sources to improve efficiency and reduce energy impact, while outside there are spaces dedicated to research in regenerative agriculture. Moreover, thanks to the support of Dynamo Academy, the centre has been equipped with tactile and visually impaired paths, flexible furniture and lifts for each staircase.