Barilla unveils global food innovation centre in Parma

Barilla has opened a €20 million food innovation centre in Parma to develop the next generation of pasta, sauces and bakery products, in what the company describes as its most significant investment in food innovation in years.

The new Barilla Innovation & Technology Experience (BITE) will act as a global hub for product development across more than 100 markets, supported by a further €2 million per year in equipment upgrades.

The 14,000 m² facility brings together 200 specialists, from food technologists and researchers to chefs, designers and professional tasters. It is also designed to integrate academic collaboration, with 84 active partnerships across Italy and overseas, and 30 interns and trainees joining annually from countries including Turkey, Belgium, Greece and Spain.

Guido Barilla, Chairman of the Barilla Group said:

At Barilla, where the product has always been at the heart of everything we do, we know that a fundamental part of our work is to imagine and create quality products that must respond and adapt to people’s evolving needs.

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.”

A full product lifecycle under one roof

Located in Italy’s Food Valley, the BITE condenses every phase of research and development into a single site. Its 4,800 m² Innovation Centre hosts design thinking workshops, sensory research, and experimental kitchens. A further 9,000 m² includes pilot plants for new recipes, production processes and packaging development.

Here, concepts progress from idea to market in around two years – and up to 10 for more complex innovations – beginning with ingredient and crop variety research before moving to recipe development, testing and consumer validation.

Technologies such as AI-driven smart sensors, holographic design and 3D printing systems support rapid prototyping and product optimisation. Tools including an electronic nose and rugosimeter (roughness meter) are used to analyse flavour and pasta texture at the micron scale, helping Barilla deliver consistent quality worldwide.

Collaboration with retailers and clients

The BITE also houses a dedicated Customer Collaboration Center, created to provide immersive experiences for business partners. The space blends culinary testing with shopper insights, with Barilla inviting clients to co-create products and explore market opportunities.

Michele Amigoni, Head of RDQ at Barilla Group, added:

Innovating means placing people’s desires at the centre. Understanding in depth how their needs related to food and nutrition will evolve, and from there turning ideas into reality that are new, good, and sustainable. The BITE will be a centre open to the world, where it will be possible to see, touch, and understand how Barilla envisions the future of food.”

Designed for sustainability and inclusion

The new centre runs on renewable energy and features research areas focused on regenerative agriculture. Barilla has partnered with Dynamo Academy to design an inclusive environment, featuring tactile maps, fully accessible spaces and flexible collaborative areas.

With a blend of global collaboration, advanced technology and Italy’s culinary heritage, Barilla says it aims to turn everyday products into food experiences that “surprise the senses” and “create emotions”.