FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jennifer Bonzagni
(312) 596-3409
jennifer_bonzagni@chi.bm.com
BARILLA BRINGS THE FLAVORS OF ITALY TO CHICAGO
New Shelf-Stable Tortellini Delivers on Tender Pasta and Homemade Taste
Chicago, IL (August 2001) – Barilla America introduces a new dry tortellini product to the (Chicago) market. Barilla Tortellini can be found in the dry pasta aisle in most local area supermarkets and is available in four delicious flavors. Made with the finest ingredients, each tortellini strikes a perfect balance between thin, delicate layers of pasta and flavorful, authentic Italian fillings. Flavors include Three-Cheese, Asparagus, Spinach, and Porcini Mushroom, all perfectly blended with smooth Ricotta cheese.
“New Barilla shelf-stable Tortellini is the tastiest tortellini you will ever eat because Barilla is committed to producing the best possible quality pasta,” said Prita Saikia, Barilla spokesperson. “Barilla Tortellini is a sophisticated, authentic Italian pasta yet a remarkably easy one-dish meal to prepare.”
Barilla Tortellini has the added convenience of being a product that can be kept on hand in the kitchen cabinet for up to six months and, with three to four servings in each bag of Tortellini, it is a complete meal that can be made in minutes.
Paul Bartolotta, the first Italian chef in any major U.S. market to receive four stars from The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Magazine while chef and managing partner of Chicago’s Spiaggia restaurant, praises Barilla’s new tortellini as an easy way for consumers to make authentic tortellini and bring home the flavors of an Italian trattoria.
“Tortellini Barilla tastes so fresh and the delicate layers of pasta have a wonderful handmade quality,” said Chef Bartolotta, also the first Italian chef to win the coveted James Beard Award. “The ingredients are the finest, the flavor is outstanding, and the pasta isn’t chewy or doughy and does not break or fall apart.”
Barilla’s new shelf-stable tortellini products, popular in Italy for a number of years, are now available at select retail outlets in Chicago, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts and Hartford/New Haven, Connecticut at a suggested retail price of $2.99 per 9-ounce package. Because it is dried, each 9-ounce bag yields 30 percent more when fully cooked than refrigerated tortellini products. Consumers can find new Barilla Tortellini where they currently purchase other Barilla pasta products.
Barilla has been producing pasta since 1877 and is the largest manufacturer of dried pasta in the world, available in more than 100 countries. In Italy Barilla has a 35 percent market share, outselling the next competitor by seven times. Today Barilla is the largest food company in Italy, led for almost 125 years by the entrepreneurial spirit of the Barilla family. Now in its fourth generation, headed by brothers Guido, Luca and Paolo, Barilla operates more than 30 plants globally, producing a total of 4,000 tons of pasta daily. In addition to pasta, Barilla also globally operates brands in the pasta sauce and bakery categories. Consumers can visit www.barillaus.com for more information and recipes.
