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BARILLA HONORED BY THE RESEARCH CHEFS ASSOCIATION
Barilla Tortellini Received Culinology Innovation Award for “Most Innovative Retail Product of the Year” at
RCA’s Annual Conference, March 20-23
BANNOCKBURN, IL, MARCH 25, 2003 — Barilla, the world’s largest pasta manufacturer, was honored last Saturday when the Research Chefs Association (RCA) presented Barilla’s new tortellini line with the Culinology Innovation Award for “Most Innovative Retail Product of the Year.” The awards luncheon, part of RCA’s Annual Conference and Trade Show in San Diego, took place on Saturday, March 22. Cathy Zenner, Research Chef for Barilla America accepted the award.
The award recognizes superior food products that have been developed through an exemplary combination of culinary and technological expertise. Barilla’s use of the finest ingredients paired with its unique, proprietary manufacturing and drying technologies has allowed Barilla to offer consumers a convenient, dry tortellini product that is comparable in quality and taste with fresh tortellini.
“Barilla is honored to receive this award from RCA,” said Ed Dudley, Manager of Product Development for Barilla America. “For more than 125 years, Barilla has been a mainstay in Italy when it comes to quality pasta products, and we are proud to introduce innovative new pasta products into the U.S. market that are based on the same high-quality standards and traditions that have made us a respected leader in Italy.”
Barilla’s new shelf-stable tortellini products can be found in select retail outlets where Barilla pasta products are sold. At a suggested retail price of $2.99 per 9-ounce package, Barilla offers six flavor varieties: Three Cheese, Asparagus, Spinach, Porcini Mushroom, Garlic and Cheese, and Four Cheese. All flavor varieties are blended with smooth ricotta cheese. Because Barilla Tortellini is dried, each 9-ounce bag yields 30 percent more when fully cooked than refrigerated tortellini products. It can be kept on hand in the kitchen cabinet for up to six months, and with three to four servings in each bag, it is a complete meal that can be made in minutes.
Since 1877, the Barilla company has been producing pasta and other grain-based foods for consumers around the world. The company’s basic animating principle has been to make these healthy products affordable to all, no matter where they might be. Barilla has remained true to its entrepreneurial roots over the past four generations, by combining ancient Italian traditions with cutting-edge technological advances. The result is a globally successful company, built on a foundation of principles that allow for continuous growth to reach ever-expanding goals.
The Barilla Group – whose brands include Barilla, Mulino Bianco, Pavesi, Voiello, Wasa, Misko (Greece), Filiz (Turkey), and Yemina and Vesta (Mexico) – is the first Italian food group, headed by the Barilla family for 125 years. The Group has 25 factories (18 in Italy and 7 abroad). It is a worldwide leader in pasta and currently realizes 31% of sales in volume in more than 100 countries.
