“Made in Cesena, they will never sell” (but if you have ever tried one, you know that they are addictive): this was the pessimistic prediction that, in the mid-1950s, greeted the creation of the Wafers and Viennesi by Babbi 1952, a confectionery company from Romagna, today a Made in Italy excellence and synonymous with quality, that has been producing the world’s most appreciated and award-winning Wafers and Viennesi for four generations.
Talent and passion at the roots of success
It is a story that began with Attilio Babbi’s talent for confectionery. Born in 1908, Attilio, back in 1936, was already the owner of a company that did not have the family name but which he had inherited from his previous manager, as Gianni Babbi tells in an article published in “La Repubblica” for the company’s 70th anniversary..
Attilio worked for many years as a confectionery representative, and after World War II, alongside this activity, he started his production of ice cream cones. In 1952, this side job became a full-fledged company, the Azienda Dolciaria Babbi, and it was soon associated with the highest quality ice cream.
Wafers and Viennesi: Babbi’s flagship products
The production of Waferini began a few years later, in 1957, to keep sales high even during the winter period and, above all, to preserve the jobs of workers and employees. Thus, in 1957, after two years of testing with the collaboration of a now-retired Alemagna pastry chef friend, the Waferini and Viennesi were born, very fine wafers filled with cream and covered with chocolate, which were to become the company’s flagship products.
From Cesena to the rest of Italy
It was not an immediate success, however. Initially, the novelty struggled to be welcomed in the area, and fame only came thanks to the tenacity of Attilio’s son Giulio, who, driving his little van, began to propose Babbi wafers outside Cesena, having them tasted by the most renowned retailers in Milan and Rome. This is how Babbi’s specialities ended up on the most famous tables, and among the most famous admirers were Pope John Paul II, Pope Ratzinger and President Sandro Pertini, who ordered his biscuits personally from Giulio Babbi.
A tradition that carries on
Viennese and Waferini thus became a much sought-after product. Still, large-scale production has never altered the quality of the products, which continue to be made according to the traditional recipe, with the utmost care for the ingredients. The production process takes place with the inevitable help of automation; human control, however, is an essential part of the process, and nothing is left to chance.
‘Passion, preparation and team spirit’: according to Giulio Babbi, this is the recipe for success for a company that recently celebrated seventy years in business and has just reached a turnover of 50 million. Under the leadership of President Gianni Babbi, it sells its products on all continents from Europe to America, from Asia to Australia.
Congratulations to those who focus on quality and bring Italy to the world!
Read about other Italian sweets.