“Most Italians are unaware of the raw material from which spaghetti is made, despite the fact that it says semolina flour on every box.”
Vincenzo Agnesi
October—the 25th, to be precise—marks ‘World Pasta Day,’ but in Italy, every day is pasta day since it has been the pre-eminent “first course” in our country for eight centuries. Is it still true that most Italians are unaware of its raw material?
A production sector, pasta, with a continuously growing export (+18% in 2021), thanks also to pasta factories that, over time, have become symbols of Made in Italy.
Today, we want to talk about Agnesi pasta, the oldest dry pasta brand in history. It is the brand that made macaroni and spaghetti known all over the world.
From Pontedassio mill to a sailing fleet
It was as far back as 1824 when Paolo Battista Agnesi bought a mill in Pontedassio to grind 120 quintals of grain per day, thus founding Paolo Agnesi & Figli to produce pasta eventually. After a stay in France, his son Giuseppe learned new milling methods and bought a larger mill in Oneglia. Thanks to a substantial increase in production, he prompts the family to equip its sailing ships to source Taganrog wheat from Ukraine, which is considered the best for making dry pasta. This is why a sailing ship, which still stands on Agnesi pasta packages today, has become the company’s symbol.
Technological improvement and company growth
In 1887, an earthquake destroyed the mill in Pontedassio and damaged the one in Oneglia. Giacomo Agnesi succeeded his father at the company’s helm the following year and decided to move all activities to the coast.
It would be Vincenzo Agnesi, born in 1893, however, who would devote his entire life to the technological improvement of production and the company expansion. An engineering graduate from Rome University and decorated with two medals for having fought honourably in World War I, Vincenzo fully automated the factory. The process was completed at the end of the Great War when, thanks in part to the integration of the mill and pasta factory, Agnesi could produce spaghetti without any manual intervention.
A passionate scholar and entrepreneur, Cavaliere del Lavoro, a great connoisseur of the history and quality properties of flours and grains, and author of many writings, Vincenzo Agnesi was considered “an undisputed master” in his field, even by Pietro Barilla.
A commercial that has become a favourite
In 1985, the famous commercial with the claim “Silenzio parla Agnesi” was inspired precisely by Vincenzo’s calm but stern personality, which everyone listened to in respectful silence. The commercial became a catchphrase and a cult hit and was awarded the Golden Lion at the Cannes International Festival for Creativity.
Today Agnesi, based in Fossano (Cuneo), is part of the Colussi Group, employs dozens of people, makes millions of euros and sells worldwide.
Congratulations to those who bring Italian pasta to the world!
Learn about other Made in Italy companies spreading the culture of pasta.