25 OCTOBER WORLD DAY 2016 IS CELEBRATED IN MOSCOW RUSSIA STRATEGIC MARKET FOR THE GROUP

Today World Pasta Day is being celebrated in Russia, highlighting the fundamental role achieved by this country: fifth largest pasta producer in the world, with an annual per capita consumption of 7.8 kg. Barilla, world leader in the pasta sector, is among the companies who chose (successfully) to venture into this market, open a plant near Moscow and expand it with 2 new production lines dedicated to pasta, through a 15 million euro investment. Which Barilla pasta shapes do Russians love best? , rigate, capellini, pipe rigate and bavette.

It has been a long time since ships loaded with quality wheat, in the 19th century, used to leave the Russian port of Taganrog headed for Naples and Imperia, then the capitals of Italian pasta. "Penne alla vodka" later sealed the relationship between Italian pasta and Russia: a must of 1980s' cuisine that is currently enjoying a revival. But it is now that the pairing of pasta and Russia has reached its highest point: data confirms that Russia is the fifth largest pasta producer in the world and among the main consumers of this food. All this is partly due to the decisive contribution by the Barilla Group, world leader in the sector, which chose to invest in the Russian market, beginning to sell pasta in this country in 2009.

BARILLA IN RUSSIA: 27,000 TONNES OF PASTA PRODUCED IN THE NEW PLANT This rapid development led the Parma company to launch, in September 2015, two new production lines dedicated to pasta in its Solnechnogorsk plant, in the Moscow region, which was already producing sauces, bread, bakery products and biscuits (under the Barilla-owned Harry's CIS brand). A 15 million euro investment. With the opening of the new plant, the Parma company is looking to end 2016 with an on-site production in Russia of 27,000 tonnes of pasta, and total revenues of 64 million euros. This has more than doubled the 13,000 tonnes that Barilla was exporting to Russia in 2014, before opening the plant. The Barilla pasta shapes that Russians love best include spaghetti, penne rigate, capellini, pipe rigate and bavette.

"Russia is a strategic market for the Barilla Group, as shown by the investment in the Solnechnogorsk plant, which represents a important page in the history of our brand in this country," states Luca Barilla, Vice President of the Barilla Group. "It is a sustainable choice, in line with the only way we do business - "Good for you, Good for the Planet" - which allows us to make pasta of the same quality produced in Italy, using local raw materials and collaborating with important and qualified partners in the agrifood sector."

In 2015 TWO NEW PRODUCTION LINES DEDICATED TO PASTA The Barilla Group operates in Russia and in other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States through the Harry's CIS brand, acquired by the Parma company in 2004. Its presence in Russia began with bakery products - such as biscuits, snacks and bread - and later expanded, in 2009, into the sector of ready-made sauces and pasta. And it is precisely as a result of this "core" company product that Barilla has quickly become one of the best-known and loved brands by Russian consumers. The Barilla Group production plant is located in Solnechnogorsk, 50 kilometres north of Moscow. 434 people work here and all the products, except for the sauces, are produced locally in the plant. A few months after the acquisition of Harry's, in 2004, the Solnechnogorsk plant was completely destroyed by a devastating fire and completely rebuilt by Barilla through a 40 million euro investment. The new plant was opened in February 2006.

RUSSIANS AND THEIR FAMOUS LOVE FOR PASTA: THEY CONSUME 7.8 KG PER CAPITA To confirm the increasingly strong link between Italy and Russia, today, October 25, World Pasta Day, organized by AIDEPI (Italian Association of Confectionery and Pasta Industries) is being celebrated in Moscow. With just over 1 million tonnes, Russia is the fifth largest pasta producer in the world. Italy continues to be the leading pasta exporter to Russia, with almost 29,000 tonnes in 2015. Consumption has also grown, stimulated by the fascination with our culinary tradition, which Russians have discovered in their trips to Italy: according to IPO (International Pasta Organisation) data, in 2015 1,106,000 tonnes of pasta were consumed in Russia, with an annual per capita consumption of 7.8 kg.

The Barilla Group

Founded in Parma in 1877 out of a shop that made bread and pasta, Barilla is today among the top Italian food groups: leader for pasta in the world, pasta sauces in continental Europe, bakery products in Italy, and the crisp bread business in Scandinavia. The Barilla Group owns 28 production sites (14 in Italy and 14 abroad) and exports to over 100 countries. Every year, its plants turn out around 1,700,000 tons of food products that are consumed on tables all over the world, under the following brand names: Barilla, Mulino Bianco, Harrys, Pavesi, Wasa, Filiz, Yemina and Vesta, Misko, , and Academia Barilla. The Barilla Group has only one way of doing business: “Good for You, Good for the Planet.” “Good for You” means constantly improving our products, motivating people to adopt healthy lifestyles and improving food access and social inclusion. “Good for the Planet” means promoting sustainable supply chains and reducing the amount of CO2 we emit and water we consume during production. For further information please visit: www.barillagroup.com

For information:

Head of Media Relations Luca Di Leo [email protected]

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INC –ISTITUTO NAZIONALE PER LA COMUNICAZIONE Matteo de Angelis [email protected]; + 39 06 44160834; +39 3346788708 Simone Ranaldi [email protected]; +39 06 44160883; +39 3355208289