THE STORY.
The Past is still Present
Inauguration of the Parma plant in Via Emilia
1871
THE ORIGINS: THE FIRST STEPS IN TURIN
Tosi & Rizzoli: opened in 1871 in Piedmont, in the city that at the time was the most specialised in Italy in the processing of canned fish. Turin is in fact on the ancient salt road to the port of Genoa, from where the blue fish arrives in wooden barrels, and it was there that Luigi and Emilio Zefirino Rizzoli began their collaboration with Cavalier Romeo Tosi.
But it was in the heart of Emilia that the tomato canning industry was making great strides and brought with it a functional railway system and fast communication routes: glimpsing the district’s potential, Tosi & Rizzoli moved to Parma in 1892.
1900
Arriving in Parma: MASTERS IN FISH PRESERVATION
Tosi & Rizzoli closed, but after thirty years in Turin and a move to Parma, the Rizzoli were now masters of canned fish. In the company, Luigi Rizzoli takes care of production, while his brother Emilio Zefirino dedicates himself to selling the finished product, travelling around Italy in search of new customers. It was during these travels that he met Antonietta Emanuelli, fell in love with her and decided to start a family and a new adventure with her: thus Rizzoli Emanuelli & C. was born.
1906
Anchovies in spiced Sauce:
a product, a secret, a myth
Rizzoli Anchovies in Spiced Sauce in the now iconic golden tin are the symbol of our company. A recipe that is not written down, but handed down by word of mouth to the eldest son of the family. It is he alone who knows the ingredients, doses and cooking times of the sauce that, once prepared, is put to mature for six months in numbered wooden barrels that previously contained Marsala. Every step, today as in the past, continues to be carried out by hand, respecting the ancient tradition. For over a century, the spices have been purchased from the same trusted suppliers, ground in the company with the same machinery, weighed with the same instruments that guarantee the same proportions as always. The smells and flavours of this emblem of Italian cuisine have never changed.
Proudly, since 1906.
1907
THE Gnomes: an auspicious symbol
It was the end of the 1800s when Emilio Zefirino and Antonietta received a gift of an excellent batch of fish preserved in wrappers depicting three smiling gnomes. Since then, these mythical figures have been the symbol of our company, chosen as a sign of good omen, health and longevity. A few years later, in 1907, the trademark was filed with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Kingdom of Italy, which reads as follows: ‘The coloured figure of three old dwarfs with long beards embracing and carrying on their knees a blue striped plate with the words Mangiar bene (Eat well); underneath is the inscription Alici in salsa piccante – Vera marca Rizzoli Parma’.
1913
THE TEAR-OFF CAN:
Getting ahead of the times
Thinking ahead, always. Emilio Zefirino Rizzoli travels a lot, talks to customers and listens to them, because it is from confrontation with the buyers that one improves. One of the requests he makes is to make the opening of the tins quicker. Hence our very first tin can with the tear-off, modern and practical. It was 1913 when we filed the patent and this is probably one of the reasons why the company was immediately chosen as a supplier to the Italian Army.
1915
THE GREAT WAR:
The Historical Can Series
Italy goes to war against the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Rizzoli Emanuelli plays its part: it sends its products to the front, pays homage with special cans to General Cadorna, Supreme Commander of the Italian Army during the First World War, and sings the praises of the reconquest of the irredent cities Trento and Trieste. One of these precious relics was found by chance in 1971, during the placement of a memorial plaque by an elderly veteran.
1926
THE NEW FACTORY:
A LIberty house in the city
We are in the midst of the Art Nouveau era when the new Rizzoli Emanuelli headquarters are inaugurated, for years the symbol of fine industry in Parma. From a newspaper of the time, Aldo Emanuelli mentions the exponential growth of the company, ‘founded 23 years ago with 6 workers’ while the reporter observes and recounts the ‘small army of women and an imposing array of ultra-modern machinery that prepare with automatic elegance and precision that goodness that comes to our aid in the whims of gluttony’.
*The photo group at the top of this page was taken on the very day of the opening.
1950
THE BOOM:
The female labour force
Of this era when Italy was getting back on its feet, there remains a memory recounted by some former girls who worked in production. Yesterday, as today, it is female labourers assigned to the packaging of anchovies, portrayed in the period photo together with Aldo Rizzoli. Swarms of women on bicycles would come out of our factories, singing this refrain: ‘You want to eat well, spend good days, eat the spicy Rizzoli Emanuelli anchovies!’.
1956
LA RéCLAME:
Appetising, exciting, invigorating
We are celebrating 50 years, an event celebrated by reprinting a special letterhead, which recounts, with the enthusiasm of the time, the legendary fillets of Alici in Salsa: ‘APPETITOSI because they arouse and provoke the appetite to eat; EXCITING because they have the effect of increasing the action of the vital organs by stimulating them so that the body’s functions take place with greater strength; CORROBORANT because they are prepared with substances that are good for restoring strength by invigorating the body’.
1958
A NEW PRESIDENT:
Handing over the baton to Antonio Rizzoli
After Luigi, Aldo and Clelia Rizzoli, children of Emilio Zefirino and Antonietta, the baton of our company passes to their grandson Antonio Rizzoli. He is 31 years old when he receives the secret recipe for Salsa. This brings us to the third generation at the helm of the business.
1970
THE FIRST TRADE FAIRS:
Exploring new markets
Antonio Rizzoli makes the company grow with a new entrepreneurial flair. Participations in the most important international food fairs become regular: markets expand, Rizzoli anchovies reach further and further afield.
1990
OSCAR AIDA:
Creativity awarded at Cibus
La Scorta del Buongustaio’ (The Gourmet’s Escort) is born: a case with a selection of our specialities together with a recipe book signed by great chefs. It is the ancestor of today’s gourmet selections, created as an idea for Christmas presents but which sells like hot cakes all year round. The International Association of Food Distributors, Aida, rewards at Cibus the novelties on the market, which, according to a vintage edition of Turin’s La Stampa, ‘focus on the desires and whims of the consumer of the 1990s, who compared to the past has more income, more power of choice and also, thanks to the ageing population, more experience behind him’. It is in this historical context that ‘La Scorta’ takes home the Oscar Aida Cibus ‘90.
1992
RIZZOLI EMANUELLI BECOMES S.P.A:
Massimo RIzzoli new general manager
Antonio Rizzoli passes the baton to his son, Massimo. He has just turned 26 and becomes, for the fourth generation, the repository of the secret recipe of the Sauce. For him, tradition does not mean immobilism, but combining experience with a strong innovative spirit.
2000
TUNA IN GLASS:
A revolution in packaging
A challenge that seemed impossible: changing the packaging of tuna, historically stored in tins. An idea that Massimo Rizzoli came up with during one of his daily production tours: Rizzoli fillets are hand-cut and unmistakable in colour, so much so that not showing them is a shame. This is how tuna in glass arrives on the shelves in Italy.
2002
THE SINGLE-SERVING ALICE:
The mini-box to indulge a whim
We are the first in Italy to launch single-serving anchovies in an innovative flexible pack, which we offer for both “Rizzoline” and the legendary Anchovies in Sauce. For an aperitif, an outdoor picnic, to meet the needs of singles or small families.
2012
ANCHOVIES, A TRANSPARENT JOURNEY:
Traceability in a click
The relationship of trust with the consumer comes first, or in Rizzoli’s motto: ‘Ante lucrum nomen’. After obtaining Uni En Iso 22005 certification of the entire anchovy chain, the company has set up an online traceability system that allows consumers to receive all the information on the product purchased. Just click on the dedicated banner, enter the details of the product purchased, and in a short time the consumer will receive all the information in his or her inbox: the species, the area, the date and method of fishing, the name of the fishing vessel, the date of arrival of the fish at the plant, and all the information on controls.
2015
ANUGA AWARD:
Packaging still at the cutting edge
First in the industry in 2003, we offer flexible packaging for our anchovies, easy peel, lightweight, with no risk of breakage and a high barrier to UV and O2 rays: practical and, once again, innovative. This is why we won the Anuga Award in 2015 for ‘Best International Packaging’ in the canning category.
2018
FOOD PRIZE:
In search of transparency, always
We launch the Oblò del mare line with an exclusive can with an easy-open transparent lid that makes them unique on the Italian market. In 2018 we win the FOOD award.
2019
THE TV DEBUT:
What is the secret of Rizzoli’s flavour?
We reveal it in these 15 seconds that you can watch HERE and that mark our debut on the small screen. Beginning with a vintage tin of Alici in Salsa, a few seconds of a sequence plan run through 113 years of unique knowledge, taking the viewer on a discovery of a long family tradition. In closing, it is the eldest son in charge who thus expresses all his pride in our iconic product: I am Massimo Rizzoli and these are my Alici in Salsa.
2019
Bringing anchovies to the REFRIGERATOR COUNTER
Our best anchovies? We put them in the cooler! They are Chilled Anchovies from the Cantabrian Sea, the finest and fleshiest and MSC-certified. Processed entirely by hand, the anchovies preserve the high quality and intense flavour of fresh fish. The refrigerated storage allows us to reduce the salt content by up to 25% and to obtain a range of new products, increasingly responding to our customers’ demand.
