This is a story that has the sweetness of powdered sugar, a story that starts back 135 years ago, thanks to a very young Francesco Panarello. It was 1885 when Francesco, first apprentice and then head of a laboratory in a pastry shop in the center of Genoa, had an idea…he wanted to improve the most traditional of the Genoese products, the Pandolce. He enriched the recipe with butter, sugar and candied fruits. The product achieved success, the sales increased and then a lucky combination: Francesco takes over the activities where he worked beginning a long company story, that still now bears his name.
A young Francesco Panarello, at 17 years of age, head of laboratory in a pastry shop in Via Porta d’Archi in Genoa, thanks to his creative and entrepreneurial spirit, begins the history of the company in the sweet bakery market that still today continues through four generations.
Francesco Panarello innovates in the method for cooking the Panarello products with the acquisition of an electric oven, a very modern system for that time. He starts opening new shops.
Francesco Panarello opens a big laboratory in Salita Santa Maria della Sanità in Genoa for the sweet bakery production. At the same time, supported by his sons, he opens the activity in Milan.
Francesco Panarello’s activity keeps growing and he opens new shops in Genoa and Milan, despite the bombing of World War II that completely destroyed the artisanal laboratory in Salita Santa Maria della Sanità in Genoa and severely damaged the one in Milan, in Piazza San Nazaro in Brolo.
In 1960 Francesco Panarello passes away. The eleven sons continue the activity, and the request for the lagaccio biscuits and pandolce increase so much that they decide to start selling the products not only in their shops but also in traditional retail stores.
The Panarello brand expands in genoa with the opening of the shops in Via Caprera and Corso Carbonara, and on the ligurian coast, in Chiavari.
Panarello opens a new shop in Milan in Via Tolstoj, fashion neighborhood of the city; a new one also opens in Rapallo.
After a long period of market research, Panarello start the production of gluten free products under the brand GraNò. A new shop is also opened in Milan, in Via della Moscova.
In 2016 a new shop is opened in Milan in Via Belfiore. In these years, the process of innovation moves even faster and the website e- commerce was launched together with the start up of the home delivery model for the fresh artisanal products in Genoa and Milan.