Casalasco opens its new Innovation Center

A hub for innovation and growth in the Italian agri-food sector.

At the inauguration ceremony were present the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso, the CEO of FSI Maurizio Tamagnini, and the President of the Tech Europe Foundation Ferruccio Resta.

Casalasco, a leading agri-food group in the integrated tomato supply chain and a benchmark for the Italian food industry, today inaugurated its new Innovation Center in Fontanellato (Parma), a center dedicated to excellence, promoting research, development, and sustainable innovation in Italian agri-food products.

The opening marks a strategic milestone in the Group’s growth path. Through the new center, Casalasco aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the Italian supply chain on international markets and promote a development model based on innovation, sustainability, and enhancement of the territory.

A project shared with institutions and the local community

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Adolfo Urso, Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy, demonstrating the strategic value of the project for innovation and growth in the national agri-food industry. Also present were Costantino Vaia, CEO of Casalasco, Maurizio Tamagnini, CEO of FSI, and Ferruccio Resta, President of Tech Europe Foundation.

Thanks to the Innovation Center, Casalasco consolidates its role as a key player in the modernization of the agri-food business, confirming its commitment to generating value throughout the supply chain and promoting the quality and sustainability of Made in Italy products worldwide.

Adolfo Urso, Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy, commented: “The inauguration of this Innovation Center represents a fundamental step forward. It is not just a physical location: it is proof that when a territory believes in collaboration between businesses, research, and institutions, new models emerge that can be replicated elsewhere. We must replicate cases like this, because they are themselves a strategic asset for the country’s growth.”

“For us, the Innovation Center is not a destination, but a new beginning,” explains Marco Sartori, President of Casalasco SpA and of the Consorzio Casalasco del Pomodoro. “It was created to welcome ideas, experimentation, and collaboration, giving rise to sustainable and innovative solutions that further reinforce the competitiveness of our integrated supply chain. It is a legacy for future generations and a gift that we also want to give to our territory, where we have deep roots. Roots from where we want to start to look forward.”

An ecosystem where research and tradition meet

The new hub in Fontanellato aims to develop new products, improve processes, reduce environmental impact, and promote the well-being of the people of Casalasco:

“We wanted to create a physical and cultural space where tradition integrates with research, where the knowledge of our people dialogues with the scientific and technological expertise of our partners,” comments Costantino Vaia, CEO of Casalasco S.p.A. – The Innovation Center is not just a laboratory, but a strategic driver for the entire Group: an investment that translates our vision of sustainable and responsible growth, capable of anticipating the needs of tomorrow’s consumers and enhancing the role of Made in Italy around the world.”

“FSI has invested in Casalasco, in partnership with farmer shareholders and the Cooperative, to create an Italian global leader in agri-food,” said Maurizio Tamagnini, CEO of FSI. At the heart of the joint project, which envisages doubling in size over the next few years, is technological research into increasingly high-quality Italian products that can be sold at a premium price abroad, while continuing to support the development of a sustainable “tricolore” tomato and basil supply chain. I hope that this plant will stimulate a new generation of aggrotech producers, the children of our farmer members, who will realize their entrepreneurial projects through many Casalasco-like companies, including those resulting from mergers, close to their own territory, of significant size, and present on all world markets.”

Sustainable architecture and design

Designed by the Gazza Massera Architetti studio from Parma, the new building offers a contemporary interpretation of the architectural elements of Po Valley farmhouses, combining traditional materials with modern technologies in a balance between memory and innovation. The energetic improvements and renaturalization of the outdoor areas demonstrate a cultural approach of responsibility towards future generations.

With an area of approximately 1,000 square meters, the Innovation Center is a workplace designed to encourage collaboration. Inside, there is a laboratory and an experimental kitchen, the beating heart of the facility, where new recipes are developed and product solutions are tested before being presented to visitors in the spectacular tasting room. There is also a modern, multifunctional auditorium for meetings, events, and training activities, as well as offices and common areas designed to promote well-being and creativity. “The Innovation Center is not just a functional building, in line with the criteria of reuse, desealing, and Near Zero Energy Building,” explains architect Daniela Gazza, “but a generative architecture, where spatial configurations facilitate both experimentation and the construction of a shared corporate culture.”

A key element of identity is the Sensory Archive, designed by Studio Vesperini Della Noce Designers and Moma Comunicazione: an immersive environment designed to convey, through visual, auditory, and olfactory stimuli, the history and values that guide Casalasco, creating an emotional and participatory experience.

Art becomes an integral part of the structure thanks to the mural-manifesto created by artist Marianna Tomaselli, which uses contemporary language to tell the story and corporate culture of the Group. The work spans over two floors and welcomes visitors into a surprising and inspiring environment. It is much more than a decorative element: it represents a poetic and visual synthesis of Casalasco’s values, which is also “brought to life” thanks to a multimedia experience. 

The redevelopment of the outdoor areas places the building in a park designed as a contemporary hortus conclusus that alludes to the Po Valley countryside: vegetable gardens with native food plants, a greenhouse for exhibitions and events, and lounge areas designed to promote relationships and well-being. In this context, greenery becomes not only a landscape element, but also a concrete metaphor for the sustainability strategy that guides the company’s philosophy.

Future developments: the agri-voltaic park

The new hub in Fontanellato is not a destination, but the beginning of a new phase of conscious growth. Next to the facility, an agri-voltaic park will be developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Agriculture of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Piacenza, combining tomato cultivation with the production of energy from renewable sources. The energy produced by this plant will power the Innovation Center, closing a virtuous cycle of environmental sustainability and technological innovation.