HISTORY
The Romagnoli farm was established last century in Castel D'Aiano in the Bolognese Apennines in the late 1920s. Its founder, Natale Romagnoli, who had emigrated to the United States at a very young age, returned to Italy and invested in the family farm. The land was perfect for growing potatoes, and over the years the farming know-how gained and the willingness to try new varieties imported from northern Europe made the ware and seed potato markets grow and led to the development of an extensive sales network with agricultural consortiums and retailers of agricultural products throughout Italy.
Giuseppe Romagnoli, the youngest, moved the headquarters to Bologna in the 1950s, expanding the business: using his initiative, he developed business ties in Italy and abroad to sell and export various fruit and vegetable products, particularly potatoes and onions.
The company continued to promote Italian potatoes abroad and began exporting them to Germany, starting with the earliest potatoes from Sicily and continuing later with those from Bologna, where Romagnoli introduced the Primura variety, which went on to become the iconic potato of Bologna, achieving the European Union's Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status in 2010.
In the summer of 1960, the Romagnoli F.lli company was formally established and continued to operate in the fruit and vegetable trade, specialising in the seed and ware potato sector, starting by selecting and researching new varieties in collaboration with the Netherlands.
By the 1970s, Romagnoli F.lli is a sizeable company, employing numerous people and carrying out processing, sales and service activities in the fruit and vegetable sector, while working with many farmers all across Italy.
In 1977, the company promoted and founded the Bologna Potato Exchange, which to this day is the only one of its kind.
The Company has specialised in potatoes since the '80s and '90s, with the same strategy of building partnerships, long-term relations and value.
Romagnoli F.lli directly conducts and coordinates agricultural production with its own staff, invests in the supply chain, participates in and contributes to the success of interprofessional systems in the Emilia Romagna Region, and promotes organised systems to guarantee the improvement and adequate added value of potatoes.
In 1990, Romagnoli promoted and founded the Consorzio per la patata tipica di Bologna, the aim of which is to raise awareness, respect and appreciation of this unique product. This then gave rise to the Consorzio Patata Italiana di Qualità, owner of the Selenella brand, and the Consorzio di Tutela Patata di Bologna D.O.P., where the two brands are strengthened with the contribution of Romagnoli's technical and commercial know-how.
The Company's headquarters are supported by modern facilities that process, pack, and store agricultural products, including a state-of-the-art building opened in 2013 in Molinella (BO). It has strengthened its networks of employees and partner companies in various areas of Italy, Europe, and the world.
Romagnoli today
After more than 60 years, the family passion for potatoes continues and is carried on by siblings Giulio and Grazia Romagnoli.
The company, which is a Category Leader in its field, works in close collaboration with its Italian and European partners in order to understand and anticipate new consumer trends with potatoes and to then transfer this knowledge to the production and distribution sectors in the form of product and process innovations.
