Our History 2/

1905

The young Gennaro Fabbri, then aged 45, opened a grocery store in Por tomaggiore (Ferrara) with a small distillery attached and transformed it into the “Premiata Distilleria G. Fabbri”. His first liqueurs were a great success, and the distillery was moved in 1914 to larger premises in Borgo Panigale (Bologna), still the company's headquarters today.

1915

Rachele Fabbri, Gennaro's wife, invented the legendary “Amarena Fabbri” cherries based on a peasant recipe called “marena con frutto”. Initially sold in demijohns, it also owes its success to its famous ceramic jar with white and blue decorations. The company’s founder came up with the idea and commissioned the design from the Faenza-based ceramist Gatti. Just a few years later, it could be found on bar counters all over Italy. Today, that unmistakable ceramic Amarena Fabbri jar is a symbol of good Italian taste all over the world.

1920s

Alongside the liqueurs, the production of syrups in addition to the Amarena began. Their success continued to grow. Gennaro's sons, Romeo and Aldo, actively participated in the company's development, assisting their father in devising a marketing policy that was revolutionary for its time. For example, Gennaro called his first liqueurs “Primo Maggio” (“May Day”) and “Amaro Carducci.” The first was a wink at socialist militants and sympathizers, and the second celebrates the Italian poet of national unity, who won the Nobel Prize in 1906. To expand distribution of his products, Gennaro sent his sons on a publicity tour of Italy in two legendary automobiles: the Isotta Fraschini, car of the divas, and the Itala, that car of the famous Paris-to-Beijing race of 1907. They immediately caught the nation’s attention and admiration.

1930s

Production continued to expand with cherries in liqueur, another product that quickly met with public favour, and fruit jams and preserves.

The company passed entirely into the hands of Gennaro's sons, Aldo and Romeo, and in that year changed its name to “Ditta G. Fabbri di Aldo e Romeo Fabbri”. The second generation brought new innovation with the launch of syrups that would later become known as “Inventabibite” (“Invent-a-drink”).

Gennaro bought the Bar Centrale in Bologna which, uniquely for the era, was kept open 24 hours a day: the Bar Centrale was Bologna's “well-to-do” salon located in the heart of the city centre, opposite the Sala Borsa, the centre of business and negotiations. The sons turned it into an elegant place where guests could enjoy, among many other specialities, homemade gelato, prepared by a famous gelato maker of the time with Fabbri’s first gelato-specific ingredients.

From post-war to recovery: Fabbri goes big. During the post-war years and economic recovery, the company was transformed into the jointstock company “G. Fabbri SpA”. In 1947 the initiative of the founder's grandsons, Fabio and Giorgio, led to a boost in production of liqueurs and traditional products such as Amarena Fabbri and Fruit Syrups.

Fabbri makes its debut in the gelato world. It was an idea destined to conquer the international market: Fabio and Giorgio industrialised the ingredients created for the homemade gelato at the Bar Centrale and created the “Cremolati”, i.e. pastes complete with creams or fruit which, with the addition of water or milk, become gelato once frozen and churned. Intended for the artisans who were then beginning to use the first electric gelato makers, these semi-finished products were a resounding success, opening up a new market: artisanal Italian gelato. The shops making Italian-style gelato could begin to spread around the world.

Vans equipped as laboratory schools travelled around Italy to teach gelato makers how to use Fabbri products to make excellent gelato. This was another innovation that boosted the brand’s visibility, at the same time as encouraging the growth of the profession of gelato-maker.

When the “Carosello” variety show made its television debut, the Fabbri brand entered the homes of millions of Italians. The famous “Salomone the chubby pirate” character remains a milestone in the history of television commercials. Also worth mentioning is the series “Un pittore alla settimana” (“A painter a week”) featuring then-unknown great painters the likes of Guttuso, Capogrossi, Gentilini, Cagli, and Salvatore, and the commercials with Buscaglione, Pisu, Adolfo Celi, and Tino Buazzelli.

In 1961 Romeo was made a Knight of Labour. The company was gradually taken over by the third Fabbri generation with brothers Giorgio, Fabio and cousin Stefano. Production was moved to the new plant in Anzola Emilia, where it continues to this day. The historic factory in Borgo Panigale was subsequently converted into offices. The Fabbri brand began to spread throughout Europe.

1980s 1990 1995 2005 2010

This was the decade devoted to establishing the brand in international markets, while the range of products designed for consumption outside the home continued to grow.

The fourth generation, represented by the founder's great-grandchildren, became active in the company: Andrea, Nicola, Paolo and Umberto.

Production further diversified, with products intended for the bar: Mixybar and Mixyfruit for mixed drinks, and flavouring products for coffee, chocolate, cappuccinos and tea.

The year of the Centenary: a celebratory "limited edition" ceramic jar, the Cento Anni Fabbri monograph, participation in the Venice Film Festival, the Fabbri Prize for Art, events, and much more marked a birthday shared with affection by Italians who see the brand as the emblem of “Made in Italy” confectionery around the world.

The first members of the fifth generation began to join the company.

The iconic Amarena Fabbri turns 100: an all-female edition of the Fabbri Prize for Art celebrates and honours its creator, Rachele Fabbri. The Storie di Amarena (Amarena Stories) collect people's thoughts and words about the Amarena.

In the Special Register of Italian Historical Trademarks (established by decree of 10 January 2020 by the Ministry of Economic Development) there are as many as four “Historical Trademarks of National Interest” recognised to Fabbri 1905, an almost unique case. It is exceptional evidence of the company’s deep connection with the history of the country, its customs, society and its manufacturing industry. Historical trademarks are the “Fabbri” corporate brand, the “Amarena Fabbri” product brand, the Faenza ceramic vase with blue designs on a white field identified as the company's hallmark, the unmistakable packaging of Fabbri's syrup bottles, and the “Inventabibite”.

Gelato and pastry, FMCG, beverages and coffee: a family holding that distributes in more than 100 countries, led by the fourth Fabbri generation, Nicola, Paolo and Umberto, now joined by the fifth generation of the family represented by Carlotta, Stefania, Federico, Pietro Fabbri, Michele Magli, Giovanni Quattrocchi and Fabio Macrì. Following in Gennaro's footsteps, the ethos and philosophy of the first generation still resonates through the company and family history today.