Barilla Is Getting Fancy With Its New Premium Pasta Line

Italian-owned food company Barilla entered the U.S. pasta market in 1997, according to The New York Times. As of January 2022, it remains the biggest manufacturer of pasta on the planet, according to Reuters. But greatness seldom comes from resting on one's laurels, and Barilla is a veritable case study standing in support of this truism, according to Italia Innovation. 

What began in 1877 as a small bread and pasta shop in Parma, Italy, has come to dominate the world pasta market through continuous innovation in its products, its production process, and its marketing — the last of which may best be exemplified by Barilla's recent repackaging of some of its popular pasta shapes, along with related recipes, cooking utensils, and other accessories, into a Pasta Season Pack (via company press release).

Barilla launched its Pasta Season Pack on September 21, just in time for a Barilla-worthy celebration of National Pasta Month. Now, halfway through this glorious carb-oriented celebration, Barilla is bringing the marketing fanfare once again, this time in the form of the launch of a new premium pasta line. On October 11, 2022, the company announced, via press release, the launch of six new pastas comprising its "Al Bronzo" line. The name means "by the bronze," and represents innovation in terms of the product itself and the process by which it's made. 

Packaged in bright red — a color long associated with luxury and opulence — Barilla's new Al Bronzo line of pasta will be sold alongside Barilla's blue-packaged products and serve as a more upscale option for consumers looking to up their pasta game, per Reuters. In addition to its fancy new packaging, what distinguishes this new premium pasta line is how it is made, as well as what it is made with.

Dubbed the "Lavorazione Grezza" method, Al Bronzo pasta is pushed through bronze dies, which creates a roughly textured surface that Barilla says is well-suited for gripping whichever of the many different pasta sauces you top it with. But first, the dough is made with a proprietary blend of responsibly sourced, non-GMO semolina wheat that Barilla describes as being of the highest quality. It also happens to be comprised of over 14% protein, which the pasta company explains adds to Al Bronzo's "robust texture" for perfect cooking resistance.

The Al Bronzo line features six pasta shapes: Bucatini, Mezzi Rigatoni, Penne Rigate, Fusilli, Spaghetti, and Linguine. According to a Barilla press release, it will be available for purchase in variety packs on Amazon starting on October 17 and is expected to hit retail shelves in the U.S. sometime next year.