There is an entrepreneurial reality that was born in Puglia in 2009 and has become a point of reference in the innovation and healthy food sector. It is Andriani SpA Società Benefit, specialized in the production of pasta under the Felicia brand, baked products and pet food; the company uses selected and naturally gluten-free raw materials, including buckwheat, oats, brown rice, teff, lentils, chickpeas, peas, cauliflower and spirulina.
Felicia embodies the company’s commitment to a regenerative and responsible business model; Its watchwords are “innovation” and “wellbeing”, without sacrificing taste. We talk about it with Marco Lentini, Marketing Director of Andriani SpA
If you had to describe Andriani to a friend who has never heard of him, what would you say?
I would start with two concise but very significant sentences. The first is Andriani’s purpose, namely “to improve the health and well-being of people, animals and the planet through food innovation”. The other is Andriani’s company signature, namely «Leading the Food Transition». Ours is a company that has the ambition of leading the food transition and has innovation in its DNA.
More and more consumers are choosing healthy, gluten-free products. In short, it is becoming a trend. How does Andriani respond to this challenge?
I like to think that Andriani pioneers what later becomes trends. Ours is a young company, founded in 2009 and with the Felicia brand healthy food in a new, more “colourful” dimension, through the Colorfood Revolution, which invites us to rediscover the pleasure of food as a daily experience of well-being, in which taste, nutrition and respect for the planet coexist. Felicia expresses an innovative and positive personality, capable of making change visible through colours, ingredients and conscious choices, looking to the future with confidence and responsibility. This vision is reflected in every aspect of the product, from packaging to communication. A new concept of eating well inspired by the Mediterranean diet that enhances food biodiversity, where each raw material has its own colour, flavor and nutritional properties.
Always talking about healthy food, how did this idea of using alternative ingredients such as legumes, cereals and even spirulina algae come about?
This idea also comes from the company DNA. At the beginning, the ambition was to produce the best gluten-free pasta on the market. Since the early years, however, we have broadened the field, enhancing biodiversity. This research led us to explore new ingredients and innovate with solutions such as legume pasta – lentils, chickpeas, peas – and the introduction of superfoods such as spirulina.
We started from a target limited to the world of celiac disease, but we evolved with Felicia, a brand that was not created to respond exclusively to this need, but to generate value through a new food proposal. Felicia represents a unique example: there is no real direct competitor, because it focuses on the biodiversity of the ingredients. Not just legumes: the world of whole grains is also very complex, with brown rice, buckwheat, oats and teff, an ancient cereal originating from the Horn of Africa.
Delving into the ingredients, we delve into spirulina algae, a rather particular raw material. What are the main benefits of spirulina algae compared to other ingredients, from a nutritional point of view?
Spirulina was called “food of the gods” by the Aztecs precisely because of its extraordinary nutritional properties. In 2007, the FAO defined it as “food of the future”. High in protein, rich in iron, potassium, vitamin B12 phycocyanin, and is also a powerful natural antioxidant. It therefore brings notable benefits to both the body and the mind. It is capable of improving physical resistance, counteracting tiredness and fatigue. It contributes to cardiovascular well-being and strengthens the immune system. It promotes concentration and good mood. In short, it fits perfectly into the eating style of people who pay attention to health and well-being. Not only a panacea for the body, but also for the planet: for every kilogram of spirulina produced, 1.8 kg of CO2 is captured from the atmosphere. As it grows, spirulina absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, helping to reduce your carbon footprint.
Hence the idea of the spirulina park.
In Europe, the largest natural spirulina production plant is located in Gravina in Puglia, where a 100% Italian circular economy model has been implemented. This virtuous process uses the water resulting from the production of Felicia pasta to cultivate the microalgae.
The result of an important circular economy project of the company, born thanks to the joint venture with ApuliaKundi, Spirulina Algae is grown in large tanks fed with water from the pasta making process, which, appropriately treated, is reintroduced into the system, with the aim of protecting this fundamental natural resource of the planet.
Today, health and sustainability are fundamental values for consumers. At a market level, is Andriani a predominantly local company or has it consolidated its presence also on the national territory?
Andriani and Felicia are now absolutely national realities. It’s true that we are from Puglia, but the market rewards us for the values we are capable of generating. Felicia is now distributed throughout Italy, in all the main supermarkets. For example, a very receptive square is Milan, both for the metropolitan target and for the concentration of a certain type of distribution. In general, according to Nielsen data, we are first in the pasta market for growth in absolute terms. This is the demonstration of the growing awareness of a consumer oriented towards increasingly responsible and increasingly educated consumption models, constantly seeking transparency, credibility and responsibility on the part of brands. Furthermore, the company is not only known nationally, but also internationally, because 50% of its turnover comes from exports and also because Andriani, in addition to having recently opened a production plant in Canada, is also present in New York with a commercial branch.
Italy is a very traditionalist country, especially in terms of food and wine. In Italy, in the consumer’s mind, pasta is pasta (the classic one). Could it be that Andriani has more potential abroad, where there isn’t this type of tradition, rather than in Italy?
We believe that they are two growth drivers that can easily coexist. The Italian market is rewarding us. The Italian consumer is therefore more open to new solutions than in the past. According to the NielsenIQ report «Global State of Health & Wellness 2025»68% of Italians adopt a proactive approach towards their health and 35% are actively looking for new products on the market to achieve their wellness goals, confirming the openness towards innovative and healthy food products even in traditional categories. Expansion into international markets also represents a great development opportunity.
Returning to Puglia, how does Andriani fit into the Apulian territory on a concrete level?
There is great attention to the topic of local supply chains, with the aim of valorising the local raw materials. A concrete example is undoubtedly that of «Terre Bradaniche», the largest legume supply chain in Italy which now involves various Italian regions, but whose heart always remains in Puglia.
Andriani is a benefit company. What does it mean and how do you communicate it to consumers?
Being a Benefit Corporation means being a company for which profit is not the only objective, but which is committed by statute to creating a positive impact on society and the environment. This must then be reported. We are committed to five impact areas. First of all, the agricultural and sustainable production chain: we promote responsible agricultural practices, we have long-term contracts, we have digitalized our supply chain with great attention to biodiversity and regenerative agriculture. The second area is represented by health and well-being: here we constantly invest in research and innovation to maximize the nutritional benefits of the products by always offering good, safe and also functional foods.
The third dimension is related to the development and valorisation of the territory: we are committed to restoring value to the territories in which we operate also with international cooperation projects. With Ethiopia, for example, we have created a project for the cultivation of teff, the smallest cereal in the world. The fourth area is that of climate change and the circular economy: today the Gravina di Puglia plant is 100% carbon neutral. The fifth and final area of impact is related to the valorization of people: we are committed to creating a stimulating work environment, we have a company restaurant, gym, wellness services and bike to work.
One last question. Do you have any future plans that can be revealed for the next few months/years?
Obviously we can’t reveal all the details, but what we can say is that we would like to accompany consumers on multiple consumption occasions throughout the day. At the beginning of 2026 we will launch, among other innovations, Proggy Plus, the new line dedicated to pet food in the specialized channel. Thanks to the integration of vegetable proteins with functional algae such as Spirulina, Chlorella and Nori, we want to offer our pets an advanced nutritional profile, to support their overall health and well-being. Proggy represents an innovative product for pet food that projects Andriani into a totally new market, in line with the company vision: an ethical, responsible food, free of ingredients of animal origin and made according to a circular economy process.
