Zerbinati

What Zerbinati does

Zerbinati S.p.a. is an Italian family-owned food company founded in 1970, headquartered in Casale Monferrato, Piedmont, specializing in the production and distribution of fresh pre-washed vegetables, salads, ready-to-heat soups, side dishes, vegetable burgers, and single-portion lunch meals. The company operates two production facilities in Casale Monferrato and Borgo San Martino (AL), employing more than 200 staff to produce a catalog of 70-100+ product references under IV gamma (fourth range) fresh processing technology, with no preservatives and ready-to-eat or quick-preparation formats. Zerbinati is the market leader in Italy's Monoporzioni single-serve soup segment with 17% share and the #1 growth position at +10% value and volume. Its Lunch Box line grew +18% in value and +8% in volume, with the Italian Cold Salads market (rice, cereals, cous cous) addressed at over €47 million in category value.

The company sells exclusively through Italian retail grocery and supermarket channels (Grande Distribuzione Organizzata) for branded product distribution, supplemented by a B2B private label supply business targeting international buyers via PLMA Amsterdam and Marca trade show participation. Zerbinati markets through an extensive recipe content library on its website, a store locator tool, and active trade show presence including Tuttofood, Marca, Fruit Attraction Madrid, and PLMA. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the business model operates on standard retail one-time sales through Italian retail partners. In October 2024, Zerbinati secured approximately $13.5 million in financing from illimity SGR and Presa, representing its first disclosed institutional capital infusion and signaling a pivot toward broader growth investment, international expansion, and product line extension.

Name

Zerbinati

Legal name

Zerbinati S.p.a.

Website

https://zerbinati.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Zerbinati is an Italian family-owned food producer founded in 1970, manufacturing fresh pre-washed salads, ready-to-heat soups, vegetable burgers, and lunch boxes via IV gamma processing across two Piedmont facilities, sold primarily through Italian retail (GDO) and increasingly via international private label channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Prepared Foods

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Dips, Salsas, Relishes & Chutneys Manufacturing (AFAKADAM)

Keywords

• Fresh prepared salads
• Ready-to-eat meals
• Pre-washed vegetables
• Single-serve soups
• Vegetable burgers

Headquarters

HQ city

Casale Monferrato

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: Sale of fresh prepared vegetables, salads, soups, ready meals, and vegetable burgers through retail grocery stores and supermarkets (Grande Distribuzione Organizzata - GDO) across Italy.
2. B2B / Private Label: Production and supply of products under retailer private labels, as evidenced by participation at PLMA and Marca trade shows focusing on private label opportunities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Zerbinati develops, manufactures, and distributes fresh pre-washed vegetables and salads (IV gamma / fourth range), ready-to-heat soups and cream soups, plant-based vegetable burgers, and single-portion lunch boxes based on cous cous and grains. Products are sold under the Zerbinati brand and through private label partnerships, distributed through Italian retail grocery chains and supermarkets. The portfolio exceeds 100 product references across categories including salads, soups, side dishes, vegetable burgers, and ready meals.

Product overview

Zerbinati is an Italian food company founded in 1970, based in Casale Monferrato and Borgo San Martino (AL), Piedmont. It specializes in fresh pre-washed vegetables and salads (IV gamma - fourth range), and ready-to-eat fresh meals. The product portfolio spans five core categories: (1) Insalate e verdure - pre-washed fresh salads and vegetables in both conventional and organic (Bio) varieties; (2) Zuppe, vellutate e contorni - ready-to-heat soups, cream soups, risottos, polenta, and side dishes, including the market-leading "Le Monoporzioni" single-serve soup line; (3) Burger'Z - plant-based vegetable burgers made from quinoa, grains, and vegetables; (4) Lunch Box - ready-to-eat single-portion meals based on cous cous, cereals, and grains; and (5) Piatti pronti - ready meals including potato croquettes. Zerbinati also recently launched the "Gratinati...a puntino" gratinated vegetable line and the "Le Chicche" julienne vegetable sub-line. The company catalogs over 100 product references produced by more than 200 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Le Monoporzioni: Single-serving ready soups and meals line, market leader in Italy's Monoporzioni segment with 17% market share.
• Burger'Z
• Crockette
• Gratinati...a puntino
• Le Chicche
• Crea&Gusta
• Pensato in Grande

Products and services

• Insalate e verdure (Salads and Vegetables) Fresh pre-washed and pre-cut salads and vegetables (IV gamma / fourth range) in single varieties and mixed blends, available in conventional and organic (Bio) variants, for Italian consumers and retail/private label customers.
• Zuppe, vellutate e contorni (Soups, Cream Soups and Side Dishes) Ready-to-heat soups, cream soups, stews, risottos, polenta, and mashed potatoes, including the market-leading Le Monoporzioni single-serve soup line in which Zerbinati holds 17% Italian market share. Includes over 20 varieties such as minestrone, vegetable soups, legume-based soups, and cream soups, for retail and private label customers.
• Burger'Z (Vegetable Burgers) Plant-based vegetable burgers made from ingredients such as quinoa, broccoli, zucchini, and pumpkin, sold in 2x80g format, for Italian consumers seeking plant-based meal options.
• Lunch Box Ready-to-eat single-portion lunch meals based on cous cous, 5 Cereali (5 grains), farro, orzo, and cereals with various toppings, designed for on-the-go and quick home consumption. The line recorded +18% value growth and +8% volume growth, with the cous cous segment growing over 10% in value and volume.
• Gratinati...a puntino A new line of fresh gratinated vegetable side dishes with an extra crispy breading of breadcrumbs, cornflakes, and aromatic herbs, free of preservatives and suitable for oven or air fryer preparation, for Italian consumers and retail customers.
• Crockette con Patate e Rosmarino Ready meal side dish of potato and rosemary vegetable croquettes in 160g portion, sold through Italian retail grocery channels as part of Zerbinati's Piatti pronti range.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17% market share in Monoporzioni segment with +10% value and volume growth
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ICE (Italian Trade Agency)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Zerbinati participates at the PLMA private label trade show with a booth within the ICE (Italian Trade Agency) pavilion (Hall 7 Stand 7.R39) to explore international private label opportunities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• La Linea Verde: Italian specialist in fresh pre-washed salads and IV gamma vegetables, headquartered in Manerbio. Directly comparable to Zerbinati as a domestic IV gamma and ready-meal producer serving Italian GDO retailers.
• Orogel: Major Italian cooperative producer of frozen and fresh-prepared vegetables, soups and ready meals. Closely comparable to Zerbinati in product mix (vegetables, soups, ready meals) and Italian retail distribution.
• Fri-El Green House: Italian producer of frozen and prepared vegetables and ready meals, supplying Italian grocery and HoReCa channels. Comparable to Zerbinati in the prepared-vegetables and ready-meals overlap.
• Bofrost Italia: Italian arm of the European D2C frozen/prepared-meal specialist. Comparable to Zerbinati in the prepared-meals category with overlapping end consumers seeking convenient vegetable and soup-based meals.
• Fruttagel: Italian producer specializing in fresh-cut vegetables, legume and grain-based ready meals and vegetable beverages. Directly comparable to Zerbinati in IV gamma vegetables and the grain-based lunch-box category.

Broad incumbents

• Bonduelle: Multinational French vegetable major with significant presence in Italy across canned, frozen and fresh-prepared categories. Larger incumbent serving many of the same retail customers as Zerbinati with broader portfolio.
• McCain Foods: Global prepared-vegetables major with retail and foodservice presence across Europe. Adjacent incumbent to Zerbinati in prepared-vegetable categories, though focused on frozen rather than fresh.
• Cirio: Historic Italian packaged-food producer (tomato products, sauces, ready meals) sold through Italian GDO. Broader portfolio than Zerbinati but overlapping end customers in retail-ready Italian soups, sides and prepared meals.
• Findus: European prepared/frozen-foods major with Italian distribution. Overlaps with Zerbinati in vegetable-led ready meals and soups distributed through mass-market retail in Europe.

Regional players

• Apofruit: Italian fresh-produce cooperative supplying fresh fruit and vegetables to Italian retail and foodservice. Comparable upstream-fresh sourcing and retail-channel overlap with Zerbinati's IV gamma business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zerbinati