Star

What Star does

Star Stabilimento Alimentare S.p.A. is an Italian branded food company founded in 1948 and headquartered in Agrate Brianza (Monza e Brianza), operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the multinational GBfoods group. The company manufactures and markets a portfolio of culinary products organized around eight core lines: Il Mio Dado (bouillon cubes), Il Mio Brodo Star (ready liquid broth), Il Mio Gran Ragù (ready meat sauces), Risotti e Preparati per Pizza (risotto and pizza mixes), Star Tea, Pummarò Star (tomato bases), Polpabella, and Fondenti in Padella. These are designed to serve Italian home cooks seeking convenient foundations for traditional recipes, with variant depth that signals a house-of-brands approach within a single corporate entity.

Revenue is generated primarily through the wholesale/retail sale of branded packaged food to Italian consumers via supermarket chains and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at star.it. There is no public pricing disclosure, no headcount expansion signal at software/SaaS scale, and no platform or technology licensing model. Operational scope is largely confined to Italy, with distribution and marketing channels centered on retail shelves plus organic content marketing through an owned recipe/magazine website and active Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn profiles. A consumer data-handling partnership with Webhelp Italy and a website management partnership with Kiwi Digital support these channels.

The company's strategic posture blends legacy CPG scale with moderate innovation activity. R&D is anchored by the SNIF project — a premium partnership with EU, Italian State, and Lombardy Region FESR funding — focused on industrial research into natural and sustainable food ingredients via advanced bio-catalyzed technologies. The 251–500 employee base, €10.33M registered share capital, and lack of public listing or venture funding indicate a privately-held, cash-flow-funded mid-cap Italian food business operating within the GBfoods conglomerate umbrella. ESG-related IMQ and UNI 2020 gender equality certifications, plus GDPR-compliant data operations, round out the disclosed governance profile.

Name

Star

Legal name

Star Stabilimento Alimentare S.p.A. a socio unico

Website

https://star.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Star Stabilimento Alimentare S.p.A. is an Italian branded food company, founded 1948 and owned by GBfoods, that manufactures and sells bouillons, broths, ragù sauces, risotto mixes, teas and cooking aids through Italian supermarkets and its own e-commerce site for Italian home cooks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Italian Culinary Products (cooking bases, broths, sauces, risotto mixes, teas)

NAICS

Mayonnaise, Dressing, and Other Prepared Sauce Manufacturing (311941), Seasoning and Dressing Manufacturing (31194), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Condiments, Sauces & Dressings (CRADAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Flavor Houses & Compound Flavor Manufacturing (AFAJADAA)

Keywords

• Italian culinary products
• Bouillon cubes
• Ready-to-use broths
• Pasta sauces
• Cooking bases

Headquarters

HQ city

Carate Brianza

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consumer Packaged Goods: Star generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of branded food products including broths (Il Mio Brodo), seasoning cubes (Il Mio Dado), ragù sauces (Il Mio Gran Ragù), risotto and pizza mixes, and teas. These are sold through retail/supermarkets and the company's own consumer-facing website to end consumers in Italy.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Star manufactures and sells a family of branded Italian culinary products centered on cooking bases and ready-to-use ingredients — bouillon cubes (Il Mio Dado), liquid broths (Il Mio Brodo), meat ragù sauces (Il Mio Gran Ragù), risotto and pizza mixes, teas (Star Tea), tomato products (Pummarò Star), granular broths, pan-cooking aids (Fondenti in Padella), and fish cubes (Polpabella). These products are sold to Italian home cooks through retail/supermarket channels and the company's own consumer website, supported by an extensive owned recipe and magazine content library.

Product overview

Star is an Italian food company (Star Stabilimento Alimentare S.p.A.) that produces a comprehensive range of culinary products for Italian home cooking. The product portfolio centers around bouillons and broths (Il Mio Dado and Il Mio Brodo Star), complemented by ready-made sauces (Il Mio Gran Ragù), risotto preparations, teas (Star Tea), tomato products (Pummarò Star), granular broths, and specialty products like Fondenti in Padella and Polpabella. These products are designed to help consumers prepare authentic Italian dishes quickly, with the core proposition being 'fatto in casa' (homemade) quality convenience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Il Mio Dado: Stock cube product line including Classico, Vegetale, Delicato variants
• Il Mio Brodo
• Il Mio Gran Ragù
• Risotti Star
• Star Tea
• Pummarò Star
• Polpabella Star
• Fondenti in padella Star

Products and services

• Il Mio Dado Bouillon cube line available in Classico, Vegetale, Vegetale con 9 Verdure, Delicato, and low-salt (-30% Sale) variants, used as a flavor base for soups, risottos, and other Italian dishes.
• Il Mio Brodo Star Ready-to-use liquid broth (ready in 2 minutes) in Carne Mista, Verdure, Manzo, Pollo, and low-salt variants, used as a base for soups, risottos, and traditional Italian dishes.
• Il Mio Gran Ragù Ready-made meat sauces in Classico, con Salsiccia, con Funghi Porcini, con Speck, con polpette, and Piccante variants, used as pasta sauces and in Italian recipes.
• Risotti e Preparati per Pizza Ready-to-cook risotto preparations in Funghi Porcini, Milanese, and Gamberetti varieties, plus pizza preparations; simply add water for authentic Italian risottos.
• Star Tea Tea line including Classico, Deteinato, Verde, Verde Deteinato, Limone, Pesca, Frutti di Bosco, and Verde Limone e Zenzero variants.
• Pummarò Star Tomato-based products in Vellutata and Corposa varieties, used as a base for pasta sauces and Italian dishes.
• Il Mio Brodo Granulare Granular broth products in 100% Natural Classico and Verdure varieties; instant-use broth granules for cooking and meal preparation.
• Fondenti in Padella Ready-to-cook pan preparations in Prezzemolo e Aglio and Timo e Rosmarino varieties, for quick meal preparation directly in the pan.
• Polpabella Star Fish flavoring cubes in Polposi Cubetti variety; ready-to-use fish cubes for seafood dishes.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Gruppo GBfoodscoreOthersStar is a member of the GBfoods (Gruppo GBfoods) corporate group. All intellectual property on the Star website belongs to Star or GBfoods group companies. Star operates under the umbrella of GBfoods for strategy and brand governance.
• Unione Europea, Stato Italiano, Regione LombardiaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStar received FESR (Fondo Europeo di Sviluppo Regionale) funding as premium partner for the SNIF project, focused on industrial research and experimental development of natural and sustainable ingredients using advanced bio-catalyzed technologies for the food industry.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Knorr (Unilever): Knorr is the global category leader in bouillon cubes, broths and seasonings, directly overlapping with Star's Il Mio Dado, Il Mio Brodo and Fondenti in Padella product lines for Italian home cooks. It is the most direct head-to-head competitor in the same shelves of Italian retail.
• Maggi (Nestlé): Maggi competes with Star across bouillon, seasonings, ready sauces and recipe mixes in Italian retail, sharing the same shelf and use occasion. As a Nestlé brand, it brings global scale advantages in pricing and promotion that directly pressure Star's volumes.
• Cirio: Cirio is an established Italian CPG brand in canned tomatoes, sauces and condiments, directly competing with Star's Pummarò tomato products and Il Mio Gran Ragù ready sauces across Italian grocery channels.
• Mutti: Mutti is a leading Italian tomato-based products brand (passata, pelati, sauces) competing directly with Star's Pummarò range and adjacent ready-sauce usage occasions in Italian retail.
• Saclà: Saclà is an Italian prepared-sauce and condiment brand (pesto, sauces, antipasti) competing with Star's Il Mio Gran Ragù and broader cooking-occasion basket. Comparable as an Italian-origin CPG challenger focused on authentic Italian taste.
• Buitoni (Nestlé): Buitoni operates in Italian pasta, sauces and ready-meal kits, overlapping with Star's Risotti e Preparati per Pizza and ready-sauce lines. It competes for similar Italian home-cook use occasions and supermarket shelf space.

Broad incumbents

• Barilla: Barilla is the dominant Italian packaged food incumbent with overlapping categories in pasta, sauces and ready meals (e.g., Barilla sauces, Academia Barilla). It is not a direct cube/broth competitor, but competes for the same Italian home-cook basket and shelf space.
• De Cecco: De Cecco is a leading Italian premium pasta and CPG brand with growing presence in sauces and condiments. Comparable as an Italian heritage brand pursuing shelf expansion into adjacent cooking categories served by Star.

Emerging players

• Giovanni Rana: Giovanni Rana is an Italian fresh and prepared-food brand with adjacent cooking-occasion products (sauces, ready meals, filled pasta) used by Italian home cooks. Comparable as a premium-positioned Italian CPG brand chasing the same convenience-and-authenticity consumer.
• Rigamonti: Rigamonti is an Italian branded salumi and prepared-meat producer whose ragù-style and seasoned meat offerings intersect with Star's Il Mio Gran Ragù con Salsiccia line. Comparable as an Italian specialty CPG player addressing overlapping home-cooking occasions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/StarInCucina
• Facebookfacebook.com/StarInCucina
• LinkedInit.linkedin.com/company/star-spa
• Instagraminstagram.com/starinfamiglia

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Star