La Romana

What La Romana does

La Romana Cooperativa is an Italian workers' cooperative (società cooperativa) founded in 2009 and headquartered in Rome (Via della Bufalotta), operating collective catering services across the Lazio region with an extension into Rieti and Segni. It produces over 1.5 million meals per year for more than 160 public and private clients across ten service lines: school catering, corporate catering, healthcare catering (hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation), social day-care catering, home meal delivery, reception centers, hotel and university catering, premium banqueting, and summer camp catering. The company runs three production centers in Rome (two near the GRA south-west, one in Tiburtina) with 24/7/365 operations, an 8,000 meals/day transported-meal capacity, and a 20-vehicle fleet.

Revenue is generated primarily through B2B institutional service contracts, billed per meal on a transaction-fee basis, supplemented by managed-services arrangements (hotel, university, home delivery funded by EU social programs) and professional-services revenue from event banqueting. The go-to-market is sales-led: direct enterprise sales for private clients, and competitive public procurement via the MEPA platform for public entities. Pricing is largely contract-based, with publicly disclosed unit pricing for summer camp catering of €4.50 per multi-portion meal and €5.00 per single-portion meal for 2026. An assigned technician is paired with each client from project design onwards, creating integration depth and embedded switching costs.

The company's underlying technology stack combines Cook & Chill and modified atmosphere packaging (ATM) production lines with a suite of cloud-based digital platforms — SCRIPTA for internal communications and document management, the shop.laromanacooperativa.com e-commerce/CRM portal, Ristorante Aperto mobile/web app for menu and reservations, E-MEAL university app, CONTOPASTI attendance/meal tracking software, and the La Romana Cash magnetic-card payment system. It holds eleven-plus active certifications (ISO 9001, 14001, 22000, 22005, 45001, 50001, 37001, 14067, SA8000, UNI/PdR 125, UNI 11584) verified by external accredited bodies, and operates through strategic partnerships with FOSAN SERVIZI (nutrition/HACCP), AIC (certified gluten-free), Roma Capitale (PON Inclusione-funded home delivery), and certified organic/zero-km logistics platforms (Globo Frutta, Biosolidale).

Name

La Romana

Legal name

La Romana Cooperativa

Website

https://laromanacooperativa.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

La Romana Cooperativa is a Rome-based Italian workers' cooperative founded in 2009 that produces over 1.5 million meals per year across school, corporate, healthcare, university, social, and banqueting segments for more than 160 public and private clients in the Lazio region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Institutional Contract Catering Services

NAICS

Caterers (72232), Food Service Contractors (722310), Cafeterias, Grill Buffets, and Buffets (722514)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAFAIAC

Venue & Banquet Hall Catering

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Catering & Banquet Foodservice

SECONDARYTHAHAKAC

Hotel & Resort Banqueting (In-House Catering)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Catering & Banqueting Services for Events

SECONDARYTHAHAKAN

Event Culinary Staffing & Back-of-House Services (Chefs, Servers, Bartenders)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Catering & Banqueting Services for Events

SECONDARYTHAHAKAB

Conference & Convention Center Catering

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Catering & Banqueting Services for Events

SECONDARYTHAHAKAJ

Beverage Services (Bar Catering, Mixology, Beverage Programs)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Catering & Banqueting Services for Events

Keywords

• Collective catering services
• Institutional food service
• School meal catering
• Corporate canteen management
• Contract food services

Headquarters

HQ city

Rome

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Collective Catering Services: Production and delivery of meals to institutional and corporate clients including schools, hospitals, care homes, companies, and government agencies. Revenue is generated through service contracts with public tenders and private agreements, typically on a per-meal basis.
2. Catering & Banqueting: Event catering services including corporate events, weddings, conferences, and banquets at client premises or at La Romana's affiliated luxury hotel venue in Tiburtina. One-time event-based revenue.
3. Home Meal Delivery: Delivery of hot meals to elderly, frail, and economically disadvantaged individuals at home, funded through social programs (PON Inclusione FSE, Roma Capitale social services).
4. Hotel & University Catering: On-site food and beverage services at hotels, student residences, and university campuses including bars, self-service restaurants, and breakfast services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

La Romana Cooperativa is an Italian collective catering cooperative that produces, packages, transports and serves meals to institutional clients across schools, universities, hospitals, nursing homes, corporate workplaces, day centers, reception centers and summer camps, and delivers hot meals to elderly and vulnerable households under public social programs. It operates three centralized production centers in Rome with Cook & Chill capacity of 8,000 meals/day, runs both on-site managed canteens and off-site transported meal services, and supplements food service with proprietary digital platforms, food education programs, and premium event banqueting.

Product overview

La Romana Cooperativa operates a comprehensive collective catering platform serving diverse sectors including schools, corporations, healthcare facilities, social services, and hospitality. The core offering consists of on-site food production, transported meals from three production centers (8,000 meals/day capacity), and catering services. The company provides 11 distinct service lines: school catering, corporate catering, healthcare catering, social care catering, home delivery, reception center catering, event catering, hotel hospitality, university catering, and summer camp catering. Supporting these are educational programs (Mangiando si Impara, La Mensa che Pensa, Food for Study, Food for Care) and digital platforms (SCRIPTA for internal communication, SHOP portal for customer engagement, La Romana Cash System, Ristorante Aperto app, and UniRoma2 booking app). The company operates multiple branded outlets including Bar UniRoma2 and Sabina Food House.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ristorazione Scolastica (School Catering) School meal service from nursery to university level for public and private institutions, including menu planning, nutrition management, allergen-segregated lines (gluten-free, halal, kosher, vegan), food education programs (La Mensa che Pensa, Mangiando si impara) and seasonal menus serving children in Rome (Municipio III), Rieti and Segni.
• Ristorazione Aziendale (Corporate Catering) Workplace canteen and bar services for companies, government agencies and industrial zones including self-service, table service, takeaway and digital meal reservation tools; serves clients such as Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Agenzia delle Entrate, Agenzia del Demanio, INGV, INFN and SEKO.
• Ristorazione Sanitaria (Healthcare Catering) Hospital, clinic, nursing home (RSA) and rehabilitation center catering with personalized therapeutic diets under medical supervision, malnutrition and dysphagia management, and the Food for Care wellbeing program; serves Ospedale Gemelli del Molise among others.
• Ristorazione per il Sociale - Centri Diurni (Social Day Care Catering) Catering for day care centers serving elderly, disabled and Alzheimer's patients with tailored menus and psycho-sanitary care plans; serves 30 day care facilities in the Rome metropolitan area.
• Ristorazione a Domicilio (Home Meal Delivery) Daily home meal delivery service for elderly, families in economic difficulty and homebound patients in Rome, delivered every day of the year and funded by PON Inclusione FSE 2014-2020 with Roma Capitale Dipartimento Politiche Sociali.
• Ristorazione per Centri di Accoglienza (Reception Center Catering) Catering for asylum seeker and refugee reception centers with multicultural menus including halal options and ethnic food alternatives.
• Catering & Banqueting (Event Catering) Premium event catering services for corporate events, weddings, baptisms, communions, galas, conferences, cocktail parties and gala dinners, including access to La Romana's affiliated luxury hotel venue in Tiburtina and execution at prestigious venues such as Villa Medici and NATO Defense College.
• Ristorazione Alberghiera (Hotel Catering) Hospitality catering for hotels, pensions and student residences including breakfast buffets, lunch, dinner and bar services; clients include Soggiorno Montano dell'Aeronautica Militare in Rieti.
• Ristorazione Universitaria (University Catering) University catering for college dining halls and bars including self-service, table service, takeaway and digital tools for ordering and attendance tracking (E-MEAL app, CONTOPASTI software, UniRoma2 meal booking app); clients include Università di Tor Vergata and Camplus Pietralata.
• Catering Centri Estivi (Summer Camp Catering) Seasonal catering for summer camps serving approximately 50,000 children aged 3-14 from June to September across sports centers, parishes, volunteer organizations and neighborhood associations in Rome; multi-portion complete meal at €4.50 and single-portion complete meal at €5.
• Pasti Veicolati (Transported Meal Service) Cook & Chill transported meal service from three centralized production centers with 8,000 meals/day capacity, operating 24/7, 365 days per year, using Cook & Chill, Cook & Serve, Sous-vide and Modified Atmosphere Packaging technology and a 20-vehicle fleet.
• Catering & Banqueting at affiliated luxury hotel venue (Tiburtina) Premium banqueting venue operated in conjunction with an affiliated luxury hotel in the Tiburtina area of Rome for weddings, corporate events, galas and conferences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced environmental impact through green logistics using Euro6, hybrid or electric vehicles, and optimized delivery routes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FOSAN SERVIZI (Fondazione per lo Studio degli Alimenti e della Nutrizione)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFOSAN SERVIZI, the operating company of the Foundation for the Study of Food and Nutrition, collaborates continuously with La Romana on nutritional programming, development of Self-Control Plans (HACCP), internal hygiene-sanitary and quality system auditing. FOSAN also monitors the company's HACCP system in accordance with Reg CE 852/04.
• Globo FruttaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertified logistics platform commercializing primary producers' products in Lazio for organic, zero-km, and short-chain fruits and vegetables. Part of La Romana's supply chain for local quality produce.
• BiosolidaleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertified logistics platform commercializing primary producers' organic and fair-trade products in Lazio. Collaborates with La Romana for supplying organic and short-chain products.
• Roma Capitale – Dipartimento Politiche Sociali (Direzione Accoglienza e Inclusione, U.O. Contrasto alla Povertà)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Romana collaborates with Roma Capitale's Department of Social Policies for the 'Social Support and Home Meal Delivery Service' (Servizio di Sostegno Sociale e Pasti a Domicilio), funded by PON Inclusione with European Social Fund 2014-2020 contribution. Delivers hot meals to isolated elderly, families in difficulty, and homebound patients every day of the year.
• AIC – Associazione Italiana CeliachiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Romana collaborates with the Italian Celiac Association to provide daily certified gluten-free meals for celiac children in schools, prepared with rigorous certified procedures that separate production lines.
• Social Cooperatives and Associations in Rome MunicipalitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Romana works with social cooperatives and associations operating across various Rome municipalities to deliver home meal services, creating a network of social support for vulnerable populations.
• Social Associations (Charitable Organizations)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Romana collaborates with charitable associations (e.g., Opera del Padre, Operazione Misericordia) to distribute unserved food to those in need, in compliance with hygiene-sanitary regulations.
• Lazio Innova (Voucher Digitalizzazione 2025 PMI)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLa Romana participated in the Lazio Innova Digitalization Voucher 2025 program (Project A0821-2024-091060) to implement two new cloud platforms: SCRIPTA (digital workplace) and the e-commerce portal shop.laromanacooperativa.com, along with cloud computing infrastructure and cybersecurity enhancements.
• MEPA (Mercato Elettronico della Pubblica Amministrazione)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLa Romana is available to public entities through Italy's state digital commerce platform, enabling participation in public tenders for collective catering contracts across the country.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ser.Com. Italian collective catering company serving schools, public entities, and corporate clients. Direct competitor in the Italian institutional catering market with similar service structure.
• Pellegrini: Italian contract caterer operating in school, corporate, healthcare, and public sector catering nationwide. Highly comparable service portfolio and target customer base to La Romana, with broader geographic reach.
• Camst: Italian cooperative catering company providing school, corporate, hospital, and social catering with multi-region presence. Comparable to La Romana in cooperative structure, service breadth, and institutional client focus.
• Markas: Italian/Friulian contract catering and facility services company serving schools, hospitals, corporations, and public entities. Comparable in catering service offerings and B2B institutional focus.
• Cir Food: Italian cooperative catering company (also a workers' cooperative structure) providing collective catering across schools, hospitals, corporations, and public administration. Highly comparable in business model, governance structure, and service mix to La Romana Cooperativa.

Broad incumbents

• Gemeaz Elior (Elior Ristorazione): Italian catering brand historically associated with Elior, serving schools, hospitals, and corporate clients across Italy. Direct overlap with La Romana in institutional catering segments at broader scale.
• Elior Italia: Italian subsidiary of Elior Group, a major European contract catering company. Serves schools, corporations, healthcare, and public entities with multi-region infrastructure. Larger scale incumbent competing with La Romana on tenders.
• Sodexo Italia: Italian subsidiary of global contract services giant Sodexo, offering collective catering, facility management, and benefits services across schools, hospitals, corporations, and government. Larger scale and broader portfolio than La Romana but overlapping target segments.
• Dussmann Service Italia: Italian subsidiary of Dussmann Group, providing facility services including catering for schools, hospitals, corporations, and public administration. Overlapping service portfolio with broader geographic and service reach.
• Compass Group Italia: Italian arm of Compass Group, one of the world's largest contract caterers. Provides school, corporate, healthcare, and public sector catering with nationwide infrastructure. Competes with La Romana on larger institutional tenders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LaRomanaNewsChannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/laromanacooperativa
• Instagraminstagram.com/la_romana_cooperativa

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 La Romana