What Ladisa Ristorazione does

Ladisa Ristorazione (legal entity Ladisa S.r.l.) is a family-owned Italian collective catering company headquartered in Bari, Puglia, founded in the 1970s and now in its fourth generation of family control through brothers Sebastiano and Vito Ladisa via the Finlad holding. The company produces over 35 million meals annually across 18 production facilities serving 700+ public and private facilities in 17 Italian regions, with a workforce of approximately 5,400 direct and indirect employees (over 70% female). Core customers span schools, hospitals, military forces (notably the Carabinieri across 12 regions under a €13 million green public procurement contract), government ministries, police, universities, and private corporates (RAI, CNH Industrial). Approximately 96% of revenue derives from collective catering, with supplementary income from commercial catering via the risto-shop bar/food-court model, foodstuff supply, the Che Bontà ready-meals retail line, industrial kitchen design, and cleaning/maintenance services.

The company operates a tech-enabled operational platform including a Supply Chain Traceability System managing approximately 200,000 different items, a Laboratorio 4.0 research and innovation facility for quality control, and over 20 certifications including ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, ISO 9001, EMAS, Carbon Footprint certification (the first southern Italian caterer to obtain this), BRC, IFS, SA 8000, and the AGCM Ethical Rating 2 Star+. The Bari headquarters houses a 10,000+ square metre production facility with 800 photovoltaic panels, a meat processing laboratory, and logistics platform. Ladisa reports an 85% client retention rate and 80% renewal rate when it is the outgoing manager, with the national logistics platform enabling service from Bolzano to Sicily including remote military and institutional sites. An R&D Department was established in 2018 with research partnerships including CNR (ISPA), Università di Bari Aldo Moro, Università del Salento, Università Federico II di Napoli, and the European Commission 'School Food Conversation' project.

The business model is anchored on winning public procurement tenders and multi-year private B2B contracts through competitive bidding, with pricing structured on cost-per-meal formulas and contract durations typically spanning three to six years. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting municipalities, healthcare providers, ministries, and industrial corporates. Revenue grew from approximately €40 million in 2014 to €130 million in 2018 (representing annual growth of 20-25% before decelerating to 9% in 2018), with EBITDA margin reported at 4.92% in 2017. The company joined Borsa Italiana's ELITE programme in 2016 and transitioned governance from a sole administrator to a Board of Directors structure in 2018, with Francesco Sebastio (former Magistrate) appointed Chairman in July 2019 and Vito Ladisa as Managing Director.

Name

Ladisa Ristorazione

Legal name

Ladisa S.r.l.

Website

https://ladisaristorazione.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Ladisa Ristorazione is a family-owned Italian collective catering company producing over 35 million meals annually for schools, hospitals, military forces, ministries, and corporates across 17 Italian regions through 18 production facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Institutional Catering Services

NAICS

Food Service Contractors (72231), Caterers (72232)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Institutional Catering (Schools, Hospitals, Government) (THAFAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

In-House Cafeteria Operations & Meal Preparation (EDAEAEAA), Food Service & Dining Operations Management (Managed Cafeterias) (EDAEALAG), Food Services & Catering (On-site/Corporate Dining/Vending) (IMAIAAAE), Corporate/Workplace Meal Programs & Bulk Prepared Meals (CRAHAJAJ)

Keywords

• Collective catering services
• Institutional food services
• School meal catering
• Industrial kitchen design
• Ready meal production

Headquarters

HQ city

Bari

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Collective Catering Services: Core business providing meals to schools, hospitals, military forces, ministries, and corporate canteens. Represents 96% of revenue across various segments including school catering, hospital catering, military/institutional catering, and private corporate catering.
2. Commercial Catering: Management of bars, food courts, and restaurant points through the risto-shop model. Includes Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport food courts, university bars, hospital cafes, and corporate food service.
3. Foodstuff Supply: Supply of food products (derrate alimentari) to other businesses and through the Che Bonta ready meals line to large-scale distribution networks.
4. Industrial Kitchen Design: Planning and construction of industrial kitchens for clients.
5. Cleaning and Maintenance Services: Supporting services including maintenance and cleaning services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Ladisa Ristorazione provides mass catering services to public and private institutions across Italy, including school canteens, hospital meal services, military and police forces, ministries, and corporate clients. The company operates approximately 18 production facilities producing over 35 million meals annually and serves more than 700 facilities across 17 Italian regions. Additional offerings include foodstuff wholesale, ready meals under the Che Bontà brand, industrial kitchen design and construction, and managed bars and food courts.

Product overview

Ladisa Ristorazione is a collective catering company offering a comprehensive suite of catering services. The core business centers on institutional catering segments (school, hospital, military/institutional) supplemented by commercial catering operations. The company provides end-to-end food services including foodstuff supply, meal preparation center design and construction, and ready meals under the 'Che Bontà' brand. Additional offerings include social dining centers and bar/refreshment point management. The company operates approximately 18-19 production plants throughout Italy serving over 700 facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Che Bontà: Line of ready meals and semi-finished products targeting large-scale distribution (GDO) and specialized foodstuff shops. Fresh foods with temperature reduction to 4 degrees immediately after cooking, can be kept in fridge for up to three weeks.
• Mensa Fresca

Products and services

• School Catering (Ristorazione Scolastica) Collective catering service for schools providing daily meals to students in kindergarten, primary, and secondary schools across Italy. Includes nutritional menu design, allergy management, and food education programs.
• Hospital/Healthcare Catering (Ristorazione Sanitaria) Catering services for hospitals and healthcare facilities, including dietary-specific meal preparation for patients and staff canteen management.
• Military/Institutional Catering (Ristorazione Militare/Istituzionale) Catering services for armed forces, police, ministries, and state institutions including Carabinieri and Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport contracts.
• Banqueting and Haute Cuisine Premium catering services for events, ceremonies, banquets, and high-profile occasions requiring high-end culinary execution.
• Commercial Catering (Ristorazione Commerciale) Commercial food service operations including company-operated bars, food courts, and restaurants in public buildings, hospitals, universities, and corporate facilities.
• Foodstuff Supply (Fornitura di derrate) Supply of food products and provisions to other businesses and institutions.
• Industrial Kitchen Design and Construction (Progettazione centro cottura) Planning, design, and construction of industrial kitchens and central meal preparation facilities for clients.
• Che Bontà Ready Meals Sub-brand of ready meals and semi-finished products distributed through large-scale retail networks and export markets. Available in regional specialties and maxi-formats.
• Mensa Fresca (Fresh Canteen) Fresh kitchen concept emphasizing freshly prepared meals for school catering services, launched under the Municipality of Turin school catering contract.
• Social Catering Centre Social dining centers providing meals to disadvantaged populations, operated in partnership with municipalities.
• Fourth Range Products Pre-washed, cut, and packaged vegetables and greens for consumer and family needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Carbon footprint reduced by 587.76 t CO2eq/year in Turin school catering operations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CNR Istituto di Scienze delle Produzioni Alimentari for food safety research and innovation. Ladisa makes its approximately 500 production facilities available for research purposes and funds study bursaries and risk management activities.
• Università di Bari Aldo Moro - Dipartimento di Medicina VeterinariacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConvention for food safety research, quality improvement in catering, and optimal processes for food risk evaluation and management. Ladisa funds doctoral scholarships and research assignments on food safety while the university provides microbiological analysis services.
• European CommissionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected as partner for 'School Food Conversation' project studying food-related topics in schools to stimulate healthy and environmentally responsible behaviors. Involves schools in Turin and Puglia where Ladisa manages school catering.
• Università del SalentocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the Restart project for Ristorazione 4.0, contributing research expertise alongside CNR and Federico II di Napoli.
• Università Federico II di NapolicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the Restart project, collaborating on food safety research and innovation in catering technologies.
• InnovaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTemporary company association (RTI) partner with Ladisa for the Carabinieri green public procurement tender, where Ladisa was the lead company.
• Troisi RicercheminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStatistical research company commissioned to conduct customer satisfaction surveys for school catering services in Genova using scientifically validated methodology.
• Puglia che Vai (Cooperativa Sociale)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSocial cooperative partner providing experts including doctors, pediatricians, and nutritionists for food education programmes in schools.
• Boston-based professionals/academicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational expertise partners involved in the Restart project research team alongside CNR and Italian universities.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sodexo Italia (Sodexo Group): Italian subsidiary of French global food service and facilities management giant Sodexo. Competes directly with Ladisa in Italian school, hospital, corporate, and public-sector catering, with larger international backing and broader service portfolio.
• Aramark: US-listed global contract food services and facilities provider operating in Italy. Competes with Ladisa in institutional and corporate catering, with greater international scale and broader service portfolio.
• Compass Group Italia: Italian arm of UK-listed Compass Group, the world's largest contract foodservice company. Competes with Ladisa in corporate, healthcare, and education catering across Italy with significantly larger group resources.
• ISS A/S (ISS Italia): Danish global facility services company with Italian food services arm. Competes with Ladisa in soft FM and catering bundles for large institutional and corporate clients, with international scale and bundled services capability.
• Elior Group (Gemeaz Elior in Italy): French-listed contract catering group with significant Italian operations (Gemeaz Elior). Competes with Ladisa in Italian B&I and public-sector catering, backed by larger international scale and procurement leverage.

Direct peers

• Cir Food: Italian cooperative contract catering company operating schools, hospitals, corporate canteens, and public institutions. Closest direct competitor to Ladisa, with comparable scale, geographic footprint across Italy, and similar revenue mix weighted toward public-sector catering.
• Camst Group (Camst): Italian cooperative catering company (originally CAMST, now Camst Group) with school, corporate, hospital, and public-sector catering across Italy. One of the top players in the Italian institutional catering market competing with Ladisa for the same public tenders.
• Pellegrini Group: Italian corporate and institutional catering group with strong presence in Lombardy and northern Italy. Competes with Ladisa for corporate canteen and school catering contracts among private and public clients.

Regional players

• Serfood (Sergroup): Italian HoReCa and foodservice distribution and catering group, larger in southern Italy. Comparable to Ladisa in regional catering and food supply, with overlapping municipal and B2B customer base.

Others

• Cooperativa Italiana di Ristorazione (CIR) cooperatives ecosystem (e.g., Bioristoro, Coopservice): Italian cooperative service groups providing facility management and food services. They compete with Ladisa in some institutional tenders and represent larger cooperative aggregates in the Italian catering landscape.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Ladisa_Italia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCH9c5CJV9ZP2vo1exc8_6vg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ladisaristorazione
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ladisaristorazione

Compliance21 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Ladisa Ristorazione