Martin Braun-Gruppe Italia Spa

What Martin Braun-Gruppe Italia Spa does

Martin Braun-Gruppe Italia S.p.A., operating commercially as Cresco, is an Italian B2B professional food ingredients company headquartered in Desenzano del Garda, Lombardia, founded in 1973 and wholly owned by the German Martin Braun Gruppe. The company supplies ready-to-use preparations, bases, pastes, variegates, fruit purees, ready mixes, toppings, and improvers through four product lines — Pasticceria (pastry), Gelateria (ice cream), Panificazione (baking), and Food Service — serving artisanal and industrial pastry shops, gelaterias, bakeries, hotels, restaurants, and catering operators across Italy. The portfolio spans several hundred SKUs including branded sub-lines (BIANKA, BRAUNCREM, BRAUNFIL, SPALMELLA, CONFRUTTI, VARIEGO', SPIEGEL) and integrates group brands such as Martin Braun, Agrano, Lubeca chocolate, and Capfruit fruit purees, with 300+ products meeting Clean Label standards under the 'Better for You' initiative.

The business model is a classic B2B ingredients distribution play: revenue is generated through direct sales of branded and semi-finished preparations to professional food businesses, supported by downloadable product catalogs, a digital newsletter, recipe content, and a customer portal (Web.UP). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated within trade channels. Distribution is Italy-only via direct sales; the company holds €1,300,000 in share capital and operates with a small 25-person team consistent with a sales/marketing-focused subsidiary of a larger multinational. The 2026 'Novità Gelateria' launch, refreshed Pasticceria and Food Service catalogs, and the cross-brand Clean Label positioning point to an active product/portfolio expansion strategy layered on top of a mature Italian distribution footprint.

Name

Martin Braun-Gruppe Italia Spa

Legal name

Martin Braun-Gruppe Italia S.p.A.

Website

https://martinbraungruppe.it

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Martin Braun-Gruppe Italia S.p.A. (Cresco) is an Italian B2B supplier of professional pastry, gelato, baking, and food-service ingredients, serving artisanal and industrial operators across Italy as a subsidiary of Germany's Martin Braun Gruppe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Ingredients

NAICS

Dry Pasta, Dough, and Flour Mixes Manufacturing from Purchased Flour (311824), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Baking Ingredients & Desserts (Flour, Mixes, Frosting, Gelatin) (CRADAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Bakery Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Artisan, Health-Focused) (AFAKAAAG), Bakery & Confectionery Wholesale (AFAIABAG)

Keywords

• Professional pastry ingredients
• Artisan gelato preparations
• Baking mixes and improvers
• Food service preparations
• Clean label ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Desenzano del Garda

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Martin Braun-Gruppe Italia Spa (operating as Cresco) manufactures and distributes professional food ingredients and preparations for the pastry, artisan gelato, baking, and food service industries in Italy. Its portfolio spans ready-to-use creams, bases, variegates, toppings, glazes, fruit preparations, almond pastes, improvers, mixes, and complete preparations, sourced and produced under the Martin Braun Gruppe's Bakery Ingredients Division (Cresco, Martin Braun, Agrano brands) with a strategic Clean Label focus.

Product overview

Martin Braun-Gruppe Italia Spa (operating as Cresco) is a professional food ingredients company offering a comprehensive portfolio for pastry (pasticceria), ice cream (gelateria), baking (panificazione), and food service industries. The core offering consists of four main product lines: Cresco Pasticceria (powders, creams, creams anhydre, fruit preparations, mousse bases, gelatines, glazes, aromas, decorations), Cresco Gelateria (bases for milk/fruit/special, flavor pastes, Capfruit purees, complete mixes under Ready Line/Ready Choco brands, variegates, toppings), Cresco Panificazione (mixes, improvers, decorations), and Cresco Food Service (baked products, chilled desserts, toppings, purees). The portfolio includes branded sub-products such as BIANKA, BRAUNCREM, BRAUNFIL, SPALMELLA, CONFRUTTI, VARIEGO', SPIEGEL, and professional bases like BASE UNICA. The company positions itself under three brands within the group: Cresco, Martin Braun, and Agrano.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cresco Pasticceria Line
• Cresco Gelateria Line
• Cresco Panificazione Line
• Cresco Food Service Line
• PASTA PISTACCHIO DEMETRA
• READY LINE MATCHA
• READY LINE RUBY
• READY LINE UBE
• CREMINO MANGO
• CROCKITOP CHOCOLATE
• BIANKA
• BIANKA SOFT
• BRAUNCREM Line
• CREMÒ
• VELVET PASTICCERA
• CREMOVO

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• PreGel: Italian-headquartered specialist in gelato, pastry, and bakery ingredients for artisan professionals. Direct competitor in Cresco's Gelateria segment with a comparable product portfolio (bases, pastes, variegates, toppings) and Italian artisan customer base.
• IREKS: German family-owned bakery ingredients specialist supplying baking mixes, malt, sourdough, and improvers worldwide. Highly comparable to Cresco's Panificazione and Pasticceria lines, with similar group-of-brands positioning and German/European DACH heritage.
• CSM Ingredients: Global bakery and confectionery ingredients manufacturer formed from CSM's ingredients business. Comparable to Cresco across bakery mixes, fillings, and chocolate/decorations, particularly in European professional channels.
• AB Mauri: Global bakery ingredients business (Associated British Foods). Direct competitor offering yeast, bakery mixes, improvers, and patisserie ingredients to industrial and artisan bakeries — the same professional customer base Cresco serves in Italy.
• Lesaffre: French global yeast and fermentation ingredients group. Direct peer in supplying bread/bakery ingredients (yeast, improvers, mixes) to artisan and industrial bakers, with overlapping premium/artisan positioning in European markets.
• Comprital: Italian manufacturer of semi-finished products for gelato, pastry, and food service. Direct Italian competitor overlapping with Cresco Gelateria and Food Service lines, serving the same professional HoReCa and artisan channels.
• Fabbri 1905: Italian specialty ingredient producer (fruit purees, syrups, toppings, variegates) for gelato, pastry, and food service. Highly comparable to Cresco's Capfruit purees, variegates, and topping lines, sharing the Italian artisan gelato/pastry customer base.
• Zeelandia: Dutch family-owned bakery ingredients company producing improvers, mixes, and finished bakery products worldwide. Direct peer to Cresco's Panificazione line for artisan and industrial bakers across Europe.
• Puratos: Belgian-headquartered global bakery, patisserie, and chocolate ingredients group. Directly comparable as a B2B supplier of mixes, improvers, fillings, and decorations to artisan and industrial bakeries — overlapping head-to-head with Cresco's Pasticceria, Gelateria, and Panificazione lines across Europe.

Broad incumbents

• Lallemand: Canadian-headquartered global yeast, cultures, and fermentation specialist serving baking and brewing. A broad incumbent in adjacent bakery ingredients whose cultures/yeast offerings overlap with parts of Cresco's improver and mix portfolio for artisan and industrial bakers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/martin-braun-gruppe-italia

Compliance4 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 Martin Braun-Gruppe Italia Spa