Gruppo Carli

What Gruppo Carli does

Gruppo Carli S.p.a. is an Italian, family-owned agro-industrial company headquartered in Pietracuta di San Leo (province of Rimini), Italy, founded in 1960 and now in its third generation of family ownership. The company produces forage, cereals, and natural animal bedding derived from agricultural raw materials — dehydrated alfalfa, hay, straw, pellets, and wafers — and sells a portfolio of ten proprietary sub-brands spanning equine (CARLI RYESTAR, CARLI OVILA, CARLI RABBEAT), pet and hobby (CRICCA, STRAWLUXE), ruminant nutrition (CARLI ALFAFUEL, CARLI PIATTO UNICO), and processed formats (CARLI COKÒ, CARLI PELLETTONE, CARLI WAFER). The customer base consists of farms, distributors, and feed blenders served via direct B2B sales.

The company operates five production plants with 350,000 tons of annual forage capacity and 15,000 tons of organic cereal output, drawing on 45,000 hectares of integrated farmland. Core processing is dehydration-based, with products marketed as organic and produced without chemical additives; the company holds ISO 14044:2006 Environmental Certification and is partnered with AIFE, DNV, and Turtle srl for standards and quality validation. Energy infrastructure includes 12 MW of installed renewable generation on company-owned roofs, reducing exposure to grid power costs in the energy-intensive dehydration process.

Commercially, Gruppo Carli exports to 80 countries, supports an eight-language website, and has established a dedicated Asian Sales function (Cristian Carli) to formalize go-to-market in East Asia. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and revenue is not reported; distribution is direct B2B with no obvious intermediary-channel dependence. Trade-show presence at Fieragricola Verona (2026 edition) and J-AGRI Japan anchors international brand-building activity.

Name

Gruppo Carli

Legal name

PARTECIPAZIONI S.p.a.

Website

https://gruppocarli.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Gruppo Carli is an Italian, third-generation family-owned agro-industrial company producing organic dehydrated forage, cereals, and natural bedding for livestock and pet markets, operating five plants with 350,000 tons of annual capacity and exporting to 80 countries via direct B2B sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Feed

NAICS

Animal Food Manufacturing (31111), Animal Food Manufacturing (3111), Other Animal Food Manufacturing (311119)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Hay Products (Baled, Chopped, Cubes) (AFADAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dehydrated Forage Meals (Alfalfa/Grass Meal) (AFADAHAD), Organic Forage & Roughage Products (Hay, Silage, Alfalfa Pellets) (AFADAJAH), Export-Grade Forage Products (Compressed Bales, Containerized Hay) (AFADAHAJ), Forage Preservation & Additives (Silage Inoculants, Preservatives) (AFADAHAI), Pelleted & Crumbled Feed Manufacturing (AFADAIAD), Lactation Sow Feed (AFADABAE)

Keywords

• Dehydrated alfalfa
• Animal feed
• Forage production
• Livestock nutrition
• Natural bedding

Headquarters

HQ city

San Leo

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Animal Feed Sales: Production and sale of animal feed products including dehydrated alfalfa, hay, straw, cereals, and formulated feeds. Products sold in various forms (bales, pellets, wafers) to livestock operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gruppo Carli cultivates, dehydrates, and sells Italian forage (alfalfa, ryegrass, blends), organic cereals, formulated animal feed, and natural straw-based bedding for livestock (cattle, equids, sheep, goats, rabbits, poultry, camelids) and pets. Products are processed using proprietary dehydration technology and organic farming methods across 5 production plants, with annual capacity of 350,000 tons of forage and 15,000 tons of organic cereals, exported to 80 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CRICCA: Pet bedding products made from cereal straw, biodegradable and eco-friendly
• CARLI RYESTAR
• CARLI COKÒ
• CARLI OVILA
• CARLI RABBEAT
• CARLI ALFAFUEL
• CARLI PELLETTONE
• CARLI PIATTO UNICO
• CARLI WAFER
• STRAWLUXE

Products and services

• Alfalfa (Dehydrated Hay, Bales, Pellets) Dehydrated Italian alfalfa hay and processed alfalfa products (bales, pellets) used as high-protein forage for cattle, equine, sheep, goat, rabbit, poultry, and camelid livestock.
• Ryegrass (Dehydrated Hay, Pellets, Wafers)

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces weed growth by up to 90% when used as mulch
• +1 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AIFE (Italian Dried Forage Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGruppo Carli is an active member of AIFE, which promotes the development of the Italian alfalfa supply chain for sustainable livestock farming and reduced environmental impact.
• DNVminorOthersDNV conducted ISO 14044:2006 environmental certification for the Italian dried alfalfa supply chain, quantifying environmental footprint.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nutreco (Trouw Nutrition): Global animal nutrition major covering premixes, specialty feeds, and functional additives; competes indirectly with Gruppo Carli for share of European livestock-farm feed spend, especially in the value-added feed layer.
• ForFarmers: European leader in compound feed and forage for ruminants, swine, and poultry; broader portfolio than Gruppo Carli but serves the same European cattle and equine producers with Total Feed solutions.
• Cargill Animal Nutrition: One of the world's largest animal feed producers with global supply chains for forage, dairy, beef, and pet nutrition; a broad incumbent that competes with Gruppo Carli across multiple species segments worldwide.
• ADM Animal Nutrition: Global feed manufacturer serving beef, dairy, poultry, pet and equine markets with compounded feeds and forage; significant overlap with Gruppo Carli's species mix but far broader in geography and product depth.
• De Heus Animal Nutrition: Dutch-headquartered international feed producer active across Europe, Asia, and Africa with a strong foothold in ruminant and poultry feed that competes with Gruppo Carli's bulk forage and mixed feed business.

Direct peers

• Versele-Laga: Belgian premium animal feed brand specializing in equine and pet nutrition; directly comparable to Gruppo Carli's equine-focused sub-brands such as CARLI RYESTAR, CARLI ALFAFUEL and CARLI PIATTO UNICO.
• ACX Global: US-headquartered exporter of compressed hay, alfalfa, and forage products to global dairy and beef markets; directly comparable dehydrated forage exporter with international containerized hay business like Gruppo Carli's export-grade bales.
• Al Dahra: UAE-based global agribusiness and one of the world's largest producers and traders of dehydrated alfalfa and forage, with multi-country production serving the same dairy/livestock export markets as Gruppo Carli.
• Pavo (Horse Feed): Dutch specialist in equine nutrition feeds, muesli, and supplements; comparable European equine-nutrition brand competing for the same horse-farm customers Gruppo Carli targets with its Carli Ryestar and Alfafuel lines.

Emerging players

• S&W Seed Company: US-based alfalfa and specialty forage seed company operating across the alfalfa value chain; adjacent peer to Gruppo Carli given shared focus on alfalfa genetics and supply but at the seed-breeding layer rather than dehydration/processing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gruppo-carli

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Gruppo Carli