The history of chocolate in Perugia dates back to November 30, 1907, when, just steps away from the Covered Market, in Via Angusta, the first headquarters of La Società Perugina, a small confetti workshop destined to become an industry, was founded. It was established by four partners: Francesco Buitoni, Leone Ascoli, Francesco Andreani, and Annibale Spagnoli. The latter, a musician of Assisian origin and husband of Luisa Sargentini, daughter of a fishmonger from Civitanova Marche, played a decisive role in the exponential growth during the initial phase of the confectionery company.
Soon, the headquarters on Via Angusta became too small to contain the massive increase in production driven by growing demand. Therefore, in the summer of 1915, the company moved to Fontivegge, then on the outskirts, in a factory built on land purchased for 30,000 lire. It was here that the cocoa powder production line was structured, equipped with hydraulic presses for cocoa butter extraction. It was in 1917 that Cacao Perugina was born.
Soon, the headquarters on Via Angusta became too small to contain the massive increase in production driven by growing demand. Therefore, in the summer of 1915, the company moved to Fontivegge, then on the outskirts, in a factory built on land purchased for 30,000 lire. It was here that the cocoa powder production line was structured, equipped with hydraulic presses for cocoa butter extraction. It was in 1917 that Cacao Perugina was born.
In 1919, an important milestone: the opening of the first Perugina store in Italy, preceding the debut in 1939 of the first American store on the prestigious Fifth Avenue in New York.
During the 1920s and 1930s, creativity and love between Giovanni Buitoni and Luisa Spagnoli inspired new products that became iconic, such as the Tavoletta Luisa and especially the chocolates initially called ‘Cazzotto’ by Luisa Spagnoli and later renamed ‘Bacio’ by Giovanni Buitoni.
In 1923, the Buitoni family acquired control of the company, which then became simply Perugina. In 1929, Giovanni Buitoni invented the first pre-packaged box of chocolates, giving rise to the luxury boxes of the Grande Assortimento Perugina.
In the post-war period, the Perugina brand, under Giovanni Buitoni’s leadership, reached the masses: the entrepreneur had the insight to associate chocolate with the concept of a gift, creating highly innovative products, and in 1972 the company went public.
If already in 1934 Perugina had entered the advertising market with I Quattro Moschettieri, the most followed radio program by Italians with a famous prize contest, on February 1, 1957, at 8:30 PM, the first episode of Carosello aired, and a Perugina commercial arrived the same year. Among the testimonials were Vittorio Gassman and Frank Sinatra.
A few years later, in 1965, the San Sisto factory opened, a significant place in the history and production of chocolate, contributing to the growth and development of the company.
In 1981, the Tubo Baci was conceived with an innovative pack and a rebellious slogan for the youth audience: Tubiamo? The collaboration with Nestlé in 1988 marks a new chapter for Perugina, where one of Nestlé’s main chocolate production facilities in Europe was established.
In 1997, from the rich Perugina-Buitoni archives, the Museo Storico Perugina was born, and ten years later, in 2007, the centenary was celebrated with the establishment of the Casa del Cioccolato, a unique journey from the museum to visiting the factory and the Chocolate School.
Returning to the city, apart from a few renowned pastry shops such as the historic Sandri on Corso Vannucci or isolated cases like the pastry bar Americo Ricci on Via Alessi (famous for its tablets with wrappers designed by the futurist painter Dottori), chocolate production in Perugia has not been “infected” by Perugina’s successes. Indeed, for almost the entire last century, there was a lack of establishment of a proper production district, as happened in other parts of Italy in the same sector. Significant instead were the production experiences born in the mechanical, packaging, and graphic sectors that supported what has become one of the largest Italian confectionery industries.
1994 – however, something new happened in the city that in a few years conditioned not only the development of the production sector related to the chocolate industry but also the tourist and hotel industry: from October 23rd to 30th, the first edition of Eurochocolate was organized, which was called Chocolate for the first two years. An architect from Perugia, Eugenio Guarducci, belonging to a family of entrepreneurs who still have several activities in the city, especially in the hotel sector, had a good intuition ten years before the beginning of this adventure during a trip to Oktober Fest in Munich, asking himself the following question: “But if with beer they have managed to create something so important and significant for the sector and also for the city, why not do something similar in Perugia? Why not organize a chocolate festival in Perugia?“.
That idea remained in a drawer for a long time until he decided to realize it, thanks also to the experience gained in the meantime organizing numerous events on behalf of Arcigola Slow Food, of which he was a manager for several years.
The success was immediate and the growth over the years unimaginable, so much so that the entire city had to organize itself to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people over the 10 days of the festival.
In 1998, the Guarducci family also created the first hotel dedicated to the world of Chocolate in Perugia: the Chocohotel, now famous for its tempting format of the Isola dei Golosi.
Eurochocolate over the years has gained extraordinary popularity both in Italy and abroad thanks to its successes and also the role played during Expo Milano 2015, where it was selected as the Official Content Provider of the Cocoa and Chocolate Cluster.
Eurochocolate has contributed significantly to stimulating the emergence of new chocolate production entities locally: small and medium-sized enterprises that today constitute a fabric sufficient to classify Perugia and its province as a veritable chocolate production district.
In 2004, Eurochocolate officially presented for the first time to the Municipality of Perugia the project of the Chocolate City at the Mercato Coperto di Perugia, with the belief that a permanent attraction could contribute to the understanding of the product and the promotion of the city.
Since then, there has been periodic lively debate on the subject, until in 2023, through a Public Notice issued by the Municipality of Perugia, the necessary conditions were created to realize a dream that is now about to become reality.
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