RUNNING HEAD
1312
It all started in the late 19th century when
Francesco Bertazzoni, founder of the
dynasty, saw wood burning stoves arrive
in his home town of Guastalla brought
by Austrian trainmen on the railroad that
connected with the industrial centers of
the north.
Then as now, Emilia-Romagna was
the heartland of Italian food, and these
wood-burning stoves set Francesco to
thinking. So some years later he and his
son Antonio decided to make their own
stoves like the ones they had seen – just
for local use and to begin with, and in
very small quantities. They were soon a
success and before long the Bertazzoni
name become known across Italy.
The family built their first factory in
1909, and expanded again in the 1920s
making cooking stoves on a much larger
scale. After the upheavals in Europe
during the 30s and 40s, opportunities
opened up in the 1950s, with the
discovery of oil and gas in the Po River
Basin, which brought new wealth to the
economy of the region.
In 1953, the Bertazzonis’ first gas
tabletop units were introduced. The
first gas stoves began production in
1955, further perfected in 1958 with
the addition of an oven. The company
continued to prosper throughout the
1950s and in 1959-60 when the first
overseas sales where made.
Overseas markets expanded and
Bertazzoni started selling in North
America in 2005. Today our cooking
appliances are exported to 60 countries
around the world selling at the top
end of the market through a quality
dealer network.
Production in large modern plants has
doubled since 1998. Bertazzoni uses
advanced manufacturing techniques
adopted from the auto industry. These
involve minimal stocks, streamlined
flows, and reduced lead times.
With product differentiation and
specialisation, the business strategy
has evolved to match the market
expectations for higher performance
cooking appliances. With new models
added regularly there will always
be a Bertazzoni to set the style of
modern cooking.
A family company
of quality
and innovation
A promotional poster from 1922.
This luxury nickel plated model
was made using production
principles learned by Napleone
Bertazzoni while working with
Fiat in Turin.
Paolo Bertazzoni, right, head
of the family company, in the
Guastalla factory.
