Culture e impresa n. 1

Interview with Giancarlo Gonizzi (G.G.) – Person-in-charge of Barilla Historical Archives – 26th February 2001 (updated 15th September 2004)
by Maria Chiara Corazza (M.C.C.)

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Reconstructing an archives
The archives today
Classifying a wide variety of records
The archives collects, preserves and communicates
Business culture organizations

M.C.C.: You have certainly described a wide variety of records. How are they exploited within the company and communicated to the public? What is the role of the archives in the daily life of the company?

G.G.: In 1987, when first created, the archives’ aims were to collect, preserve and valorize [in the sense of mettre en valeur or «to enhance the value»]. If you don’t collect, you can’t preserve; if you don’t preserve, you have nothing left to valorize. However, if you don’t valorize, the first two steps mean nothing. So the valorization rule is a basic one for the Barilla archives. It means to promote ideas and share knowledge inside the company and to communicate excellence to the public.
Inside the company, we often meet the product managers in charge of either a new product to be launched, or a classic one to be re-launched. We find that gaining a historical perspective on products, lines, and brands, helps our product managers do a better job of marketing, positioning, and communication. So, the archives are an important tool. For example, if a new kind of Togo biscuit is to be launched, the Togo manager comes and analyses previous advertising campaigns in order to study what we have done in the past, and uses this information to make decisions. The archives is a mine of ideas with many layers of experience.
Barilla also organizes courses for new employees. Those who aren’t already familiar with our company and its targets, style, and history take a one-week full-time course on the group organization. The first day is largely dedicated to the history of our company and to pasta as a product. The lesson takes place here at the historical archives, with objects and documents all around, so that the course participants, whether Italian or foreign, can find linkss to further studies knowing that there is an institution here at their disposal. Of course, we also respond to specific requests such as retrieving a document, an article, or a file. Just like any other archives.
We work quite a lot with external patrons too. First of all, schools, researchers, and universities. We welcome students writing their final dissertation as well as researchers. For the last 10 years, the archive has been always open to students on Fridays. Our website explains how to be admitted: you have to apply through a downloadable form, then the archives staff contacts you to arrange a date. Students can be sure that they will be thoroughly supported in studying the records. The one and only condition is that the student has to leave a copy of his or her work for the archives. More than 100 research projects have been completed, and currently about 60 new ones are carried out every year. This system works so well that the archive also supports people writing a dissertation on other subjects, by sending them copies of our records. Sometimes, we arrange with the teachers to have their students work on some specific fonds: In these cases, students don’t look for a particular record, they just focus on a single archive, with mutual benefits for both the historical archive and the institution. Secondly, press and TV journalists often ask for information and records on various matters concerning the company and its brands. So we might film our objects, or send pictures and publications.
In the third place, we look after publications and public information. In order to spread knowledge of our company history, the archive promotes publications on objects, fonds, events, and archival materials. We have assisted the company in publishing some volumes: for example, on the history of Barilla communications and advertising; or on the single brands of Mulino Bianco, of Pavesi, and a monograph dedicated to the history of pasta. We also help the editorial staff of the house organ «Gente Barilla»: every issue contains information and news from the historical archive .
Actually, there are many other opportunities: people feel that the archive supplies many important services to the company, firstly, because it is there and secondly, because it works well, thanks to its staff.
The exhibits section has been functioning for some years now and it is currently increasing its activities. At the beginning, we just lent our objects to exhibitions organized by other institutions; for example, we lent some objects(photographs?) by Carboni for an exhibit on his work as an architect and designer. Now we are starting to organize our own exhibitions.
Whatever we collect becomes a meaningful tool of communication. It makes no sense to spend time and money to preserve records, if what we preserve is of no use to anybody. The Barilla archives strives to make images, objects, and documents known according to their potential, because we strongly believe that history is not just a sort of «stabilizing ballast». On the contrary, it is more of a «launching pad». You can’t innovate if you don’t know your traditions.
Real innovation can’t ignore history. Barilla understands this very well. We also know that after more than 100 years, whatever could be said about a product has been said already. So the archives aren’t talking about «breaking news». as much as seizing the moment and using the archives to gather information suitable to that moment .The archives keeps practically everything, except innovative or recent products. In this case, I’m referring mostly to pasta.

M.C.C.: Strong points, weak points and problems related to an archive as big as yours.

G.G.: If we had two more people working with us, they would be busy all the time, but the company mission is to produce pasta, not to file records, so I guess it’s already remarkable that a historical archives does exist and that the company believes enough to invest in it. The basic problem concerns the lack of financial and human resources. On the other hand, I feel that Barilla supports the notion of an extensive archives. I mean the task of each of us is to make others grow and mature in a specific field. Obviously, the company top managers have developed their idea of what constitutes an historical archives, and I’m quite satisfied with it. I think the situation is far worse in other companies. Actually, Barilla also promoted, together with other companies, the creation of Museimpresa, the association of Italian company archives and museums.

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