Saclà

Saclà is the consumer-facing food brand of Fratelli Saclà S.p.A., an Italian food company based in Asti, Piedmont. The business was established in 1923 by Secondo Ercole and his wife, Piera Campanella, in an agricultural area where the Tanaro Valley produced substantial seasonal vegetable surpluses. The company initially concentrated on processing and marketing those vegetables, turning locally abundant produce into preserved foods with a longer commercial life. The original business operated under the name SALPA, an acronym for Stabilimento Astese Lavorazione Prodotti Alimentari. In 1939 it adopted the name SACLÀ, derived from Società Anonima Commercio e Lavorazione Alimentari. Under Secondo Ercole's leadership, the company broadened its range and developed from a regional vegetable processor into a larger Italian food manufacturer. In 1977 the legal name became Fratelli Saclà, recognizing the continuing involvement of the founder's sons, Carlo and Lorenzo, in the family enterprise. Saclà's principal international identity is associated with pesto and Italian-style pasta sauces. Its export and United Kingdom ranges include basil and flavored pestos, tomato-based sauces, stir-in sauces, cooking pastes, antipasti, and selected chilled products. The brand has also developed formats intended to make Italian sauces convenient for modern household use, including single-serve Pesto Shots and products designed to be stirred directly through cooked pasta. In Italy, the product assortment is broader in preserved vegetables and includes a variety of pestos; pesto is the company's principal domestic pasta-sauce category. The United Kingdom became an important market from 1991. There, Saclà expanded beyond ambient pesto into bold Italian sauces, fresh chilled pesto, pasta, free-from products, whole-cherry-tomato sauces, antipasti, and food-service products. Product development and marketing in that market included a 2009 collaboration with rugby player Lawrence Dallaglio, the 2011 introduction of chilled pesto, sauces and pasta, and a 2015 launch of single-portion Pesto Shots. Several ranges received recognition from British consumer and food organizations, including Good Housekeeping-related awards and commendations for free-from products. The company remains controlled by the founding family. As described in 2024 reference material, Chiara Ercole, a member of the third generation and daughter of Lorenzo Ercole, serves as chief executive. Saclà is also part of the Almaverde Bio Italia Srl consortium, which is focused on organic products. This connection complements Saclà's organic offerings, including organic basil and tomato pestos. Saclà's positioning combines Italian culinary provenance, preserved-food expertise, recognizable Mediterranean ingredients, and convenience. Its portfolio spans retail products for home cooking and a professional range for food-service customers. Sustainability-related practices described for the company include the installation of solar panels on the roof of one of its main buildings and the extensive use of glass packaging, which is recyclable. The brand is active, family-run, and internationally distributed, although the available reference material does not establish a complete list of countries, ownership percentages, financial results, or a corporate website for the parent company.

Saclà traces its origins to Asti in Piedmont, north-west Italy, where Secondo Ercole and Piera Campanella founded the business in 1923. The area around the Tanaro Valley generated large seasonal harvests of vegetables, and the company's original purpose was to process and commercialize surplus produce. This gave the enterprise an early specialization in preservation, a capability that later remained central to its sauces, pestos, antipasti, and canned vegetables. The first corporate identity was SALPA, meaning Stabilimento Astese Lavorazione Prodotti Alimentari. In 1939 the business adopted the SACLÀ name, formed from Società Anonima Commercio e Lavorazione Alimentari. The change accompanied an expansion of the product range and the development of the company into a significant Italian food producer. The Saclà name eventually became the principal brand identity used for its packaged foods. The founder's sons, Carlo and Lorenzo, became involved in the family business. In 1977 the company changed its name to Fratelli Saclà, explicitly referring to the two brothers. This marked the formal recognition of the second generation while preserving the family ownership model. Over time, Saclà developed from a producer centered on preserved vegetables into a diversified food company with a particularly strong position in pesto and Italian pasta accompaniments. International expansion made pesto a central part of the brand's identity. Saclà entered the United Kingdom in 1991 and subsequently built a portfolio including pestos, tomato sauces, stir-in products, cooking pastes, antipasti, and chilled foods. UK product development included a 2009 partnership with Lawrence Dallaglio for a pasta-sauce range, followed in 2011 by fresh pesto, sauces, and pasta for chilled retail cabinets. The brand introduced Pesto Shots in 2015, using single-serve packaging to present pesto in a more convenient format. The UK assortment also developed specialist propositions. Its free-from range included gluten-, dairy-, and wheat-free pesto options, as well as free-from sauces and stir-in products. Its whole-cherry-tomato sauces emphasized whole tomatoes with a soffritto base of olive oil, celery, carrots, and onions. Saclà Professionale, introduced in 2015, extended the business into food service with products ranging from pesto to preserved pulses and other imported items. In Italy, Saclà has maintained a wider preserved-vegetable and pesto assortment, while pesto is identified as the company's domestic pasta-sauce category. The brand has also offered organic products, including organic basil and tomato pestos. Reference material states that Saclà is part of Almaverde Bio Italia Srl, a consortium specializing in organic production. The business remains associated with the Ercole family. In 2024 reference material, Chiara Ercole, daughter of Lorenzo and granddaughter of the founders, is identified as chief executive, representing the third generation of family leadership. The company has described or been associated with sustainability measures including solar panels installed on the roof of a main building and the use of glass packaging for many products. Saclà is therefore best understood as an active, family-run Italian food company whose international brand strength rests on pesto, preserved Mediterranean ingredients, and convenient pasta-sauce formats.

1. 2015Pesto Shots and Saclà Professionale

   The brand introduced single-serve Pesto Shots and launched Saclà Professionale for food-service customers.

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2. 2014Free From range launched

   Saclà launched a United Kingdom free-from pesto range and expanded it with additional sauces and stir-in products.

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3. 2011Chilled range launched in the UK

   The company introduced fresh pesto, pasta sauces, and pasta for chilled retail cabinets.

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4. 2009Dallaglio by Saclà range

   Saclà collaborated with Lawrence Dallaglio on a United Kingdom range of pasta sauces.

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5. 1991United Kingdom market entry

   Saclà established a presence in the United Kingdom, where pesto and Italian sauces became the focus of a growing local range.

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6. 1977Company renamed Fratelli Saclà

   The legal name became Fratelli Saclà in recognition of the founder's sons Carlo and Lorenzo.

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7. 1939Adoption of the SACLÀ name

   The company changed from SALPA to SACLÀ, an abbreviation of Società Anonima Commercio e Lavorazione Alimentari.

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8. 1923Business founded in Asti

   Secondo Ercole and Piera Campanella established the food-processing business in Asti, initially working with surplus vegetables from the Tanaro Valley.

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Italian family-made food rooted in Piedmontese preserved-vegetable expertise, with a strong emphasis on pesto, Mediterranean flavors, convenience, organic options, and food-service applications.

• PestoSauces and condiments

  Pesto is Saclà's best-known international category. The portfolio includes classic basil pesto alongside sun-dried tomato, chilli, aubergine, coriander, roasted pepper, black olive, truffle, and 'nduja variants. Organic basil and tomato pestos are also offered in the UK range. The products are sold in ambient and, in some markets, chilled formats.

• Pesto ShotsSingle-serve sauces2015

  Pesto Shots are individually portioned pesto products introduced in 2015. The format was designed for convenience, allowing consumers to add a measured serving to pasta or other dishes without opening a conventional larger jar. It represents Saclà's move toward more portable and portion-oriented packaging.

• Stir-Through SaucesPasta sauces

  Saclà's stir-through sauces are designed to be mixed directly with cooked pasta. The UK range has included tomato and chilli, tomato and mascarpone, and tomato and olive recipes, offering a quick alternative to sauces requiring extended cooking.

• Whole Cherry Tomato SaucesTomato pasta sauces

  This range uses whole cherry tomatoes with a soffritto base incorporating extra-virgin olive oil, celery, carrots, and onions. Reported recipes include tomato and basil, tomato and Parmesan, tomato and chilli, tomato and burrata, and tomato with 'nduja.

• Free FromSpecial-diet sauces2014

  The Free From range includes gluten-, dairy-, and wheat-free basil and tomato pestos, as well as free-from bolognese, besciamella, creamy tomato, and stir-in products. The range was introduced in the UK in 2014 and received food-award recognition and commendations for taste.

• AntipastiPreserved vegetables

  Saclà's antipasti products extend its original preserved-vegetable heritage into retail jars and other packaged formats. Reported products include sun-dried tomatoes, oven-roasted tomatoes, artichokes, and char-grilled peppers, intended for salads, sharing plates, sandwiches, and Italian-style meals.

• Saclà ProfessionaleFood-service products2015

  Saclà Professionale is a food-service range launched in 2015. It includes products used by professional kitchens, ranging from pesto to preserved vegetables and pulses. The UK professional offering also involved imported Galvanina soft drinks, according to the reference material.

• 2009Dallaglio by Saclà

  United Kingdom

  Saclà partnered with rugby figure Lawrence Dallaglio to develop and promote a pasta-sauce range under the Dallaglio by Saclà name.

  Outcome. The collaboration is documented as a product and brand partnership; detailed campaign performance figures are not available in the supplied sources.

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• 2015Launch of Pesto ShotsProduct launch

  Saclà sought to offer pesto in a more convenient, individually portioned format.

  What changed. The company launched Pesto Shots in the United Kingdom.

  Aftermath. The launch broadened Saclà's packaging formats; no financial impact is reported in the supplied sources.

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• 2015Expansion into food serviceStrategy

  The brand sought to serve professional kitchens in addition to household retail customers.

  What changed. Saclà launched the Saclà Professionale product range.

  Aftermath. The portfolio expanded to include professional-use products such as pesto and preserved ingredients.

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• 2024Saclà remains under third-generation family leadership

  Reference material identifies Chiara Ercole as chief executive and describes Saclà as continuing to be run by the founding family.

  Leadership change
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• 2024Saclà participates in the Almaverde Bio Italia consortium

  Saclà is described as part of Almaverde Bio Italia Srl, a consortium focused on organic products.

  Other
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• 2015Saclà introduced Pesto Shots in the United Kingdom

  The brand launched pesto in a single-serve format aimed at convenience and portion control.

  Product launch
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• 2011Saclà expanded its United Kingdom chilled range

  Saclà launched fresh pesto, pasta sauces, and pasta for the chilled cabinet in the United Kingdom.

  Product launchProduct generation
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1. Saclà