INNOVATE TO GROW: GIAN LUCA RANA’S INSIGHT INTO DEVELOPMENT

As always, the beating heart of Pastificio Rana is innovation, and it is thanks to Gian Luca Rana that over the last thirty years, innovation has become the driving force of the company. Gian Luca Rana’s objective has never been to break even in a project, but to find each project’s long-term innovative potential. First and foremost, it is essential to think about the idea, and only then study the technology to make it happen. The development of an idea, the so-called “product concept”, becomes the focus to create the next products. Gian Luca Rana achieved this objective through continuous research of new recipes, food pairings and opportunities for consumption.

Gian Luca Rana’s Secrets of Innovation

There are certain factors to consider throughout this research: the selection of the best ingredients, and the increasingly avant-garde technological developments that are capable of preserving the raw materials’ sensory qualities and increasing production capacity, all while maintaining quality. Therefore, for Gian Luca Rana, innovation is directly linked to the research of excellence. It is a key driver that knows no limits, that continually pushes him forward, and feeds his desire to experiment and create new product and technological process solutions. One of the critical success factors for Rana is technology that is completely serviceable to the idea of product quality, and not affected by business interests. Its entry into the American market is itself an example. Gian Luca Rana entered a stagnant, declining market and understood that he had to find a way to make Americans fall in love with a category of product irrelevant to them. He developed new products with new formats and introduced innovative recipes, including fillings that combine creaminess and crunch at once. This is all thanks to specifically designed technology.

Gian Luca Rana’s Packaging Revolution

But this wasn’t enough for Gian Luca. He had to find a way to make his new products stand out. So, he developed a new packaging solution, moving from the plastic tray typical of these products to the stand-up pouch, completely revolutionizing the look of the shelves and the entire fresh pasta market. Usually the development of a new packaging solution that is able to robustly withstand production processes takes many years of research, trials and testing. Instead, he was able to do this while launching into a new market as significant and sizeable as the American one, demonstrating a determination and ability to address the unknown. This is what makes Rana so unique in the food landscape; after just seven years, it became the leader in the US market.

Linkedin Profile of Gian Luca Rana