Since Bertazzoni was founded in 1882, the company has always understood that the kitchen is at the heart of family life. Our cooking appliances have always been designed to help people bring the best home-cooked food to the family table.


Bertazzoni has built its reputation on considered design, outstanding engineering and a deep passion for food. Today, the Bertazzoni approach continues in the spirit of innovation that has run through six generations.


Whatever your preferred style of cooking, Bertazzoni appliances will help you prepare and serve food with precision, flair and flavour – today, tomorrow and beyond.


The Bertazzoni way
Family roots

Family. Food. Engineering. These three ideas came together in the mind of Francesco and they have passed down through the six Bertazzoni generations that have followed almost a century and a half later. Today those three words define the Bertazzoni brand.


How did it all begin? The latest Bertazzoni products with their advanced technology are part of a continuous story that began, as many do, with a journey. More than 140 years ago, back in the 19th Century, Francesco Bertazzoni and his son Antonio made precision weighing machines for the local cheesemakers in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy. Watching the trains coming in to Guastalla from Germany and Austria, they noticed the railcars were heated by a new type of wood-burning stove; a stove that cooked for the train crew, as well as heating the carriage.

1850s
ACROSS THREE CENTURIES
In the mid-19th century, a new railway was built connecting Austria with Italy. The trains that came down through the chilly Alps were heated by innovative wood-burning stoves. It was these that set one man in Guastalla to thinking. And so began the story that has made Bertazzoni one of Italy's most successful companies in the 21st century.
1882
ENTERPRISE OF FATHER AND SON
When Francesco Bertazzoni noticed the wood burning stoves on trains coming into Guastalla, he saw how the idea could be adapted to cooking. He and his son Antonio decided to turn the dream into reality. This eventually led to the first Bertazzoni wood burning cooking stoves, produced in very small quantities and just for local use to begin with.
1890s
SCALES MADE BY FRANCESCO
Precision measuring instruments were made by Francesco Bertazzoni for local trades, from Parmesan cheesemakers to pharmacists. The metal-working skills were used by him and his son Antonio for their first wood burning stoves.
1900s
ERA OF THE WOOD BURNING STOVE
What father and son had done proved to be the start of an outstanding success story. Antonio Bertazzoni exhibited at the 1906 Milan International Exhibition and in Florence in 1909. For half a century the family business grew and prospered, based on the design and production of their wood burning stoves.
1907
HAND-MADE WOOD BURNING STOVE
Early Bertazzoni stoves were custom built by father and son in their Guastalla workshop; no two were ever the same. They were very fuel-efficient units for cooking, hot water and heating – even providing ashes for the laundry.
1910s
SUCCESS NEEDS SUPPLYING
For some years Antonio Bertazzoni ran the business aided by his own sons. It was they who built the first Bertazzoni factory close to the Guastalla railway station in 1909. The main finance came from one of their wives, daughter of an Emilia-Romagna cheesemaker, who lent the brothers the grand sum of 10,000 lire.
1920s
THE BEGINNING OF MASS PRODUCTION
Antonio's son Napoleone adopted techniques learned from the motor industry in Turin. Using standard castings and components in a new factory, production reached 80,000 units in the interwar years
1923
BEGINNING THE BRAND STORY
After the hiatus of the First World War, the family began producing cooking stoves on a much larger scale. In 1923, they adopted a new FBG logo (Fratelli Bertazzoni Guastalla) and launched a new brand name: "La Germania'. The marque and the name both celebrated the railway and its crucial connection to the engineering reputation of Germany in the north.
1930s
STYLED FOR THE KITCHEN
The La Germania logo was introduced and brand marketing to consumers began. Stove performance improved with hot gases from the fire forced around the sides of the stove to maximise heating efficiency.
1950s
THE HEART OF THE HOME
Wood burning stove design was matched by enhanced aesthetics. Sheet steel forming and vitreous enamel finishes gave a more sophisticated look. The refined details and colours reflected 1950s tastes.
1953
THE GAS REVOLUTION
After the Second World War came the momentous discovery of gas in the Po Valley. A number of Italian companies responded by producing gas-fired stoves, and in 1953 the Bertazzoni’s introduced their first gas countertop units. Production of gas stoves by the family followed in 1955, further perfected in 1958 with the addition of an oven.
1960s
INTO FAR DISTANT LANDS
Bertazzoni's cookers, still exclusively marketed under the brand name of La Germania, made new friends in the 1960s as exports began for the first time, instigated by Francesco Bertazzoni, great- grandson of the founder. The first overseas sales were made in the Mediterranean area and by the 1970s the La Germania name had become well known throughout Europe and in Pacific Asia.
2000s
NEW QUALITY OPENS DOORS TO AMERICA
In 2001, the company introduced the unrivalled 'Toyota system' for manufacturing that relies on the relationship between exceptional speed and uncompromising quality, backed by the commitment and culture of the company's people. Bertazzoni also began exhaustive analysis of the American market and in 2005 launched a series of all-new ranges there under the new 'Bertazzoni' brand name. Success followed.
2010s
THE COORDINATED KITCHEN AND NEW MARKETS
The sixth generation of the family joins the business and Bertazzoni widen the scope of its portfolio to become the one-stop kitchen supplier. Award-winning built-in ovens and induction cooktops are introduced. New refrigeration, dishwasher and ventilation appliances complete the concept of the total Bertazzoni kitchen. Exports continue to mature and expand with new subsidiaries established in Sweden, France, Netherlands, UK, Australia and China.
2020s
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GOOD AND SIMPLE: THE COOKBOOK

To celebrate the 140th anniversary of the founding of Bertazzoni, the family has published a unique cookbook.

It was inspired by our great-grandmother, whose handwritten notebook containing precious family recipes has been passed down through the family.

Over the years, each generation has added their own recipes to the notebook, to create a celebration of the Bertazzoni culture that brings together our love of food, family and engineering across the generations.

Get your digital copy!

Precision engineering

With its roots in manufacturing appliances to get the most enjoyment from food, Bertazzoni’s soul lives and thrives in the heart of the home – the kitchen.

For Italians, there is a natural fusion of design and engineering. Innovative engineering lets you produce products that function perfectly. Combined with our affinity for engineering and design, Bertazzoni products are distinct in style and elegance. In essence, form and function become one.

At the heart of it all

If the kitchen is the heart of every home, it is equally true that food is at the heart of every kitchen. Bertazzoni’s home is in the Po Valley in the north of Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. Known as Italy's breadbasket since Roman times, it is steeped in the ingredients and recipes that have made Italian cooking famous worldwide.

Bertazzoni philosophy
Place, pride and purpose

“We have a deep belief in beautiful cooking to bind families and friends together – and a sincere respect for nature and its products that we wish to be enjoyed by all those who follow after us.”

Paolo Bertazzoni, CEO

Bertazzoni is proud to be the world’s oldest family-owned appliance manufacturer, built on more than 140 years of innovation. But with pride comes deep responsibility. As the business has passed from generation to generation, the family members have continued to be conscious of their responsibilities, not only to the beautiful land they live in but also to the people who live there today and those who will come after them.

Bertazzoni recognises its roots in Guastalla and Emilia-Romagna run deep. The prosperity of the town and our region is close to the hearts of everyone who works with us. We are deeply committed to nurturing our close-knit community and developing where we live and work for the benefit of everyone. In particular, Bertazzoni continues to invest to create opportunities for young people, encouraging them to stay in the region by giving them a deep sense of place, pride and purpose.


Food for thought

The three ‘pillars’ – family, food, engineering – are integral to everything Bertazzoni does. We thought the most natural way to explore and explain them would be over a family meal cooked on Bertazzoni appliances. The writer John Simmons was there to record the conversation.

Good and Simple.
Traditions of family cooking
Get your digital copy now
Good and Simple: Traditions of Family Cooking
Precision engineering
“We don’t start with the aesthetics but we end with it.”

Bertazzoni has always led the way in production technology, applying the most modern methods to its manufacturing at every stage of the company’s evolution. In Italy, production has quadrupled at its high-tech factories since1998. But nothing stands still. A bigger plant at the company's home in Guastalla, using the very latest technology, is now meeting demand for Bertazzoni products on a global stage.

The engineering and craftsmanship that make it possible to create great kitchen appliances is deep-rooted in the Emilia- Romagna region. Around Guastalla, in the world-famous cities like Turin, Bologna and Milan, you will find renowned industrial companies that make iconic cars and motorbikes; and other worldleading companies in food processing, agricultural machinery, automotive, hydraulic, construction and ceramic machinery. Alfa Romeo, Ducati, Lamborghini, Ferrari. Iconic, almost poetic names, representing powerful and stylish machines that are engineered for excellence, honed and developed through the toughest competition in the world. Bertazzoni takes its inspiration from them.

Bertazzoni prides itself on bringing together innovative production methods and engineering skills with Italian design flair.

As a result, Bertazzoni stands for a clear and desirable promise that springs from this tradition of excellence. It gives our customers the means to create beautiful food and an aspirational home ambiance by using appliances crafted with precision engineering and thoughtful design. It’s a philosophy and an approach that is always rooted in family, as are our customers. It is based on knowing, deep down, that cooking brings families together and recognising that quality products help achieve that aim. We believe it is an Italian art the world truly appreciates.

At the heart of it all
“Here all around us we have growing naturally all the ingredients of a great Italian meal. This is the food that makes us who we are.”


Here you will find Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan cheese), prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham), mortadella sausage, cured meats and salamis, Balsamico di Modena (Balsamic vinegar), Lambrusco, Sangiovese and Trebbiano wines, and many types of pasta with local origins – tagliatelle, tortellini and ravioli, to name just a few.


All these distinctive Italian foods are made possible by the agricultural abundance that surrounds us.

The Po Valley is a wide fertile plain with rich soil that nurtures all the essential ingredients – grains and grasslands, fruit from the orchards, vegetables of all kinds. So there is wheat for pasta, rice for risotto and corn for polenta. There is plentiful grazing for pork, beef, veal, poultry and game. Along with milk, butter and cheese. Porcini, nuts, truffles from the woods. Peaches, pears, cherries, quince and, of course, Italian tomatoes, bursting with flavour. In short, all the ingredients you need for the perfect meal.

Food for thought
“Everything comes together so that everyone can come together”


Delicious food – simply made – brings this family and this business together in conversation. I’m interested in the relationship of family and business: how do they relate to each other? “I’ve always lived the company as part of the family,” answers Paolo Bertazzoni. “It was natural. My father Francesco brought me to the factory as a boy in short trousers – it gave me great pride as a boy. ‘You must say Buongiorno to everyone’ he insisted. I still feel it is an honor to be part of this company.”


His sister Elisabetta, who has shared the big decisions with him, says: “We learnt early to respect the company and its values – they were also our family values. We knew we had to work with humility, to take great care in all we do, to work together for the good health of the business.”


There is a deep sense of responsibility that you feel in their words. The responsibility extends beyond the family to all the people who work with Bertazzoni. “We know them,” says Paolo. “We feel a connection to the past and the future. That’s why each generation tries to do better than the previous generation.”


For all these family members, the values and the primacy of the company have been instilled from their early years. Paolo, now chief executive, worked in the humblest positions to understand the company and to demonstrate that his family did not assume any automatic superiority. His son Nicola and daughter Valentina were encouraged to exercise their own freedom, without pressure to join the business. They studied, learnt skills, opted to come back and to apply those skills to benefit the company and its wider community.

“In the end we all go back to the same values: a devotion to food and family, creating beautiful products that add to wellbeing”


“Everyone could follow their own inclinations,” says Valentina. “I loved art and design, as well as maths – so I studied architecture and ran my own practice. But it seemed natural to come into the business at a time when it was changing, when the products and brand were moving onto another stage of evolution. Because it was all about values, making sure they are consistent between family and business, between marketing and products, to be authentic. Interpreting the present, building on the past, but looking to the future.”


“Our roots are the Italian family and the family is based around food,” observes Nicola. “The heart of an Italian home is the kitchen. But the vital ingredient of our heritage, to make it really powerful, is engineering. We apply design and technology to deliver what our end-users want in their kitchens. It all depends on making sure our appliances work brilliantly in all environments – that is our obsession.”


It’s refreshing to hear these family members express their commitment and to do so in ways that connect with the real lives of the people who use their machines. Each of them might have spoken the following words because they come from the Bertazzoni heart: “In a life that gets more complicated, we aim to make things easier. We know that will make people happier. Because food is such a human need, there is universal pleasure in the making and sharing of food.”


“It’s our mission to make kitchen appliances that function perfectly for the lives of our Bertazzoni owners. By making beautiful products we feed their eyes, brains and hearts, and we give pleasure. Our deeper mission is to make people happier by making products that bring joy to their lives.”