Perugina

Perugina is an Italian chocolatier and confectionery based in Perugia (Umbria), Italy, whose most famous product is a hazelnut-filled chocolate called Baci. The company was founded in 1907, but since 1988 it has belonged to the Swiss-based multinational food and beverage company Nestlé. See nestlé.

The name “Perugina” (feminine form of the adjective “Perugian”) is shorthand for the company’s original full name: Società Perugina per la Fabbricazione dei Confetti (Perugian Company for the Manufacture of Confections). This company was founded by four partners, including Francesco Buitoni, son of the founder of the Buitoni food company. In the 1920s, the Buitoni family extended its control over Perugina, with the Buitoni and Perugina companies remaining in close association until their sale in 1988 (principally to Nestlé). Both Buitoni and Perugina expanded internationally in the 1930s, first to France, and then to the United States, with further expansion after World War II.