From a small bakery in Altamura to the 2025 Industria Felix Award: the journey of a company that transforms sustainability, territory and social responsibility into an Italian model of excellence.
There is a long thread that runs through more than three centuries of history and reaches the presentday and the homes of tens of thousands of Italian families. An old notarial document certifies thatthe Di Leo brothers purchased a wood-fired oven in Altamura, now known throughout the world as the ‘city of bread’, in 1663. It is from that simple, ancient gesture that the story of a family of bakers destined to become one of the most solid realities of Made in Italy confectionery began. Today, almost four centuries later, Di Leo is no longer a bakery, but a modern industry that has transformed tradition into a competitive asset and sustainability into a structural element of its production model. This journey was recently recognised with the Industria Felix ESG Award, presented on 15 October in the Giulio Cesare hall of the Palazzo Senatorio of Campidoglio in Rome, for the company’s commitment to addressing environmental, social and governance issues with competence and responsibility: not a goal, but the confirmation of a vision cultivated generation after generation.
“Our history, which has its roots in ancient times, underwent a sharp acceleration during the economic boom years, when we decided to abandon bread production definitively and devote ourselves to the confectionery industry,” says Pietro Di Leo, current President, appointed Cavaliere del Lavoro in 2017 by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella. “With the production of our iconic savoiardi biscuits, we have made ourselves known all over the world. From Germany to the Emirates, from France to Australia: the whole world was looking for our biscuits to make the most popular Italian dessert ever, tiramisu. At that moment, we realised that our efforts to spread Italianness and represent our local artisan excellence would finally bear fruit.”
However, Di Leo’s identity is not just about its products, but also about belonging. The company is located in the heart of the Murgia region, between the beautiful cities of Altamura and Matera, and has always represented a bridge between the communities of Puglia and Lucania. “We feel inextricably linked to this beautiful land,” explains Di Leo, “and we have always demonstrated this by engaging in activities and initiatives that promote its uniqueness around the world, such as Matera’s bid to become European Capital of Culture 2019. This responsibility has translated into concrete choices over the years, long before words such as ESG and sustainability entered the industrial vocabulary. One of these choices is historic: in the 1990s, we were the first to eliminate palm oil from our biscuit lines. We believe this choice is important both for our Italian customers and for future generations around the world. With initiatives such as ‘All’Orango io ci Tengo’ (I care about oranges), a project that supports a Malaysian clinic committed to the recovery of animals affected by deforestation, we want to reaffirm our desire to be here and now, at the forefront of changing the biscuit industry and the whole world.
But sustainable innovation also comes through the product. Di Leo’s famous friselle, for example, are made with purified sea water: a choice that reduces water impact and improves the organoleptic profile, thanks to the natural presence of trace elements. On the nutritional front, the Vivi Sano line responds to new consumer demands: biscuits with no added sugar, gluten-free, milk-free and egg-free, which are also included in school food education projects dedicated to the importance of a healthy and balanced diet.
“We look at the future, how could we not?”, concludes Di Leo. “As we know, we are borrowing our time from the younger generations and we have a responsibility to give them better days. At Di Leo, we have a centuries-old tradition and a wealth of experience on our side, teaching us to always improve and always move forward. In this spirit, I believe we can give our customers many more decades of sweet surprises.”
Yo explore more, visit the website www.dileo.it
