Pinsami: Italy’s latest culinary success story

Made with a blend of wheat, rice, and soy flours, pinsa is an airy, crisp, and light dough – with fewer calories than traditional pizza.

“It’s indulgent yet easily digestible,” says Rudi Facchini, investment director responsible for Italian investments at Capmont Private Equity and member of Pinsami’s Board of Directors. “Consumers can easily make them at home, and they’ve become a popular aperitivo snack for restaurateurs.”

When Rudi talks about pinsas, he speaks not only about their taste but also their retail and export potential. And he should know. He’s part of the Capmont investment team that acquired a majority stake in Pinsami in October 2021. “We decided to invest because we genuinely believed in the product. It fits perfectly with 21st-century global food trends around health, versatility and convenience,” Rudi explains.

Pinsami’s story began in 2017, when its founder and current CEO, Fabio Grillo, opened a pinsa restaurant in Reggio Emilia. The restaurant never really took off, which Rudi says was partly because pinsa wasn’t all that well known back then. However, Fabio understood early on that the real opportunity with pinsas was for people to enjoy them in their own kitchens. His next move was to bring pinsas to supermarket shelves – marking the start of Pinsami’s retail focus.

By 2020, the company had reached €5 million in turnover. A year later, Capmont, a private equity company specializing in helping Italian companies expand globally, acquired a majority in Pinsami and joined the board to help structure and scale the business. “We immediately focused on three things: structuring the business, driving product innovation, and expanding internationally,” explains Rudi. “At the time, most sales were in Italy and the shelf life was just 45 days. With management, we developed a 90-day product, then launched frozen bases in 2023 and frozen topped pinsas in 2024.”

Since then, Pinsami has grown from 70 to c. 200 employees. An EU-guaranteed loan through Tenax Capital, backed by the EIF, financed a new production line that became operational in spring 2025. “This new production line made our frozen topped range possible,” smiles Rudi.

Today, exports account for 75% of Pinsami’s turnover, with most products sold across Europe and plans to expand beyond the continent step by step. And innovation remains key combining Italian tradition with a modern twist.

For Rudi, the balance between heritage and innovation defines Pinsami’s success. “We’re based in Italy’s food valley – there’s an incredible culture of food and craftsmanship here. And we take pride in being innovators. We recently launched a cacio e pepe pinsa – replicating tradition with our pinsas.”