The history of the Panarello brand starts in Genoa at the end of the 19th century when Francesco Panarello, employed as chief confectioner in a bakery in Via Porta d’Archi, distinguishes himself for initiative and entrepreneurship in starting, unbeknown to the proprietor, to enrich his mixture with greater quantities of butter and sugar, rendering them richer and tastier.

Customers show great appreciation for these products made from the new “reinforced” recipe and the bakery gradually becomes more a confectioner.

In 1885, at only 17 years of age, the young Francesco takes over the bakery and unwittingly starts a "sweet" story lasting more than a century.

A story of passion and tradition but also of a strong propensity for innovation and development.

Panarello was in fact the first in Genoa to purchase an electric oven and this led to the opening of a new shop in Piazza della Nunziata in 1923 and subsequently of a production plant in Salita Santa Maria della Sanità in 1930, which comprised a candied fruit plant to ensure maximum quality of all raw materials used in cake preparation.

Over the years and thanks to the growing customer appreciation for the products, Panarello expands beyond the regional boundaries with new confectioners.

In 1930 the first Panarello confectioners is opened in Milan and in 1940, despite the impending menace of war, a further 2 shops are opened (a second in Milan and a third in Genoa); in 1950, after having repaired the bombardment damage, the third shop opens in Genoa.

The most significant expansion of the company, however, begins between the 60’s and the 70’s with its entry into large-scale retail distribution and consequent expansion of industrial production.

Starting in 1979, the Panarello brand starts to become widespread outside the regional boundaries, firstly as a synonym for Lagaccio biscuits and Pandolce, the most characteristic confectionery products in local history.

The expansion of the group continues: 1999 sees the inauguration of the shop in Via Caprera in Genoa, strategically positioned on the edge of the elegant residential quarters of Albaro and Sturia and in May 2001 the outlet in Chiavari is opened, filling the void long-lamented by Riviera residents and tourists alike.

Finally, in October 2002, a return to its roots with the opening in Corso Carbonara.
Panarello enters the heart of the upper part of town, in the Castelletto district, since the 19th century the residence of the old Genoese families and where the majority of the Panarello family still lives today and where the historic fresh produce laboratory for confectionery can be found.