In 1912, a factory with 20 workers in the Piacenza countryside was using cooking and pureeing equipment to can tomatoes and vegetables. In 1932, Giuseppe Bianchi bought the company and developed production without setbacks, even during the war. The factory was enlarged and in 1953 the first trials for mechanical peeling of tomatoes were set up. The preserves crossed national borders, travelling to England, Germany, North America, and Japan. In 1957 the company was acquired by Luigi Tononi, owner of Industria Conserve Alimentari, which focused entirely on tomato production. The De Rica brand was not developed until 1963, for a name easy to identify and remember. Production diversified with sauces, pulses, fruit in syrup and jams. For a time it was part of Cirio Bertolli De Rica Spa, but in 2013 switched to Generale Conserve of Genoa.
