Faravelli’s story began in Milan in 1926, inspired by a passion for photography and the entrepreneurial vision of its founder, Giusto Faravelli.
The company’s early activity focused on the distribution of raw materials and specialties for the photochemical industry, laying the foundations of its identity.
This initial growth was abruptly halted by World War II.
On August 13, 1943, air raids destroyed the building that still hosts
Faravelli’s headquarters in Milan.
After the forced interruption caused by the conflict, the company resumed
its activities with renewed determination, placing increasing emphasis on import–export operations.
The 1950s, shaped by post-war economic expansion, marked a new phase of growth.
During the 1960s, Faravelli gradually broadened its portfolio, introducing products for the pharmaceutical and nutritional sectors alongside photochemical specialties.
A key milestone came in 1962, when the company began distributing on
behalf of foreign manufacturers and strengthened its presence in the pharmaceutical sector through the commercialization of commodities and active ingredients.
Around a decade later, Faravelli reached another important turning point
with its first exclusive partnership for the Italian market with Meggle,
a global leader in lactose production. These were also the years of
technological progress, during which Faravelli became one of the first companies in Italy to achieve ISO 9001 certification.
The 1970s saw the introduction of ingredients for the agri-food industry, prompting a significant transformation of the company. Faravelli evolved
from a family-run business into a joint-stock company, officially becoming Giusto Faravelli S.p.A.
This phase of development continued in 1978 with the establishment of Faravelli GmbH in Hamburg, the Group’s first international subsidiary and the beginning of a structured expansion abroad.
In the early 1990s, Faravelli entered the cosmetics sector, further
diversifying its activities. In the early 2000s, the company expanded once
again by developing functional systems for the food industry, created by its
in-house Food Application Laboratory and marketed under the FARA® brand.
International growth accelerated in 2005 with the opening of the Prague subsidiary (Faravelli S.r.o.).
In 2008, a representative office was established in Shanghai, which became a fully fledged sister company in 2012. That same year, Faravelli inaugurated its Cosmetic Application Laboratory and opened an office in Barcelona, Spain.
In 2014, the Group expanded into the United States, further strengthening its international footprint.
In 2021, Faravelli acquired the Spanish company Deltapharma S.L., specialized in the distribution of APIs and authorized to import from non-EU countries.
In 2026, Faravelli celebrates 100 years of history — a century of continuous evolution that today defines the Group as a strongly international organization, present in multiple countries worldwide and consistently working alongside its customers.
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