Faravelli was founded in Milan in 1926, driven by a passion for photography and the entrepreneurial spirit of Giusto Faravelli, the company’s founder. The first steps of the business were linked to the sale of raw materials and specialties for the photochemical industry, which marked the company’s origins.
Early success was abruptly interrupted by World War II. On August 13, 1943, air raids destroyed the building that still houses Faravelli’s headquarters in Milan today. After the forced interruption caused by the war, the business resumed with determination, giving strong momentum to import–export activities.
The 1950s, marked by the economic boom, represented a period of renewed growth. In the 1960s, products for the pharmaceutical and nutritional sectors were gradually added alongside photochemical specialties.
The year 1962 marked a decisive turning point, with the start of distribution activities representing foreign manufacturers and the development of the pharmaceutical business through the commercialization of commodities and active ingredients.
A major breakthrough came about ten years later, with the first exclusive collaboration for the Italian market with Meggle, a global leader in lactose production. These were also the years of computerization, and Faravelli was among the first companies in Italy to obtain ISO 9001 certification.
In the 1970s, ingredients for the agri-food industry were introduced. This evolution led to the company’s first major transformation: from a family-run business to a joint-stock company, becoming Giusto Faravelli S.p.A.
Growth continued, and in 1978 the German subsidiary Faravelli GmbH was established in Hamburg, marking the first step in a structured international expansion.
The early 1990s saw Faravelli enter the cosmetics sector. In the early 2000s, the company further expanded its scope by starting the production of functional systems for the food industry, developed by the in-house Food Application Laboratory and marketed under the FARA® brand.
In 2005, the Prague subsidiary (Faravelli S.r.o.) was opened.
In 2008, a representative office was established in Shanghai, which became a fully fledged sister company in 2012. In the 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 presence.
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 sees the Group as a strongly international organization, present in multiple countries worldwide and always alongside its customers.