Who is Rina
Our history.
There is no one like Granny!
Rina, is Rina De Franceschi: the grandmother of Lorenzo Scandellari, the current owner of Sfoglia Rina.
In 1963, Rina opened a small fresh pasta shop in Casalecchio di Reno. For years, she worked very hard, studied her recipes, refined the techniques and built up a strong reputation. Almost 40 years later, her nephew inherits the art of making egg pasta; asks his mother Vanda for help and starts thinking about how to modernize the family business.
A growing family company
In 2004, the first step was the transfer of the shop from the suburb Marullina neighbourhood to the pedestrian centre of Casalecchio di Reno. Then came the idea inspired by the bakery cafés of Northern Europe from where Catherine, Lorenzo's wife, is native of: why not add a space where customers could also eat freshly cooked pasta? A convivial space, unpretentious, with fresh and genuine food.
In 2010, the opportunity finally arises: the space next to the actual shop is freed, and thus opens Sfoglia Rina’s first restaurant. Success is immediate! People love the freshness of the proposal: a dining place, where to have lunch with a good plate of fresh pasta, maybe chatting with the other customers seated at the large common table.
On the road to success
Meanwhile, the company grows and so its renown. A larger laboratory is required to meet production needs. A location is found and the pasta production is entirely transferred to the “Area 57” within Zola Predosa’s production area. Focus is put on perfecting the production processes. The ascending journey, however, only reinforces the initial vocation of the company created by Rina. Instead of taking on the, perhaps all too logical, path of industrialization, Sfoglia Rina continues its production of fresh pasta made by hand with quality ingredients that are almost always locally sourced.
A clear choice that makes the company very unique in the area: Sfoglia Rina is one of the few quality artisans capable of producing on a medium / large scale.
These are the choices that have allowed the company to gain the trust of prestigious customers such as Eataly or Dallmayr, one of the largest and most renowned delicatessen business in Europe, based in Munich and over 300 years of tradition.
To the conquest of Bologna!
In 2015, Sfoglia Rina makes a new leap. Lorenzo and Catherine decide, to try their luck at in the centre of Bologna, and to claim for their company the visibility that it deserves. First step: finding the right location: a former store of fabrics and household linen in the historic and central via Castiglione, a few steps from Bologna’s famous two towers. Thus, after months of renovation works, and more than 50 years after the opening of Sfoglia Rina, the company opens its second store and restaurant in the heart of the ancient city.
Never forget your roots
At Casalecchio we were born, and taking care of our roots for us, means keeping the growth of our company healthy. In the important phase of development that our business is facing, and two years after the opening of Bologna, we could not rule out where our entrepreneurial adventure began 55 years ago!
And so, our venue in Casalecchio undergoes a drastic change of look at the new location in Via Marconi 70. A central spot, facing the Church of San Giovanni and its square, which tripled the capacity compared to the previous venue, while still remaining in true Sfoglia Rina style: a welcoming atmosphere, a clever mix of vintage and modern.
A Curiosity
The name of our company comes from a pun. The sfoglina in Bologna is the lady one who works the dough (flour and egg dough rolled out with a rolling pin) and Rina... well now you too know who she is!
