Past & Present
Gourmet cuisine in every corner of the world, since 1919
The Ligabue Catering Group is a highly esteemed member of the worldwide business community, unique in the sector for its diversified offering and areas of operation. Ligabue has strong Venetian and Italian roots but is a truly international business, both in terms of its personnel and the locations where the services are provided. In 90 years of successful business history the company has achieved many major milestones.
In 1919 the entrepreneurial challenge was taken up by founder Anacleto Ligabue, when the company began supplying food to the ships of the Società Veneziana di Navigazione in the port of Venice.
In 1929, Anacleto came up with the brilliant idea of offering on-board assistance to kitchen staff as well as supplying the ships with food. This marked the beginning of the ship catering business which has played such a crucial role in the company’s further development. Ship owners no longer had to buy provisions and hire their kitchen staff to provide meals for passengers and crew and simply turned to the expert Ligabue catering, which soon became a key partner for leading ship owners.
By 1940, more than 130 ships were using Ligabue’s supply and catering services. By 1950, with the rapid development of the shipping business, Ligabue was providing catering and hotel services to over 400 ships, including cargo ships, ferry boats, transatlantic passenger and cruise ships.
In 1960, under the guidance of the current Honorary Chairman Giancarlo Ligabue, who joined the company and realised the potential of the rapidly expanding airline business, Ligabue also began supplying meals to flights departing from Venice Airport in this way permitting rapid development in the airplane and airport catering sectors as well.
In 1963, in the wake of Giancarlo Ligabue’s scientific research activity, another new area of business was opened up: the supply of catering and hotel service to construction sites, oil wells, and offshore drilling platforms through tender bidding. This was the beginning of an important partnership with the ENI Group and other international petroleum and construction companies.
In 1971, Giancarlo Ligabue, a keen scholar and scientist, set up the Centro Studi Ricerche Ligabue (The Ligabue Study and Research Centre), a non-profit association which seeks to study the origins of human life, with a special focus on the culture of food.
In 1972, Giancarlo Ligabue took over as Company Chairman. The Group expanded its airport services to several Italian airports, where today it still manages bars, restaurants, stores and duty free shops.
Between 1980 and 1990, the Cruise Ship Division was created and the partnership with the leading Italian Ferry groups with over 50 ships was consolidated.
Since 1998, the Ligabue Catering Group has been restructuring its Ship Supply and On & Off Shore sectors. To boost its operations in the area of ship supply, Ligabue opened six new warehouses in Europe and made agreements with over 150 commercial supply partners in key ports worldwide. Its international operations expanded with the creation of several subsidiaries in the Middle East, Northern Africa, West Africa and Central Asia to cover more effectively the strategically important on&off shore business.
Now Ligabue offers:
The supply of foods and other products matched by top quality catering and accommodation services using the latest technologies for every type of ship, offshore drilling platform or large construction site. The Ligabue Group also manages large commercial establishments (bars, restaurants, shops) aboard ships and in ports, airports, and shopping centers. Recently, in addition to its core business, the group has entered the sector of banqueting and catering for large events. The excellence of Ligabue services can also be sampled at the world-famous Gran Caffè Ristorante Quadri in St. Mark’s Square in Venice.
