In 1987, on the initiative of Pietro Barilla, the Barilla Historical Archive was created to collect, preserve and enhance the company's historical documentation, starting from 1877. The archive is located in the Barilla plant in Pedrignano, near Parma, and it contains over 60.000 documents divided by sector, also including the documentation produced by the brands subsequently incorporated into the company: Mulino Bianco, Pavesi and Voiello.
On November 30th 1999 the Cultural Heritage Ministry declared the Barilla Historical Archive “of remarkable historical interest” because it “bears witness to the development of the food industry in Parma and the evolution of society in Italy”.