Turning a Challenge into Opportunity

Turning an obstacle into an opportunity: in 1992, that’s what Sergio Arzilli achieved when he founded his Chocolate Factory. Being celiac meant the family pastry business was no longer suitable for him, so he brought his expertise into chocolate making. Over the years, he developed a line of 100% gluten free products, distinguished by exceptional raw materials and artisanal care.

With his daughter Valentina joining the company, the small workshop grew into what is now an internationally recognized ambassador of Italian chocolate tradition.

Chocolate Excellence Since 1992

We create indulgent, delicious products designed to be enjoyed by everyone.
Our chocolate adapts to modern dietary needs while preserving its uncompromising excellence.
Our entire range is completely gluten free, with dedicated lines for those who avoid lactose, limit sugar intake, or follow a vegan lifestyle.

From Chocolate Truffles to Gianduiotti, Chocolate Bars, Spreads, and more, La Perla di Torino is a collection of moments of happiness—a democratic indulgence for all.

1992

The Beginning

At around age 30, Sergio Arzilli was diagnosed with celiac disease.
It was a difficult blow for someone working in the family pastry shop, founded in Turin in 1952. Flour was everywhere, and to protect himself from cross-contamination, Sergio had to wear gloves and masks in the lab.
In 1992, he decided it was time for a change.
He turned to a symbol of Turin’s confectionery heritage: chocolate, naturally gluten free.
He opened a small shop with a production lab, where he began crafting what would become the icon of his new venture: the Chocolate Truffle.

1998

Chocolate Truffles Win Over Turin

Sergio launched with two signature creations:
La Perla Bianca, a white chocolate truffle with Nocciola Piemonte, and La Perla Nera, a dark chocolate praline truffle inspired by the Mole Antonelliana, Turin’s most iconic monument.
Thanks to enthusiastic customer response, production quickly expanded to include pralines and Gianduiotti, always made from the finest ingredients, with a focus on locally sourced products—like the prized Nocciola Piemonte.
La Perla chocolate had begun its journey to conquer Turin.

2006

The First Trade Shows

As the business grew, so did its reach.
In the 2000s, La Perla di Torino began showcasing its products at major international food events, such as Cibus in Parma and the Salon du Chocolat in Paris.
For a small artisanal company, standing alongside the giants of the global chocolate industry was both a source of pride and a motivation to keep growing—while never straying from its core values: uncompromising quality, respect for raw materials, collaborators, and customers.
Yes, even then, sustainability was already part of our DNA.

2010

Valentina Arzilli Joins the Company

When Valentina, Sergio’s daughter, joined the family business, she brought fresh vision and energy. Thanks to her father’s teachings and her own training, she focused on marketing and positioning La Perla di Torino abroad—something entirely new for the small company.

In just a few years, the brand became internationally known for the excellence of its Chocolate and its unique hallmark: a complete gluten free range, a rarity at the time. From the two original Chocolate Truffles, the collection grew to three, four, five, and today more than 20 varieties.

2016

The New Production Facility

Growth came gradually but steadily.
One day, Sergio and Valentina realized their original lab could no longer meet customer demand.
They found a new space: 850 square meters on Lungo Dora Colletta—the beginning of a new chapter.

Construction of the new production facility began, built using low environmental impact materials and optimized for energy efficiency.
From the start, the facility was powered entirely by green energy from 100% renewable sources.

2024

Our First Sustainability Report

In 2024, 32 years after its founding, La Perla di Torino is a very different company.
Its fully gluten-free range now includes not only Chocolate Truffles, but also Gianduiotti, Chocolate Bars, Spreads, Pralines, and more.
La Perla chocolate is exported to over 40 countries worldwide, and our team has grown in both size and expertise.

The commitment that Sergio and Valentina Arzilli have always shown—toward product excellence, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility—led them to voluntarily publish La Perla di Torino’s first Sustainability Report.
This document outlines the company’s environmental, social, and economic impact, adding transparency and purpose to its traditional financial reporting.

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2026

10 Years of our Production Plant

In 2026, La Perla di Torino celebrates the 10th anniversary of its production plant at Lungo Dora Colletta 81. A state-of-the-art site powered entirely by renewable energy, it has continuously evolved to meet the increasingly complex needs of a company whose products are now enjoyed in more than 40 countries worldwide.

Over the years, La Perla di Torino has invested in strengthening its organisational structure, developing in-house expertise and driving innovation across its production processes.

As we look ahead to 2027, when La Perla di Torino will celebrate 35 years since its founding, this milestone reflects the deep bond between the company and its home city. Turin remains the beating heart of a business that has successfully expanded into international markets while preserving its identity and the exceptional quality of its products, certified to the BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety.

The main characters of this wonderful story

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Sergio Arzilli

“My brother and I, since our childhood, worked in the family patisserie. When I have been diagnosed gluten intolerant, I realized that I could no renounce to work in delicacy world. Most of my knowledge comes from my father’s teachings, so I decided to dedicate myself to the chocolate world, producing it without gluten and artificial components” – Sergio Arzilli

1992 is the year when La Perla di Torino’s story begins thanks to the ability to turn limits into opportunities. When its founder Sergio Arzilli, grown up in his family’s pastry laboratory, finds out to be celiac, he begins to study the art of chocolate making. Without losing the teachings he received, he starts treading a path that will lead him to successfully create a company that today represents the excellence of Italian chocolate.

An entrepreneurial project that kicks off from a small rear laboratory where Mr Arzilli works to the development of the product he has been pampering in his mind, studying all its details in depth: its flavour, its wrapping, its name. This is the birth of La Perla di Torino chocolate truffle, today known all over the world.

Since that moment, the small artisan reality of the beginning has evolved into an innovation-prone structured company with a gluten-free offer which also includes gianduiot pralines, spreads and chocolate bars together with lactose-free and no-added-sugar product ranges to respond to new market requests.

Valentina Arzilli

“La Perla di Torino evolution is the result of an entrepreneurial project that has transformed the small artisan factory into a highly competitive company devoted to innovation. We still work everyday to tell not only a product but also the territory from which it comes, the culture of making chocolate and its emotions” – Valentina Arzilli

Sergio Arzilli’s passion for good chocolate, transmitted to his daughter Valentina who supports him at the head of the company, translates into strict standards of excellence in La Perla di Torino’s laboratory. Each and every chocolate truffle, each and every recipe is prepared with first quality ingredients and with processes respecting the raw material to enhance its scents and flavours, starting from the best Piedmont Tonda Gentile Trilobata Hazelnut.

La Perla di Torino has been acting in a story which narrates excellence and family values and which has elected the chocolate truffle its masterpiece. A product which is at the same time faithful to tradition and the subject of endless innovation. The first and now iconic creations, La Perla Nera and La Perla Bianca, are the ones which started a production that over the years has been playing with experimental and daring reinterpretations such as Tiramisu, Salted Peanut, Pistachio and Raspberry, which have been awarded with several international prizes.

Excellence Becomes a Standard

At La Perla di Torino, honoring the values of high craftsmanship means ensuring that every single product is flawless, starting with taste.

Each new recipe is the result of a creative process that can take several months to perfect.

The same meticulous care is devoted to the packaging, which is assembled by hand and undergoes strict visual and manual quality checks.

This attention to detail has earned the company the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety certification—an internationally recognized mark that guarantees food safety, with continuous monitoring of company processes and full traceability of the finished product.

In this way, La Perla di Torino brings the authentic taste of fine chocolate, rooted in the Torinese tradition, to chocolate lovers all over the world.