La La Cascina Workers’ Cooperative was founded in 1978 through an act of love by don Giacomo Tantardini. A spark of altruism that recognised a need and responded to it.
At the priest’s suggestion, a number of mothers of Roman university students began cooking for students from outside the city who, at that time, were living at Palazzo Rospigliosi in via Liberiana.
The building—made available by the Vicariate of Rome at the invitation of Pope Paul VI—thus became the beating heart of an experience that would soon take shape.
What came to be known as “La Trattoria”—a simple, family-style university canteen—was immediately met with great appreciation. This positive response encouraged us to give the activity a formal structure by establishing a company able to take its first steps in a market that was still in its infancy
Thanks to a donation of 70,000 lire from Cardinal Albino Luciani, the future Pope John Paul I, Cooperativa La Cascina was officially established.
From the late 1970s to the present day, we have pursued the objective of promoting a mutual business model aimed at creating employment opportunities under dignified economic, social and professional conditions. Our commitment has always been directed towards the wellbeing of the community, seeking to reconcile development with responsibility.
Over the years, we have consistently looked with interest at forms of aggregation, convinced that different capabilities and professional expertise—when united by a shared understanding of work as the enhancement of the individual—can generate results greater than the sum of their parts.
Our scope is that of mutuality among enterprises, to improve efficiency and the quality of work along a path that combines development and sustainability.
We have never forgotten our origins: even today, “La Trattoria” — now a social restaurant — continues to provide hot meals to people facing economic or social hardship.
1978 – La Cascina Workers’ Cooperative is founded, initially operating in the management of university canteens.
1990s – The cooperative becomes one of the leading operators in the Italian catering market, reaching a turnover of approximately EUR 135 million.
1993 – The Consortium is established.
Early 2000s – In an increasingly competitive market, we strengthen our development plan by securing major service contracts and defining a new strategy aimed at enhancing our resources and consolidating cooperation with other economic operators, with the objective of attracting capital to support growth.
2004–2005 – We launch the cooperative enhancement process with the establishment of Vivenda S.p.A., to which we transfer the activities of the catering sector in Central and Northern Italy. In the same period, Invitalia S.p.A. (at the time Sviluppo Italia S.p.A.) takes an equity stake in Vivenda.
2006 – La Cascina Global Service S.r.l. (formerly La Cascina Sud S.r.l.) is established, to which catering activities in Southern Italy are transferred. At the same time, we incorporate Cooperativa La Fiorita, operating in the global service sector.
2007 – La Cascina Global Service S.r.l. expands its activities into the global service sector. In addition, we transfer the “food catering” business unit to Marr S.p.A., entering into a commercial partnership with it for the supply of foodstuffs, which remains in place to this day.
2017 – La Cascina Global Service S.r.l. acquires an equity stake in La Cascina Costruzioni S.r.l., a company created through the transfer of construction activities from a cooperative active since the 1980s and specialising in public works contracts.
2022 – Vivenda S.p.A. completes the merger by incorporation of La Cascina Global Service S.r.l. and two other companies operating in the global service sector. This process results in a single economic entity with revenues exceeding EUR 300 million in 2024.
2024 – Vivenda S.p.A. further consolidates its presence in the collective catering sector through a significant acquisition of a business unit from a cooperative entity: la Solidarietà e Lavoro, through which it manages certain restaurants in Italy. It also acquires an equity stake in Maranto S.r.l.