Fabriano, the Italian paper brand renowned for its 800-year history and expertise, has been strengthening its presence in North America for several years. Now, as part of its ambitious industrial plan, the Fedrigoni Group intends to leverage the brand’s tradition and reputation that has seen it used by some of the world’s greatest artists, including Michelangelo and Beethoven, to accelerate its growth across North America. With its range of iconic products and recent innovations, Fabriano has become a prime example of Made in Italy excellence.
Fedrigoni - a world reference in the production of special papers for luxury packaging and other creative applications, self-adhesive labels, graphic media for visual communication and RFID solutions - is already present in the United States through its subsidiary, Mohawk, the second North American specialty paper player that joined the group this year; Acucote, a self-adhesive label manufacturer that has been part of the group since 2021, and the distributor, GPA.
Fabriano aims to strengthen its presence in the North American market in the fine arts, hobby and craft sectors where the brand is already present in several thousand points of sales with branded products as well as with private labels. Additionally, Fabriano intends to develop its stationery business in bookstores and high-end department stores.
Among the priorities for investment in innovation is the continuous improvement of paper quality, a topic on which Fedrigoni places particular emphasis. Additionally, the company intends to focus on expanding its product portfolio, strengthening its best-loved lines, including drawing pads, large sheets, notebooks, albums, and a range of stationery products and accessories with Italian design. New lines will also be developed, including digital printing for artistic drawing and enhancing the range of security papers (such as those for passports). The latter is a segment in which the company already has significant expertise and where there is a real market need, linked to a sector that has seen a progressive reduction in the supply available worldwide. Production of these papers will be carried out in Fabriano from the beginning of 2025. Lastly, there are plans to expand the Fabriano Boutique chain to create a network of franchised shops around the world authorized to sell the best-known and most popular products, such as sketchbooks, notebooks, writing and drawing accessories.
“Fabriano, with its distinctive portfolio of fine arts, drawing, stationery and security papers, is an important asset in Fedrigoni's strategic plan and is also the ultimate expression of the craftsmanship and centuries-old tradition of the Marche region, home of paper since 1264,” commented Jacques Joly, General Manager of Fabriano. “For 760 years, Fabriano has been producing paper that many extraordinary people in history have used daily in the fields of art, literature, music and publishing: Michelangelo Buonarroti, Ludwig van Beethoven, Gabriele D'Annunzio and Federico Fellini are just some of the artists who have written, drawn, taken notes and created on paper produced by Fabriano. Moreover, we are the only paper mill in the world to produce with all three processes: handmade paper, paper molding machine and fourdrinier machine. With an entirely Italian production of high-quality products, synonymous with craftsmanship and authenticity, we are convinced that Fabriano will continue to grow strongly in North America.”
Fabriano has been on a continual path of growth since 2020, seeing investments accelerate (€60 million allocated to this segment out of the total €300 million invested by the Group). The production team has grown from 718 to 840 workers in the Marche production sites, and the entire organization (commercial marketing, customer service, supply chain) has been reorganized to better serve a B2C market, addressing both business audiences (printers, converters, designers, distributors) and the end consumer (students, teachers, drawing enthusiasts). The path of transformation will continue over the next four years. The new 2025-2028 industrial plan envisages over €50 million of investments in the Fabriano brand (out of the over €250 million envisaged for the entire group), which will aim to make the production sites in the Marche area more efficient, safe and sustainable and to support the expansion of the product portfolio.
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