Located in the North Plains of Texas, Texas, O.B. (Our Best) Macaroni Company is unique. It is the only Italian-owned Pasta company to survive of the dozen that dotted the landscape of the South and Southwest at the turn of the century.

Italian immigrant and grocer Louis Bicocchi founded Fort Worth Macaroni in January 1899 on S. Jennings Ave. on the south side of Fort Worth. (Fort Worth Macaroni was changed to O.B. in 1959.)
Louis Bicocchi Grocery Store Downtown Ft. Worth, 1894

The company is still owned and managed by the fourth generation of the Laneri family, descendants of early investor and president Giovanni Battista Laneri. He was the door opener and company financier until his death in 1935. J.B. came to Fort Worth in 1882. Prospering in the food and liquor business, he invested in several Fort Worth companies and real estate. An early member of the Board of Trade and Director of Fort Worth National Bank in 1902, he was an aggressive Fort Worth booster and philanthropist.

J. B. Laneri Ft. Worth National Bank Board Photograph, 1902

Incorporated in the state of Texas in 1905, Fort Worth Macaroni moved to it's present location. The building has been modernized, modified, and annexed, but pasta is still made in the converted carriage house. Situated at the hub of the vast railroad network which reaches in all directions from Fort Worth, the company shipped macaroni all over Texas and as far West as Denver, Colorado.
Park and Daggett Location, 1910's

	The Laneri managers built a special bond with the neighborhood workers. Long time employment is the norm at O.B. Macaroni. The plant engineer retired in 1997 after 60 years; the vermicelli hand-packer (40 years) is second-generation on the job; the office manager has a quarter of a century at O.B.
Second Floor Packing Room, circa 1914

In the 1960's and 70's, company management beat back powerful competition from Northeastern food conglomerates to take over the Texas pasta market. They held onto their solid customer base and protected their family company from takeover.

Louis J. Laneri 2nd Generation

Carl L. Laneri 3rd Generation

John P. Laneri 3rd Generation

The family and its company are inseparable. Since January of 1899, four generations of Giovanni Battista Laneri's family have continued the successful operation of Texas' only surviving Italian-owned pasta company. Sticking to the time-honored family pasta recipe, great-grandson Carlo Laneri oversees the manufacture of spaghetti, elbows, shells, rigatoni, and other shapes.
Carl L. Laneri, Jr. (Carlo)

For over 100 years, O.B. Macaroni has been a part of the social and economic fabric of Fort Worth, so much so that January 15, 1999, was proclaimed O.B. Macaroni Day. The Laneri family credits strong family values, hard work, and close ties to the community for the company's longevity and success.