San Carlo was born in Milan in 1936 thanks to Francesco Vitaloni and his wife Angela who owned a rotisserie in via Lecco 18, called San Carlo after the nearby church of San Carlo al Lazzaretto. In the shop you can fry everything from chicken to vegetables. Particularly successful are the crispy fries that the Vitalonis distribute every day also to the bars in the area. The production is such (20 kilos of potato chips per day) that in 1940 the business had to be transferred to the Greco district, in larger premises.In the 1950s, Francesco's son, Alberto Vitaloni, took over the management of the company. The range of products is also expanded to include savory snacks, breads and sweets. In 1970 the company, initially called “San Carlo… le crisps”, took the name of “San Carlo Gruppo Alimentare”. The head office is moved to via Turati, also in Milan, and the distribution network is extended. In 1988, expansion into Europe also began through a series of acquisitions: first Irpa in France, in 1989 Aperitivos Españoles in Spain, in 1990 Gardail and Painsol again in France, in 1991 Tucker in Great Britain and Soprex in France, in 1992 Highlander in Great Britain and Crespan in Spain. In 1992, after having created Unichips Finanziaria, the holding company controlling the group's shareholdings, it acquired the Pai corporate brand from Pavesi di Novara, part of the IRI group, [2] controlling 70% in the potato chips market. The Antitrust will give the green light to the agreement. In 2000, new lines were opened: Wacko's chips and snacks for children, Autentica Trattoria (chips and bakery), Vivalia (chips line dedicated to the wellness area). In 2011, on the occasion of the company's 75th anniversary, the third generation of the Vitalonis, Susanna, daughter of Alberto, also joined the company. In 2014 other lines: Più Gusto, Lime and Pepe Rosa, La Rustica. In October 2015 Alberto Vitaloni suffered a stroke. On March 18, 2016 he gives each of his three children (Susanna, Francesco, Michele) three identical shares of the 15% of Unichips Finanziaria linked by a syndicate agreement. On 21 October 2016, a month after the death of his wife Laura, Alberto gave Susanna the ownership of an additional 35,04%, thus giving her control of the holding company and effectively designating her as the heir to the leadership of the group, a decision that gave rise to a legal dispute by the other two brothers. [1]