Italian pasta maker opening factory, North American office in London
London has landed an Italian pasta manufacturer, with the food processor making the city home to its first North American office.
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London has landed an Italian pasta manufacturer, with the food processor making the city home to its first North American office.
Attracted by the agricultural heartland of Southwestern Ontario and a growing cluster of food businesses here, Andriani SpA, headquartered in southern Italy, has bought a parcel of land in a city-developed industrial park for a new factory.
The pasta maker offers diversity to London’s growing food sector, said Kapil Lakhotia, chief executive of the London Economic Development Corp.
“The food and beverage industry has given us a solid footing diversifying the London economy. We have a track record attracting large-scale food providers, but we’re also focusing on healthy food for the cluster,” he said.
London city council at a Tuesday meeting approved the sale of five acres of land for the 50,000-square-foot-plant in Innovation Park at Bradley Avenue and Veterans Memorial Parkway.
Construction is expected to start this year with the plant up and running in 2024.
It is expected to employ about 50 people when it opens.
Andriani scouted sites across Ontario and the U.S. before deciding to locate in London, Lakhotia said.
“We’re excited to build our first North American manufacturing facility in London,” Michele Di Paolo, chief executive, said in a statement. “London has all the right ingredients, supportive city and talent, access to raw materials and a great location to access many different markets.”
London already boasts a diverse food sector with Cargill and the recently opened massive Maple Leaf Foods poultry processing plant. Cardiff Products makes non-dairy milk as well as juices and broths, and has expanded twice since opening in 2021.
In addition, Odd Burger is building a plant to supply vegan fast food franchises across Canada; Aspire Foods is making protein from crickets; Nuts for Cheese, which makes a cheese-like product from cashews, has expanded as it sells more into the U.S. market; Ethey Foods, which owns prepared food business Live Fit Foods, has bought several other small food businesses and will operate out of an expanded London office.
“This is a huge win for London, and our ever-expanding agri-food industry. The fact Andriani has chosen our city as the future home of its first-ever facility in North America is a testament to our industrial land strategy, and just the latest example of our increasingly diverse economy,” London Mayor Josh Morgan said. “I look forward to watching Andriani grow its business in London for years to come.”
Andriani supplies more than 40,000 tonnes of pasta a year to more than 30 countries. The company’s brands are Felicia, a gluten-free pasta, and Biori, made with organic grains.
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