Italian pasta-maker opens London plant with plans to grow

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Bring the salted water to boil, the latest addition to London’s food industry is cooking and pasta is about to roll off the line.

Italian pasta-maker Andriani just finished building its $33-million plant here, its first in North America, and will supply 1,300 retailers in Canada and the U.S. from London, said plant general manager Carlo Stocco.

“This is a big milestone for us – a celebration of our journey that started more than two years ago,” Stocco said. “We’re small now but we have big ambitions. We want to serve our customers better, from Canada.”

Andriana, headquartered in Puglia, Italy, makes gluten-free pasta and has seen demand for its products grow, prompting it to commit to the 65,000-square-foot London plant two years ago. It bought a five-acre parcel of land in Innovation Park at Bradley Avenue and Veterans Memorial Parkway.

“This is our first facility abroad, in North America,” Stocco said. “We realized we needed to be in this market to support growth. Shipping from Europe to North America was not the most sustainable way to serve customers.”

It supplies about 1,000 stores in the U.S. and 300 in Canada.

The plant employs about 20 workers, but expects to ramp up to about 40 jobs, Stocco said.

It’s planning a grand opening at the end of October.

“We already have good traction here in the North American market,” Stocco said.

Andriani was initially drawn to London as an agricultural hub, as its gluten-free pasta doesn’t use flour but relies on ingredients such as chick peas and red lentils. Its pasta is also high in protein and allergen and it’s GMO-free.

“There are a lot of suppliers here. It’s one of the reasons we selected Canada,” Stocco said.

Andriani’s brands are Felicia, a gluten-free pasta, and Biori, made with organic grains.

“This is a great example of innovation in the food sector. We’re looking to attract industries for long-term stability and Andriani fits perfectly into our food hub,” said Kapil Lakhotia, chief executive of the London Economic Development Corp.

“We think this may just be the beginning. They have ambitious plans and are poised for growth.”

In addition, Cardiff Products in London is also wrapping up a large expansion and The Grove, a food industry incubator space at Western Fair that’s now full with about 18 tenants, Lakhotia said.

Cardiff makes non-dairy milk as well as juices and broths, and has expanded twice since opening in 2021.

“It’s a remarkable success story in a short period of time,” Lakhotia said of The Grove. “There is a real demand for small food businesses.”

In 2023 when the Andriani announced it would locate in London, the province pledged $1.5 million in support through the Regional Development Program’s Southwestern Ontario Development Fund.

ndebono@postmedia.com