Italian pasta manufacturer to build first North American facility in Ontario

Andriani, an Italy-based pasta manufacturing company, is building their first North American production facility in London, Ont. The $33.6 million investment will create 42 new jobs in London.

“Andriani’s significant investment will spur growth throughout our province’s agri-food supply chains and help to further establish London as a hub for food production, technology and innovation,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Despite economic headwinds, companies, across all sectors, are choosing Ontario because of our competitive business environment, our access to markets and our world-class workforce.”

Andriani’s investment will be used to build a new, 61,225-sf facility to make gluten-allergen and GMO-free pasta. Once the new facility is operational, Andriani plans to manufacture products for the North American market in Ontario instead of importing products from Italy.

As part of this investment, the Ontario government is providing Andriani with $1.5 million through the Regional Development Program’s (RDP’s) Southwestern Ontario Development Fund.

“We want to thank Ontario for this recognition and the support offered so far,” said Michele Andriani, Andriani group president and CEO. “We share with Ontario a vision of a future driven by innovation and shared value. In London, we found the premises to ground the next steps of our international development, which aims at increasing the potential of having a positive impact on people’s lives through food innovation: highly qualified and professional people, focus and investments on food innovation, sustainability and regenerative agricultural practices and overall a competitive agricultural and food business ecosystem.”

The Ontario government is also investing in Stanpac, a manufacturer of dairy, food and beverage packaging for businesses around the world. With an investment of over $35 million in advanced equipment, robotics, and upgrades, Stanpac will increase the efficiency of its facility in Smithville, Ont., including creating a machine shop to service all machinery in-house. The project is supported by more than $3.3 million in funding through the RDP and will create 30 new jobs.

St. David’s Cold Storage, a company that provides cold, freezer and ambient storage solutions to food and beverage manufacturers, is investing $9 million to expand its facility and double its refrigerated storage space. This will include one of the first CO₂-based refrigerant systems in Canada, as well as additional upgrades to limit energy consumption, helping the company to scale up their operations to begin exporting. The project is supported by over $1.3 million in funding through the RDP and will create seven new jobs for recent graduates and local young professionals.

Applications are now being accepted for the next intake round of RDP funding until January 25, 2024.