UK – Pasta Evangelists, a direct-to-consumer business owned by the renowned Italian pasta and sauce manufacturer Barilla, is set to open its first factory in the UK this month.
The new 47,000-square-foot facility, located in London, will not only produce over 50 tonnes of fresh pasta weekly but also create a variety of sauces.
Pasta Evangelists aim to celebrate the art of pasta-making with its new facility, emphasizing both well-known pasta varieties and more unique creations, such as ‘porcupine ravioli’ (creationi), corzetti, anolini, saccottini, and busiate.
The construction of this state-of-the-art factory required an investment of £13 million (US$15.9 million).
This venture will employ approximately 60-70 individuals and will be equipped with “state-of-the-art” pasta-making machinery from the Italian manufacturer Italgi.
The launch comes after years of planning and innovation, as we aim to expand our pasta offering to thousands of consumers across the UK,” Alessandro Savelli, the CEO of Pasta Evangelists, stated expressing excitement about the factory’s launch.
“Utilizing the latest technology and machinery will help us on our mission to experiment with new flavors, high-quality seasonal ingredients, and a variety of pasta shapes to expand our growing pasta portfolio.”
Gianluca di Tondo, CEO of Barilla, emphasized the increasing demand for premium, freshly made pasta over the past decade and the company’s commitment to satisfying this demand.
“The new factory is expected to provide restaurant-quality, fresh pasta dishes, bringing the best of Italian food to the UK,” he noted.
Barilla acquired Pasta Evangelists in January 2021, marking the company’s return to the fresh pasta segment after leaving it in the late 1990s.
According to Barilla Pasta Evangelists operated as a stand-alone company in the group, with co-founder and CEO Alessandro Savelli remaining with the company, along with the other founders Chris Rennoldson and Finn Lagun.
“This acquisition represents a new step of Barilla’s international growth, especially in the UK, and its willingness to invest in new marketing and sales approaches, up to digital as a priority platform for interacting with consumers,” Barilla said.
“Online food sales have seen massive growth in recent years, both in the recipe-box category as well as in the online takeaway sector. Pasta Evangelists operate at the convergence of these,”
Since then, Pasta Evangelists has been delivering over 50,000 pasta boxes nationwide each month and operates a fresh pasta counter in Harrods’ Food Hall in London.
Additionally, they manage The Pasta Academy, further expanding their reach and offerings in the UK market.
