Pasta Evangelists, the direct-to-consumer business owned by Italian pasta and sauce heavyweight Barilla, is set to open its first UK factory this month.
The new 47,000 sq-ft facility, based in London, will produce over 50 tonnes of fresh pasta and sauces on a weekly basis, showcasing the cherished craftsmanship and artisan tradition of pasta-making. In addition to popular pasta varieties, Pasta Evangelists is introducing unique lines such as ‘porcupine ravioli’ (crestoni), corzetti, anolini, saccottini, and busiate.
The factory, built at a cost of £13m ($15.9m), will employ 60-70 people and feature state-of-the-art pasta-making machinery from renowned Italian manufacturer Italgi. Alessandro Savelli, CEO of Pasta Evangelists, expressed excitement about expanding the company’s pasta portfolio using cutting-edge technology and experimenting with new flavors and high-quality seasonal ingredients.
Gianluca di Tondo, CEO of Barilla, emphasized the growing demand for freshly made, premium pasta and the company’s commitment to providing restaurant-quality, fresh pasta dishes to UK consumers. Barilla acquired Pasta Evangelists in January 2021, marking its return to the fresh pasta segment after a hiatus since the late 1990s.
Pasta Evangelists, known for delivering over 50,000 pasta boxes across the UK each month, operates a fresh pasta counter in Harrods’ Food Hall and runs The Pasta Academy.
