Italian pasta manufacturer Andriani Ltd. has announced it intends to build its first North American production facility in London.

The company has committed to spending $33.6 million on a new, 61,225 square-foot, state-of-the-art 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.

“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.”

To support the investment, the Ontario government is providing Andriani Ltd. with $1.5 million through the Regional Development Program’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.”

London’s growing food and beverage manufacturing sector includes more than 90 companies employing over 7,000 people. Andriani’s facility in the London Innovation Park will be located alongside other agri-food companies such as Dr. Oetker, The Original Cakerie, Aspire Food Group, Bosco & Roxy’s and Cardiff Products.

Ontario has committed $140 million through its Regional Development Program to help manufacturers across the province grow and address distinct regional priorities and challenges.

To date, the province has provided more than $122 million to support more than 100 projects through the program, leveraging over $1.3 billion in new investments and helping to create more than 2,500 jobs in the province.