Barilla inaugurates expanded pasta manufacturing plant in Ames

Food processing news : Italian food company Barilla has inaugurated its $65 million expanded pasta manufacturing plant in Ames in the US state of Iowa.

With this expansion of the pasta manufacturing plant, the site’s production capacity will increase to 200,000 metric tons of dry pasta per year. The pasta plant also has an integrated durum mill.

The expansion project at the Ames pasta plant saw the addition of two processing and packaging lines, a rail-yard expansion along with six new silos for the storage of wheat.

Barilla completes $65m expandsion of pasta manufacturing plant in Ames. Photo courtesy of Steve Buissinne from Pixabay.

Claudio Colzani – Barilla Group CEO, commenting on the expansion of the pasta manufacturing plant in Ames, said: “Pietro Barilla had a vision for our company to bring to the U.S. high-quality, healthy foods inspired by the Italian, Mediterranean lifestyle.

“Over 20 years ago, we were drawn to the unparalleled work ethic of Iowans, the agricultural know-how of Iowa State University and the proximity to favorable rail access as well as the critical regional supply of wheat. Barilla began U.S. production in Iowa in 1998, and we haven’t looked back. Our continued investments in this facility reflect our deep commitment to the Ames community.”

Following the expansion of the pasta manufacturing plant in Ames, 41 new jobs were added to increase the workforce to 214 while the production lines have gone up to eight.

The latest expansion follows a $26.5 million investment in the same pasta plant in 2015 to add two production lines for gluten-free pasta.

The Barilla pasta manufacturing plant in Ames opened in 1998 and was the company’s first manufacturing plant in the US.

The Italian company was assisted by the local and state governments through tax incentives for its two expansion projects.

Ron Hallenbeck – Executive Vice President for the Ames Economic Development Commission said: “We are very pleased with Barilla’s continued growth and investment in Ames. Barilla’s dedication to the community and the local workforce make them a manufacturer we are proud to call one of our own.”

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