Barilla to add 90 jobs with nearly $170 million New York expansion

Barilla is putting nearly $170 million into its Avon, New York, pasta plant, a move that adds 90 jobs and expands the company’s U.S. production footprint at a moment when pasta making is being recast as a domestic supply story, not just an import story.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the two-phase project on May 20, 2026. Phase One carries a $145 million price tag and calls for a 52,000-square-foot main building, one new production line, three packaging lines and an additional warehouse for storage and distribution. Barilla expects Phase One construction to wrap by March 2028, and says the full buildout will create more than 90 jobs once both phases are complete.

New York State said it will provide up to $2.75 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Tax Credits, while the New York Power Authority is also considering assistance. National Grid, Rochester Gas and Electric, Livingston County and Greater Rochester Enterprise are supporting the project, showing how much regional infrastructure is being lined up around one pasta plant.

The practical stakes go beyond a corporate announcement. Barilla said some products sold in the United States are already made in Avon and in Iowa, and the company said the expansion will strengthen its North American supply chain and cut CO2 emissions by about 3,000 tons a year. With more production space, more packaging lines and more warehouse capacity, the Avon site is being positioned to do more of the heavy lifting for American demand.

Barilla first invested $75 million in Avon in 2006, and the plant opened in 2007 with about 145 jobs that were created and sustained there. The company was founded nearly 150 years ago in Parma, Italy, and now operates in more than 100 countries, with 30 production sites across 10 countries and close to 9,000 employees worldwide.

Melissa Tendick, Barilla Americas president, said the company remains rooted in its Italian heritage while expanding to meet growing U.S. demand. Fabio Pettenari, Barilla Americas supply chain vice president, said the investment underscores Barilla’s commitment to Avon. Matt Hurlbutt, chief executive of Greater Rochester Enterprise, pointed to the region’s food-and-beverage manufacturing workforce and its proximity to major Northeast markets, the same advantages that helped make Avon a logical place to add capacity.