Two London firms get $2.8M in Queen's Park cash to support growth

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Two London employers – an international pasta maker and a silicone parts plant – have landed nearly $3 million in Ontario government support to help bankroll expansions in the city.

Premier Doug Ford was in London to announce a $1.5-million investment in Italian pasta maker Andriani Ltd., which plans to build a $33.6-million plant this year.

Ford was later in the day joined by Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s economic development minister, in announcing $1.3 million in support of a $10.4-million investment by Starlim North America in its liquid silicone injection molding plant in London.

“Andriani is such a well-respected company worldwide,” Ford said. “We’re so thrilled you chose London to build your first North American facility. It’s a huge vote of confidence in London.”

Andriani is slated to break ground on the new London plant this year in Innovation Park, located along Veterans Memorial Parkway near Highway 401. It will employ 42 workers. Local officials applauded the “high-paying jobs” and the company’s “transformative investment” as proof London is showing “leadership in food processing.”

Andriani, a gluten-free pasta maker, scouted sites across the U.S. and Canada before deciding on London, said Michele Di Paolo, its chief operating officer. He cited the regional supply chain of corn, rye, buckwheat and lentils, as well as the experienced local workforce, as reasons for the decision.

“London gave us a huge welcome. We recognized the professionalism in London They have the knowledge and the interest,” he said.

During the Andriani news conference at RBC Place convention centre, Ford announced London has created 18,000 jobs in the last 14 months. “They created the environment for companies to come here and prosper and grow,” he said of London officials.

Those jobs date to December 2022, Mayor Josh Morgan said. “It’ been a very exciting time over the last 12 to 14 months. This is an area where people have chosen to invest.”

The food and beverage sector here has become a major employer, with more than 7,000 people working at more than 60 companies in the London area, said Kapil Lakhotia, chief executive of the London Economic Development Corp.

“It goes to show how important food and beverage is to the economy. We have built a hub here. Andriani is the latest one, and we will build more,” said Lakhotia.

It was February 2023 when Andriani Ltd., headquartered in southern Italy, announced it bought a parcel of land in the city-owned industrial park and planned to build the factory. It bought two hectares for the 5,575 square metre (60,000 square feet) plant.

Andriani sells more than 40,000 tonnes of gluten-free pasta a year to more than 30 countries. Canada gets about three per cent of that and the U.S. about 15 per cent. Those markets soon will be supplied from London.

The London plant will have capacity to make 14,000 tonnes of pasta and plans on beginning production early in 2025.

The company serves 126 brands including Felicia, a gluten-free pasta, and Biori, made with organic grains.

As for Starlim North America Corp. it produces 60 silicone components for the health care, mobility, automotive and consumer goods industries. This investment will support the company’s addition of a new curing oven and clean room, and new manufacturing equipment for their London plant.

The investment will create 26 jobs.

“Our government is proud to support local manufacturers as they expand and create,” said Fedeli, in a statement.

The investment will support the medical devices sector, said Vijai Lakshmikanthan, chief executive of Starlim North America Corp.

“We have been working with our customer for over two years to bring this innovation to our plant in London,” said Lakshmikanthan.

Monday’s Andriani announcement is the latest win for the agri-food sector in London. Other recent successes include: 

• Maple Leaf Foods has opened its poultry processing plant 
• Cardiff Products, which makes non-dairy milk as well as juices and broths, has expanded twice since opening in 2021 
• Labatt’s London plant is set to undergo a $26-million expansion 
• Odd Burger announced it’s building a plant to supply vegan fast food franchises across Canada 
• Aspire Foods is making protein from crickets 
• Nuts for Cheese, which makes a cheese-like product from cashews, has expanded as it sells more in the U.S. 
• Ethey Foods, which owns the prepared food business Live Fit Foods, has bought several other small food businesses and will operate out of an expanded London office 

Also, two years ago Shogun Maitake Canada, a mushroom business, received $4.5 million from the Ontario government to build a $31.2-million plant in Thames Centre employing more than 60.