Entrepreneurs Capitalize on Diverse Pasta Niches (11/3)

Entrepreneurs Capitalize on Diverse Pasta Niches

It takes many shapes, forms and colors. It's sold fresh, frozen or in a box. Some is plain, others gourmet, and most are naturally low in fat. It's pasta, and, in the context of a health-conscious society, it's a perennial favorite for consumers and a good risk for restaurateurs.

Experts agree: The healthy image of this food is responsible for America's pasta passion. Linda Rigano, publisher of Thomas Food Industry Register (TFIR), a comprehensive industry buying guide, says this trend has been gaining popularity for years. "Pasta has always been a popular food. Its popularity escalated in conjunction with the fat-free craze since most pastas are relatively low in fat," she says. "The wide array of shapes and flavors make it an attractive menu selection in the restaurant and at home. Also, pasta is relatively inexpensive," explains Rigano. "It's economical for a home meal and a good profit center for commercial institutions."

Entrepreneurs are exploiting niche pasta markets and catering to health-wise consumers with continued success. Florentyna's Fresh Pasta Factory, a Los Angeles-based wholesale foodservice company, provides restaurateurs with fresh, handmade noodles. Florentyna's vice president of operations, Jascha Smulovitz, explains, "I saw that the pasta trend started in the early 1980s when health was way 'in,' and people caught on that it provided a lot of energy for athletes and the active crowd," he explains.

Smulovitz admits Florentyna's didn't begin as a foodservice wholesaler, however. Rather, it was conceived in 1983 as a unique pasta restaurant in a city that thrives on trends. "My mother opened one of the first fresh pasta retail factories on the West Coast," explains Smulovitz. "It was a restaurant/factory where the general public could see us make fresh pasta before their eyes." He says it wasn't long until other local restaurants began requesting Florentyna's fresh pasta for their own menus. "Before we knew it, I was making pasta at night and selling [it] by day," he says. Today, the company sells a variety of handmade pastas from basic spaghettini to the more exotic shrimp ravioli.

The pasta industry continues to make room for a variety of self-contained niches. Flying Noodle, a Massachusetts-based Internet pasta retailer, for example, put a twist in the idea of take-out food with a wide selection of gourmet noodles and sauces available for home delivery. And Just Pasta, a Florida-based noodle distributor, boasts more than 100 different pasta flavors and shapes, including the state of Florida, flamingos, palms, lighthouses and sailboats. Further, pasta-topping companies are beginning to emerge with products ranging from gourmet cheese to specialty sausages.

Experts say pasta is still thriving in a diet-smart America and will continue to do so into the new millennium. Rigano says she doesn't see an end to the pasta trend. Smulovitz agrees, "The Italians have us beat on per-annum consumption, but with the population increase that is occurring and the reality that it is not only healthy but delicious, the sky is the limit."