New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that Rosina Food Products Inc. has completed a $73.2 million expansion adding a facility in West Seneca.
The new, multi-million-dollar plant will produce a variety of meat products for the fast-growing food manufacturer and will create 40 new jobs and retain 500 jobs. This is the third public-private expansion project New York state has supported to encourage growth and job creation at Rosina. Since 2014, Rosina has invested $95 million into its facilities in New York state, creating 115 new jobs.
"Rosina Food Products started as a family-owned storefront operation in Buffalo, expanding into an internationally known business and one of the best-known food manufacturers in Western New York," Hochul said. "New York state is proud to have partnered with Rosina on several expansion projects, and this latest multi-million dollar expansion will continue to fuel western New York's growing economy. My administration is taking bold action to be the most business-friendly and worker-friendly state in the nation, and I congratulate the Corigliano family and Rosina employees for expanding production, creating new jobs, and excelling in the global economy."
"The family-owned Rosina Food Products represents a great New York success story," said Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. "Rosina's new food manufacturing facility in West Seneca more than doubles the production of the old Cheektowaga plant, which comes at a critical time when the demand for Italian food products has never been greater."
The 105,000-square-foot plant at 3100 Clinton Street in West Seneca will bring the company to three production facilities in western New York and over 600 employees. The new facility includes a high-speed, state-of-the-art production line for manufacturing a variety of frozen meatballs, sliced sausage and toppings. At maximum capacity, the new production plant in West Seneca can produce more than 50 million pounds annually and will be supplementing an older processing line currently located at the 75 Industrial Parkway facility in Cheektowaga, which has a current capacity of approximately 20 million pounds annually.
New York state supported the expansion project with a $1 million capital grant, recommended by the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council (WNYREDC), to assist with construction costs and the purchase of new equipment. Empire State Development is also providing up to $1 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits to encourage the creation of 40 new jobs at the site, and the retention of 590 jobs statewide.
Rosina brands are marketed and sold across four distinct divisions: consumer, international, ingredients and foodservice. Rosina branded frozen meatballs are now the second leading consumer brand in the United States while the company's Celentano brand of frozen pastas, manufactured in Cheektowaga, is number one. The company is quickly becoming the industry's one stop shop for authentic Italian foods, which include meatballs, filled pasta, sausage, eggplant, entrees, and pizza toppings.
The proud tradition of Rosina began in 1963 with a small storefront sausage business in Buffalo, servicing neighborhood meat markets, supermarkets, and restaurants. Founded by James Corigliano, he named the family-owned business after his wife Rose, which in Italian translates to Rosina. Since then, Rosina has added multiple new facilities and acquired several other companies, allowing them to add product lines and expand into new markets.
"On behalf of Corigliano family, we are happy to be cutting the ribbon on this new state of the art facility located here in western New York," said Rosina President and CEO Russell Corigliano. "This project fulfills a long-time vision for Rosina which would not have been possible without our close partnership with New York state. Our family remains committed to serving the community by supplying high-quality, well-paying jobs as we continue delighting customers with the finest frozen Italian cuisine in the industry."
