Joseph's Gourmet Pasta and Sauces began as an outgrowth of
Joseph's Bakery, a small neighborhood business established by the Faro family
in 1979. In the late 80's Joseph's Bakery produced a limited line of pasta
products which were sold retail from the bakery storefront and to local supermarkets.
In 1991, after finishing his undergraduate studies at the University of New
Hampshire, the Faro's only son, Joe, had a vision to grow the pasta making
concept into something more.
Creating a separate and distinct entity, Joe wanted to develop a line of upscale
pasta and sauces that would appeal to a sophisticated and quality conscious
clientele. He wanted to take a product that was previously considered a mundane,
low priced side dish and turn it into a true center of the plate concept.
At first, calling on local chefs, Joe was told repeatedly that his product
line was too similar to other pasta products. To make his vision a reality,
Joe worked with chefs to understand what they did in their own kitchens. Gaining
the confidence of a number of local chefs, these culinary artists shared with
Joe the labor-intensive process of preparing ravioli from scratch in the kitchen.
"If you could make a hand made product like this, we would buy it!"
Duplicating the restaurant process of roasting, braising and using rich reductions
to create delicate and flavorful filling combinations, Joe made gourmet ravioli
by hand and delivered them by station wagon to the new accounts. Each ravioli
was made with fresh ingredients, and always rough chopped, so that each ingredient
in the filling was identifiable from a flavor, texture and visual standpoint.
The pasta, as well, needed to emulate that of an artisan process with a silky
thin texture and a golden amber color, not unlike what one would see through
out the Italian countryside.
The products quickly became very popular and Joe and his small crew of pasta
makers struggled to keep up with demand. The need to automate this laborious
process was evident. Joe went beyond the usual sources and searched the world
for the right equipment to replicate the handmade process. Joe successfully
developed a production system that didn't compromise quality. "Modify the
process, not the product," was the mantra in Joe's quest to duplicate his
handmade creations.
Sales expanded rapidly and the company outgrew their existing facility within
a few years. To meet this demand, Joe built a state of the art 55,000 square
ft. facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1999, and Joseph's is now set
to break ground on an expansion to that facility that will double the size
of its manufacturing space in late 2005. As well, Joseph's operates a 90,000
sq. ft. distribution and logistics center in Ayer, Massachusetts.
The concept and passion that defined the original handmade products still
continues today. The core values of unsurpassed quality, chef-designed products
and culinary-oriented service have made Joseph's Gourmet Pasta & Sauces the
nation's leading frozen pasta company.
Learn more about our company:
History | Culinary Team
| Production | Quality
Assurance | Careers