LiDestri celebrates 50 years, renewed focus on sauces, food

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — LiDestri Foods, the biggest pasta sauce maker in the country, is celebrating 50 years in business.

As they look to the next 50 years, current co-CEO Stefani LiDestri says they are renewing their focus on foods and sauces post-pandemic.

LiDestri says that a thousand employees work for the company over in Greece and in their headquarters based in Fairport, as well as in Fresno, California.

“That we’ve executed on exactly what we’ve wanted to do and that we’ve set ourselves up for the brightest future we could possibly imagine,” LiDestri said Monday when asked to reflect on the company’s origins.

Chairman and founder Giovanni LiDestri started his professional career in America washing bottles for Ragu (another pasta company with Rochester roots), after emigrating from Sicily in 1960.

According to their site , Giovanni would then become the manager of Cantisano Foods in 1976, and began producing pasta sauce there in 1978.

Stefani says they also support local organizations including Foodlink, Education Success Foundation, and the Junior Achievement Discovery Center in Rochester.

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