Tenderoni Foods Opens State-of-the-Art Plant

PRESS RELEASE – St. Lucian company, Tenderoni Foods Inc., the Eastern Caribbean’s leading pasta producer, announces the opening of its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Massade, Gros Islet, a quantum leap forward in its mission to become regional pasta consumers’ first choice.

Incorporating a technologically-advanced, fully-automated plant configured to produce both short and long pasta (macaroni), the 15,000 square feet facility features contemporary office space and staff amenities, as well as energy-efficient lighting, solar water heating, and eco-friendly vinyl stretch-ceilings, all designed to minimize the firm’s environmental footprint.

“It was a tough decision to decommission our time-honoured plants and invest in this multi-million dollar facility,” said Susanna Gurley, Managing Director of Tenderoni Foods Inc. “But to attain the world-class ‘quality and taste’ we desired, and to meet regional demand for our products, we had little strategic choice. With our selection of a leading Italian equipment manufacturer, we now have, right here in St. Lucia, one of the most advanced pasta plants in the world, scalable to meet regional demand.”

The Managing Director confirmed that when fully scaled at the maximum production stage, the new plant, designed for 24-hour, round-the-clock operation, is expected to support over 100 jobs.

“This is a strategic investment for our country, and with our deeper foray into the regional market, Tenderoni Foods is now well poised to significantly impact St. Lucia’s GDP and its food import bill, the latter currently estimated at EC$362 million,” Rudy Gurley, Executive Chairman, said. “We are very grateful to the Government of Saint Lucia for the robust package of fiscal incentives and for its long-standing and unwavering support for the manufacturing sector and for Tenderoni.”

He continued: “We are proud of the company our customers have inspired us to become and now, not only do we guarantee products of impeccable quality and taste, but we intend to step things up by offering every St. Lucian, from preschoolers to pensioners, the opportunity to tour our factory to see first-hand a world-class pasta operation.”

Gurley disclosed that the guided tours, educational in nature, will not only feature the automated plant but will also highlight Tenderoni’s primary raw material, Durum Semolina, and demonstrate how the company puts its values into action every step of the process.

The Executive Chairman confirmed that Tenderoni is finalizing its factory touring programme, and that school administrators, mothers and fathers groups, and others are in line to receive invitations. Tenderoni is soon expected to be in a position to accept unsolicited bookings.

Gurley stated that without the invaluable support of Tenderoni’s strategic partners, the project would remain but a dream. He thanked CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank for their timely and invaluable support; Rayneau Construction & Industrial Products for their expert workmanship and quality materials; Customs and Ministry of Finance officials for going beyond the call of duty; Commercial Warehouse Ltd. for their customer orientation; Tenderoni staff for their commitment, and numerous others for their valued contribution.