Funds for buns.
Italian Home Bakery employees joined with Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for FedDev Ontario and Senator Consiglio Di Nino to toast an Economic Action Plan contribution of $1.4 million towards the Etobicoke-based family-run business’ expansion.
Staff photo/CYNTHIA REASON
Italian Home Bakery will soon expand its market for fresh, authentic artisan breads and rolls beyond the GTA, thanks to a $1.4 million influx from the federal government announced last week.
The Etobicoke-based bakery used the repayable funds - made available under the food and beverage intake of the Southern Ontario Development Program and delivered by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) - to expand its operation by purchasing state-of-the-art new mixers and mixing stations, a new slicer, a new production line and a new tunnel oven.
But more than its physical capital gains, Italian Home Bakery (IHB) co-president John Rossetti said it's the human resource gains expected from the expansion that means most to the family-run business. An estimated 45 new jobs have been created with IHB's recent upgrades.
"IHB began in 1955 in the hub of Little Italy by five recently arrived immigrants. It was created by people who saw an opportunity to take care of their families and employ people who too, wanted the same for their families," Rossetti said, noting that today IHB represents more than 150 different families.
"A lot has changed over the past 55 years - there's faster technology, better equipment, more competition - but one thing has stayed the same, and that is our need to take responsibility to provide for our families. We continue to welcome new, productive and fruitful members in our expanding family."
Members of that family, including bakery employees and local business leaders, joined with Rossetti, Gary Goodyear, Minister of State responsible for FedDev Ontario, and Senator Consiglio Di Nino Friday, April 30 in IHB's new test kitchen to toast their new expansion and the bright future it means for them all.
"Part of the future we envision includes investing in the jobs of the future and investing in projects that attract top talent, advance businesses through technology and innovation, and improve the quality of life for all Canadians," Di Nino said. "This is what today's celebration is all about. This is an opportunity to showcase an innovative project designed to create jobs and facilitate company growth and prosperity. This is the Government of Canada's vision becoming a reality."
According to Rossetti, a big part of that vision was an expansion large enough to allow IHB's products to be shared beyond the borders of the GTA and into other markets - internationally, even.
"A product that is affordable and nutritious can now be sent and enjoyed across Canada and into the United States," he said. "This expansion broadens the scope and the market, creating an even bigger opportunity for growth. Our vision is to take a great, affordable quality product and make it efficient."
Added Goodyear: "The story of this business is a remarkable one. Italian Home Bakery has grown from a small, artisan bakery run by five partners to a modern business equipped with tools and staff to produce a wide variety of fresh and frozen authentic artisan breads - a business that is now ready to compete in tomorrow's borderless economy worldwide."