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LiDestri Foods plans to invest $30 million to advance production at its site on Lee Road in Greece, as part of its national growth strategy. The investment would create a “super plant” with new technologies and expanded capabilities, officials say.
The family-owned business is a private-label manufacturer of sauces, dips, dressings, and condiments for many well-known brands in the food industry. It employs more than 900 locally.
LiDestri also wants to streamline and consolidate operations. Employees will relocate from its Fairport location to the 1.5 million square-foot facility in Greece. The move will be conducted in phases, this fall and in fall 2026.
The company intends to retain all employees as well as ownership of the Fairport facility on Whitney Road. It expects to lease the site to a new manufacturing tenant in the future.
Strong consumer demand prompted the need for new production lines, the company said. These will focus on specialty items, kettle-cooked products, and automation for club-size packaging.
“Consumers continue to reach for premium and specialty sauces and building a super plant enables the significant growth we’ve earned with both our new and longtime customers, ” says Stefani LiDestri, co-CEO of LiDestri Foods. “We’re building the capacity to ensure each store shelf is fully stocked, as this investment continues the LiDestri legacy of creating opportunity, strengthening operations, and delivering best-in-class service for our customers nationwide.”
A key component of the upgrade is the installation of a new retort cooking system for alfredo, queso, and other cream-based products, the company says. The system is larger, faster and can support various packaging sizes. Typically, in retort cooking or packaging, food is sealed in a can, bottle or pouch, and then heated to high temperatures, making the product commercially sterile.
The company was founded in 1974 as Cantisano Foods by Ralph Cantisano, whose family previously founded and sold the Ragu Packing Co. Within two years, it was managed by Giovanni LiDestri, who had emigrated from Sicily in 1960. The company began producing pasta sauce in 1978. Giovanni LiDestri, father of Stefani LiDestri, acquired the business in 2002 and changed its name to LiDestri Foods.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see our company continuing to grow and evolve after more than 50 years,” says Giovanni LiDestri, now chairman. “We’ve had the privilege of working with so many great brands, and this next chapter reflects our ongoing commitment to innovation and to the community that’s been with us throughout the journey.”
Smriti Jacob is Rochester Beacon managing editor.
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