Massachusetts-based Home Market Foods has completed its acquisition of the former Carla’s Pasta production facility in South Windsor, the company announced Monday, and plans to invest more than $70 million into the site to expand it while adding hundreds of jobs over the next several years.
Home Market Foods, a food manufacturer and distributor that operates across North America, has purchased 50 Talbot Lane, South Windsor, the site of a 148,083-square-foot food production plant formerly used by Carla’s Pasta. The food company, which makes frozen meatballs and other foods such as hot dogs sold at convenience stores and movie theaters, has been exploring the idea of purchasing the property for several months.
The sales price of the property wasn’t immediately available, but it is appraised at $15.96 million and sold for $13 million in 2021. It was listed for sale in late 2023 without an asking price.
The company said it plans to invest more than $70 million into the facility over the next 18 months, including a 28,000-square-foot addition. By the end of 2027, Home Market Foods expects 210 new jobs created to operate the facility. The building is expected to reopen in June 2025, the company said.
In May, quasi-public agency CT Innovations approved a tax incentive for Home Market Foods’ expansion valued at up to $700,000.
The parent company of Carla’s Pasta, Tribe 9 Foods, acquired the company through a bankruptcy auction in 2021. Carla’s Pasta filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2021, citing tens of millions of dollars in debt and the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its sales.
