With the renovation of Drusilla Village Shopping Center, Fresina’s Pasta Company also got a makeover.
Co-owner Daniel Thompson tells 225 Dine the local retail pasta shop, which is next door to the recently opened LeBlanc’s Frais Marche grocery store in the strip center, changed its name to D’Agostino Pasta Company about a month ago. Thompson bought Fresina’s in July 2013 along with father-son duo Charlie and Robert D’Agostino.
Though Thompson says the way the pasta is made is still true to Fresina’s methods, a name change was something the new owners had “always planned.” They also are looking to expand business.
The handmade pasta still is made fresh every day with Semolina flour and air-dried for three days in the company’s own specially ventilated rooms. Thompson says the company now is working on new, smaller packaging, which will be Ziploc-style bags.
“We’re moving into the new brand slowly,” Thompson says. “The Fresina’s boxes were too long. With new packaging, we can get into a lot more grocery stores and not take up as much shelf space.”
The pasta is available in 40 grocery stores, and Thompson says the company has its eyes on the New Orleans and Houston markets. With expansion planned, D’Agostino Pasta Company also is looking to build more drying rooms.
In addition to these plans, the new owners rolled out a pasta sauce in late 2013 that has sold nearly as well as its pasta, according to Thompson. The sauce is made at the LSU AgCenter Food Incubator. Thompson says customers also are asking about an old Fresina’s favorite—pasta salad dressing.
“We’re in talks with the incubator on how to produce the dressing,” he says. “Right now, we have to get the word out why our pasta is better. It’s the way the Fresina’s made it. We want to become pasta manufacturers, not just a retail store.”
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