Gathering to celebrate the grand opening of Colavita USA’s new headquarters in Edison are Mayor Antonia Ricigliano (l-r), Colavita USA founder and Chairman Emeritus John J. Profaci, and Italian Consulate General Natalia Quintavalle. FRANK INGRAM PHOTOGRAPHYEDISON — It all started with a handshake 34 years ago.
That is when a chance meeting between Enrico Colavita, on vacation in the United States, and John J. Profaci led to the founding of Colavita USA. Profaci soon began importing Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is grown, pressed and bottled in Italy.
After more than three decades in business together, the two men recently spent time reminiscing about how they got started and how their business has grown. This continued expansion resulted in Colavita USA recently moving its headquarters from Linden to a new 180,000-square-foot building at 1 Runyons Lane, off Talmadge Road in Edison.
“We moved for realistic reasons,” said Profaci’s son, Anthony. “We outgrew our space in Linden.”
Colavita shares the Edison building with toy manufacturer Gund. Last month the Colavita and Profaci families invited other area business owners, local dignitaries and Italy’s consulate general in the U.S. to explore the facility. The Edison plant is a blending and bottling facility with special equipment from Italy. Produced here are olive and canola oil blends, a necessity for food service clients who require an olive oil product with a high smoke point that is also flavorful and affordable.
Also this year, Colavita introduced its new Mediterranean blend, made with olive oils from Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal. The company also unveiled new single provenance oils that include products featuring olive oil from Greece, Argentina and, soon, California.
Colavita was founded in the village of Sant’Elia a Pianisi in the region of Molise, Italy, in 1938. In 1976 the founding members’ sons, Enrico, Leonardo and Giovanni, first marketed the Colavita name as an olive oil brand.
In 1978 Colavita USA became a family business when Profaci’s sons, Joseph, John A., Robert and Anthony, each took leadership positions within the company.
In 1987, due to rapid expansion, an additional production facility was opened in Campobasso, not far from the original plant in Italy. In 1998, to remain competitive in the world marketplace, Colavita purchased a second facility, in Pomezia, just outside Rome in the region of Lazio. Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil is now sold in 72 countries, with the U.S. being its largest market.
In 2001 the Colavita Center for Italian Food and Wine was founded on the grounds of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. The only facility of its kind in the country, every student of the culinary institute must complete a course of study there.
In 2008, representing the next generation of the family, Giovanni Colavita was named CEO of Colavita USA. He moved his family to the U.S. to be closer to the daily operations of the business. Giovanni’s sister and cousins retained leadership positions in Italy, overseeing international relations for the brand.
Colavita is also a partner on a variety of specialty food lines for culinary professionals and the food service industry: Rachael Ray— extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cooking stocks and seasonal grinders; WCBS-TV reporter and produce expert Tony Tantillo — extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Sicilian lemon and lime juices; renowned New York City restaurant Patsy’s — pasta sauce, pasta, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar; and Sbarro for its pasta sauce.
In addition, the business expanded to partner with Baci Perugina, and the whiff of a luscious blend of chocolate and hazelnut cream was hard to miss as people toured the Edison facility.
Anthony Profaci said there is the potential that the company will work with Baci and Gund for a chocolate/teddy bear collaboration.
For additional information, visit www.Colavita.com or www.facebook.com/ colavitaoliveoil.