EDISON – First responders and town officials were treated to fresh, handmade pizza at Colavita headquarters in Edison on Oct. 21 as part of the Italian brand’s efforts to give back to the community it calls home.
Police officers, firefighters, EMTs, Mayor Thomas Lankey, Police Chief Tom Bryan, Fire Chief Bryan Latham and several council members, among others, gathered outside Colavita’s offices at noon to pick up a few wood-fired slices at their pizza truck.
Health Director Jay Elliott was onsite to ensure CDC compliance, while Colavita CEO Giovanni Colavita shared his gratitude for their guests’ dedication and selfless service to the community, according to information provided by Breaking Limits.
“We’re thankful for those who show up every day to save lives and help those in need, and wanted to show our appreciation by hosting this thank you lunch,” Colavita said in the statement. “Many of our Colavita employees also live here in Edison, and we’ve worked closely with town officials to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our workforce. I feel it’s important, especially during these trying times, to stay connected with the community and show our support.”
Colavita employs about 100 people at its Edison headquarters between its warehouse and corporate offices. The company has been able to retain its entire workforce and keep up with demand, which rose sharply at the beginning of the pandemic when consumers were stocking up on Colavita staples like olive oil and dried pasta, according to the statement.
Colavita has also seen an increased demand in product from their meal subscription kit partner, HelloFresh, as well as an uptick in sales from major e-commerce and retail partners like ShopRite and Amazon, according to the statemen. “Colavita is what Edison is all about: small businesses located here, trying to do everything right for the community,” Lankey said in the statement. “Edison is built on businesses like Colavita.”
To cap off the event, Colavita announced a special surprise: all first responders in attendance would take home a product care package to enjoy with their families.
The thank you lunch is part of Colavita’s larger charitable efforts, which include supporting struggling restaurant workers in New York City through Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants (ROAR NY), and donating more than 80,000 meals to the students and families of the Food and Finance High School during the pandemic through the Food Education Fund, according to the statement.
Colavita also sponsors a scholarship competition awarding the winning students a scholarship and trip to Italy to learn about local culinary traditions and techniques.
In 1938, in the quaint hilltop village of Sant’Elia a Pianisi, located in the Molise region of Italy, a small family business was born. Today, the Colavita company is still family-owned and operating in the same town of their ancestors and their Italian food products, including olive oil, vinegar, pasta and tomatoes are distributed in more than 80 countries worldwide. Giovanni Colavita, the third generation of the Colavita family, is the CEO of Colavita USA which has offices in Edison and Dixon, California.