Felicia is looking to transform how pasta is consumed by tapping into better-for-you demand.

The Italian pasta brand, which formally entered Canada through Costco and the U.S. through Eataly food halls in March 2024, is looking to expand its footprint through a range of spirulina spaghetti, buckwheat mezzi rigatoni and red lentil penne offerings. The company based in Puglia, Italy, will be launching a production facility in London, Ont., in the fall.

In its social messaging, the brand is imploring consumers to “join the colorfood revolution.”

“People love pasta,” says Carlo Stocco, managing director for North America at Felicia’s parent company, Andriani. “They would love pasta even more if it were packed with nutrients and still tastes great.”

Stocco tells strategy that, in Canada to date, Felicia’s best-performing SKU has been the red lentil penne, with its availability at Costco driving trial for the product. He says, because some consumers are reticent to try products that challenge convention, tasting occasions like those offered in-store at the retailer are highly important to the brand.

“Thus far in Canada, we have focused on in-store demos, as well as a media and influencer relations program, with the goal to facilitate trial and provide visibility to the brand through genuine, credible voices,” Stocco says.

According to business-intelligence platform, Statista, the pasta market in Canada is facing slow growth amid changing consumer preferences, low awareness of health benefits and strong competition from other products. However, the online statistics portal says as health consciousness and innovative pasta varieties increase, the market is expected to experience at least moderate growth.

Statista says that, as Canadians have become more health aware, there has been a “noticeable shift towards alternative, healthier pasta options such as whole wheat, gluten-free, and vegetable-based pastas.”

This trend is driven by the growing demand for plant-based diets and the increasing prevalence of gluten sensitivities.

“We are working to expand the availability of our entire offering and bring the range and variety of ingredients and benefits to more people, starting with the Ontario region and progressively expanding nationally,” Stocco says adding that “new retailers are imminent.”

Chickapea, GoGo Quinoa and Explore Cuisine are among the challenger plant-based pastas in the Canadian market offering nutritional alternatives to conventional dry wheat pasta.