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Fresina’s changes name to D’Agostino Pasta Company

New name, same great pasta—Fresina’s is now D’Agostino Pasta Company. Photo by Matt Sigur.

With the renovation of the Drusilla Shopping Center, Fresina’s Pasta Company also got a makeover.

Co-owner Daniel Thompson says the local retail pasta shop, next door to the newly-opened LeBlanc’s Frais Marche, changed its name to D’Agostino Pasta Company about a month ago. Thompson, Charlie D’Agostino and son Robert D’Agostino bought Fresina’s around July 2013.

Though Thompson says the way the pasta is being made is still true to Fresina’s methods, a name change was something the new owners had “always planned.” They are also looking to expand business.

The handmade pasta is still made fresh every day with Semolina flour and air-dried for three days in their own specially ventilated rooms. Thompson says the company is now 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 now available in 40 grocery stores, and Thompson says the company has its eyes on the New Orleans and Houston markets. With expansion, D’Agostino Pasta Company is also 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 out of the LSU AgCenter’s Food Incubator program. Thompson says customers are also 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.”