LiDestri Foods gets new name, website

LiDestri Foods, Fairport, N.Y., announced its official name change to LiDestri Food and Drink. The new name better reflects the company’s comprehensive capabilities as a modern contract manufacturer, the company said, and coincides with the launch of LiDestriFoodandDrink.com, a "world-class and industry-leading website."

The company’s previous name, LiDestri Foods, reflects an era when the company was almost exclusively a contract manufacturer of pasta sauces and salsas. The new name reflects the addition of fast-growing divisions for beverage and spirits in recent years, LiDestri said, expanding the company’s continued and diversified offerings in dips, sauces and salsas.

The addition of an anchor Innovation Center in Rochester has increased LiDestri's R&D power for national brand and private brand customers. The unique capabilities of the Innovation Center and its highly experienced team offer customers unmatched speed to market for many new products, the company said.

The new website features video testimonies from two longtime customers, including the CEO of Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets Inc., Danny Wegman. He filmed his testimonial at one of the chain’s flagship stores, LiDestri said, explaining how LiDestri is a key trusted partner that “shares their innovative and entrepreneurial spirit."

The website was an initiative of Stefani LiDestri, who is transitioning from chief marketing officer to co-president of the company alongside her brother, John C. LiDestri. Giovanni LiDestri will remain CEO for the foreseeable future and continue to oversee manufacturing operations, the company said.

“We’re very proud of how our company has evolved and grown while staying steeped in our roots. I treasure the partnerships that have brought us to this point,” Stefani LiDestri said. “Both our new website and our new name exemplify our company’s character: Where tradition meets innovation.”