Via Oliveto Bakery of Barrie, Ont., receives funding toward new production line

Barrie, Ont. – Zappia Fine Foods Ltd., operating as Via Oliveto Bakery, will receive a $500,000 repayable funding to help outfit its new Barrie facility with a new bakery production line, including a tunnel oven and mixer.

With this support, Via Oliveto Bakery will quadruple its production, launch new products such as flatbread pretzels and secure new contracts with large retailers, the government said in a news release. The contribution is expected to leverage $1.5 million in private investment.

This family-owned and operated company began in 1988 when Pasquale Zappia started baking artisanal flatbreads from his home basement for Toronto-area hotels, restaurants and businesses. The company now employs four people and is expected to add two new jobs to its roster.

This expansion project will allow the wholesale bakery to pursue market growth opportunities and drive economic growth in the region. Rachel Zappia, manager of Via Oliveto Bakery, is from the M’Chigeeng First Nation and leads the company’s new inclusive hiring plan of Indigenous Peoples, which is a direct result of this funding.

“With the Government of Canada’s investment, Via Oliveto Bakery will quadruple its production capacity at its new Barrie facility. This growth will have a direct economic impact in Barrie, including creating jobs, strengthening the local food sector and enabling the company to better serve its customers,” said Helena Jaczek, minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

“We could not accomplish our goals of growth without this support from the Government of Canada,” Pasquale Zappia, CEO, Via Oliveto Bakery. “We look forward to increasing our capacity, adding new product lines, reaching new customers.”