\”The Bringing the World to PA\” event held this week in Blair County concluded with a wonderful evening of networking and delicious food hosted by the DelGrosso family at their Tipton plant.
Prior to dinner, the group observed first hand how the DelGrosso sauces are produced as they toured the facility under the guidance of the company\’s vice president, Joe DelGrosso.
Diana McClure, International Trade Manager, Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission, said at the conclusion of the evening, \”The DelGrosso\’s went above and beyond what we could have hoped for by keeping their production employees after hours so that the group could observe and learn of how their sauces are produced.\”
She continued, “The Trade Representatives had sat all day long for a combined total of 162 appointments with regional companies; therefore, a walking tour of the area sauce plant and seeing actual produce was a highlight of their day.
“The Trade Representatives were in Pennsylvania for nearly three weeks. Throughout that time they had been traveling throughout the state, living out of their suitcases and eating in restaurants.”
McClure concluded by saying that having a wonderful homemade dinner with the DelGrosso family was a real treat.
\”The DelGrosso\’s gracious hospitality will be long remembered by everyone,\” she concluded.
This year, as a tribute to their Italian heritage, the DelGrosso family introduced a new line of specialty gourmet sauces which they proudly called “La Famiglia DelGrosso”. According to Joe DelGrosso, each sauce was lovingly recreated by a member of the family and represents their cherished authentic recipe, served at their special family occasions.
These new sauces include those of Uncle Fred\’s Fireworks Sauce, A Little Heat with a Burst of Flavor; Aunt Mary Ann\’s Sunday Marinara, The Very Best of an Italian Classic; Aunt Cindy\’s Sun-Dried Tomato Sonata, Dress Your Pasta to Impress; Uncle Joe\’s Vodka Celebration, Coming of Age; Uncle Bo\’s Roasted Red Pepper Tour, Simmer it Slow to Cook Like a Pro; Chef John\’s Tomato Basil Masterpiece, A Labor of Love; Aunt Linda\’s Arrabitta Memories, Ensuring a Legacy of Great Taste and Uncle Jim\’s Late Night Puttanesca, Dare to Indulge.
The sauces and eventually the DelGrosso Foods plant in nearby Tipton developed through years of hard work and love of the late Fred and Mafalda DelGrosso in a venture they sat out to accomplish dating back to the mid 1940s.
DelGrosso Foods is the oldest major family-owned producer of pasta sauce in the United States. They manufacture traditional spaghetti and pizza sauces and salsa, while offering branded and private labels. DelGrosso Foods packages for many major national accounts, and they have developed a variety of formulas to meet its customers\’ private label needs. In addition, DelGrosso sauces are made with only fresh ingredients – quality meats and fresh vegetables, imported olive oil and cheese.
Officers of the local plant include James DelGrosso, President; Joe DelGrosso, Vice President; Bo DelGrosso, Sales Manager; Fred DelGrosso, Quality Control Director, and Michael DelGrosso, a third generation as Director of Sales and Marketing.
Representatives from 24 area companies gathered at the Casino in Lakemont to meet with nine Trade Representatives from Pennsylvania’s Overseas Offices during the 9th annual “Bringing the World to Pennsylvania” event.
The event is co-sponsored by the Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission, the Pennsylvania Center for Trade Development and UPS.
As simple as it is effective, the event’s format provides companies’ representatives with 30 minutes of one-on-one time with the Trade Representatives who operate Pennsylvania’s Overseas Offices in foreign countries and are under contract with the state to assist Pennsylvania firms who want to do business in those countries. The Trade Representatives can help the firms analyze their products’ position in specific foreign markets, provide information on competitors and pricing, and help the firms make business contacts within the foreign market.
During a luncheon, the companies’ representatives, Trade Representatives, Elected Officials and Export Network Partners listened to Joe Hoeffel, Deputy Secretary Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Office of International Trade. Mr. Hoeffel told the group that Pennsylvania has the 17th largest economy in the world and that PA export sales grew from 17.4 billion in 2001 to 22.3 billion in 2005.
Congressman Bill Shuster introduced Lyn Doverspike, the Director of the Pittsburgh Office of the United States Commercial Service. Ms Doverspike offered remarks during the luncheon program. She told the group that 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside of the US and that 1 in 5 manufacturing jobs in the US is dependent upon exports.
At the conclusion of the luncheon program, the local businesses continued their one-on-one meetings with the Trade Representatives. Before the day was over more than 162 business meetings were conducted.
