With the Acquisition of Buitoni Food Company Tuscan Brands Develops a Future That Embraces the Past - Northshore Magazine
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Faro plans to double the size of Buitoni under the umbrella of Tuscan Brands. | Photographs by Anthony Tieuli
With the Acquisition of Buitoni Food Company, Tuscan Brands is Charting a Course That Honors its Heritage.
Calvin Hennick
July 9, 2025
Joe Faro, founder and CEO of Tuscan Brands, found himself at a conference in Chicago when he overheard investors discussing the potential acquisition of Buitoni Food Company, the renowned Italian food brand established in Tuscany in 1827. Recognizing the brand's former glory and understanding its current struggles, Faro saw an opportunity to breathe new life into a culinary icon.
“I’m not a genius,” Faro reflects, “but I am a pasta maker.”
In September, Faro announced his partnership with investors to acquire Buitoni. This move not only expands Tuscan Brands' manufacturing capabilities but also represents a significant full-circle moment for Faro.
Faro's journey began in 1991 when he founded Joseph’s Gourmet Pasta & Sauces using a business plan he crafted as a student at the University of New Hampshire. He sold Joseph’s to Buitoni in 2006 when the latter was part of Nestle Prepared Foods. Following separate private equity transactions, Buitoni and Joseph’s eventually parted ways.
Now, with The Artisan Chef Manufacturing Co. (one of 31 companies under Tuscan Brands, in partnership with Sal’s Pizza CEO Sal Lupoli) acquiring Buitoni, Faro finds himself back at the helm of a brand he once owned, albeit indirectly.
“When I walked back into the Buitoni factory, many of the employees had been there for 25 years,” Faro recalls. “They were like: ‘This can’t be happening. Not that guy from Lawrence again.’”
Faro spent two and a half years with Nestle after their acquisition, but he eventually retired, only to return to the industry a few years later. In 2010, he launched Tuscan Brands, opening the first Tuscan Kitchen restaurant in Salem, New Hampshire. Today, the company operates restaurants in Burlington and the Boston Seaport, as well as a catering arm.
In 2015, Tuscan Brands purchased Rockingham Park in Salem, transforming it into Tuscan Village, a mixed-use lifestyle destination featuring Tuscan Market, a retail outlet offering prepared foods, imported Italian products, and cooking classes. In 2019, Faro revived his manufacturing roots with The Artisan Chef Manufacturing Co.
“I love to visualize new businesses,” Faro says, “to conceptualize them and bring them to fruition.”
Tuscan Brands now employs 3,000 people across hospitality, food manufacturing, and real estate development. Faro's vision includes expanding Buitoni, while maintaining its historic branding and authentic Italian artisanal roots.
“Buitoni kind of became a commercial pasta maker, losing its authentic Italian roots,” Faro explains. “But we don’t have to recreate anything, because if you go back to the source, that’s what you get.”