Lanovara Specialty Foods

What Lanovara Specialty Foods does

Lanovara Specialty Foods, Inc. is a Rochester, New York-based commercial bakery and co-packing manufacturer founded in 1920. The company produces a portfolio of specialty Italian and American baked goods including hand-rolled and hand-filled cannoli, cookies (Lanovara 'S' Cookies, Rizzi, Italian Deluxe Assortment, Really Big Cookies), half moon cookies, scratch-recipe brownies, iced sheet cakes, and puffs and eclairs. Production is built on traditional artisan methods — small-batch dough, scratch recipes, and made-fresh-then-frozen processes — combined with a modern commercial frozen and fresh distribution operation. The company also operates a fresh bread distribution service on behalf of regional and local bread bakeries, leveraging a fleet of 6 delivery trucks and professional merchandisers to supply retail grocery stores in central and western New York.

Lanovara serves three primary customer segments: retail grocery chains (anchored by a core distribution relationship with Wegmans), foodservice operators including individual bakeries and restaurants, and small stores and delis ordering in smaller quantities. A co-packing service extends its manufacturing capability to food service and bakery partners. The company was acquired in 2026 by Special Touch Bakery, a not-for-profit organization focused on integrated employment for people of all abilities, making it the 4th steward of the Lanovara legacy following the founding family, a second family, and Bert and Kim Salisbury. The acquisition formalizes a decade-long partnership and aligns the business with a mission-driven operating model.

The business model is sales-led wholesale distribution: products are sold on a case-pack basis to retail and foodservice buyers, with bread distribution structured as a logistics-and-merchandising service for partner bakeries. There is no disclosed direct-to-consumer channel, no public pricing, and no subscription or licensing model. Geographic reach is limited to central and western New York, and the company operates from a single production and headquarters facility at 208 Mushroom Blvd., Rochester, NY.

Name

Lanovara Specialty Foods

Legal name

Lanovara Specialty Foods, Inc.

Website

https://lanovara.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lanovara Specialty Foods is a 100-year-old Rochester, NY commercial bakery producing Italian and American specialty baked goods — cannoli, cookies, brownies, cakes, and puffs — for retail grocery (including Wegmans), foodservice, and co-packing customers across central and western New York, now owned by nonprofit Special Touch Bakery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Bakery and Specialty Baked Goods Manufacturing

NAICS

Cookie, Cracker, and Pasta Manufacturing (31182), Food Manufacturing (311), Other Snack Food Manufacturing (311919)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRADAAAG

International & Ethnic Packaged Foods

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturing & Brands/Food & Beverage (Packaged)

SECONDARYAFAIAIAE

Ethnic Bakery, Confectionery & Snacks Wholesale

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Distribution & Wholesale/Specialty & Ethnic Foods Wholesale

SECONDARYCRAOAAAJ

Ethnic & International Foods Wholesale Distribution

Consumer Products & Retail/Wholesale, Distribution & Category Management/Food & Beverage Wholesale Distribution

Keywords

• Specialty baked goods
• Commercial bakery manufacturing
• Co-packing services
• Fresh bread distribution
• Italian pastries wholesale

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commercial Bakery Manufacturing: Manufacturing and selling specialty pastries including cannoli, cream puffs, eclairs, cookies, sheet cakes, brownies, and moon cookies. Products are sold frozen to distribution partners and customers.
2. Fresh Bread Distribution: Distributing 4 lines of fresh branded breads to retail and foodservice customers in central and western New York using a fleet of 6 delivery trucks and professional merchandisers.
3. Co-Packing Services: Providing food service and co-packing capabilities to partners and customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Lanovara Specialty Foods is a wholesale commercial bakery that manufactures and distributes a diverse portfolio of specialty Italian baked goods including hand-rolled cannoli, cookies, brownies, half moon cookies, sheet cakes, puffs, and eclairs. The company also provides fresh bread distribution and merchandising services for regional and local bread bakeries, along with co-packing manufacturing services to food service and bakery partners across central and western New York.

Product overview

Lanovara Specialty Foods is a commercial bakery offering a diverse portfolio of specialty baked goods, including hand-filled cannoli, assorted cookies ('S' cookies, Rizzi line, Italian Deluxe Assortment, Really Big Cookies), half moon cookies, brownies, sheet cakes, and puffs & eclairs. The company operates a grab-and-go line for convenience retail and provides fresh bread distribution services to grocery stores in central and western New York via a fleet of delivery trucks. Products range from traditional hand-crafted items like their century-old 'S' cookies to newer innovations like Really Big Cookies and Grab N' Go packaging. The company also offers co-packing services to food service and bakery partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lanovara 'S' Cookies Handmade batch cookies available in Vanilla, Almond, Chocolate Hazelnut, and Anise-ette varieties, packaged in resealable plastic containers. Sold to retail and foodservice customers.
• Rizzi Cookies
• Italian Deluxe Assortment Package featuring seven varieties of small butter style cookies, weighing 9 ounces in a resealable container. Also available in 4.5 pound bulk boxes with 11 varieties.
• Really Big Cookies (RBC) Individually wrapped 6-inch diameter cookies made with butter, available in Chocolate Chip, Sugar with Sprinkles, M&M, and Oatmeal Raisin varieties. Weighs 6 ounces each, shipped frozen with 10-day shelf life after thawing.
• Filled Cannoli Handmade cannoli with hand-rolled shells made in small batches, filled with pastry cream and frozen after filling to maintain fresh taste and crisp shell. Available in Cheese, Chocolate Chip Cheese, Creme, Chocolate Creme, Raspberry Creme, and Pistachio Creme flavors.
• Cannoli Shells and Fillings Hand-rolled cannoli shells available in regular and mini sizes, including chocolate-inside brushed and chocolate-dipped varieties. Fillings include Impastata Ricotta cheese, chocolate chip cheese, and scratch-made creme options in 17 lb buckets or 6 lb cases.
• Brownies Scratch recipe brownies with heavy, dense, and chewy texture, covered in rich chocolate or peanut butter icing, available in half sheet (36 pieces), packed four per case.
• Sheet Cakes Iced sheet cakes topped with buttercream frosting in Raspberry, Strawberry, Orange, Lemon, Carrot, Yellow, and Chocolate varieties. Uncut, half sheet size, four cakes per case.
• Half Moon Cookies Chocolate or yellow base cookies with half fudge icing and half white buttercream icing. Specialty flavors include Orio Moon, Peanut Butter Moon, Smile Moon cookie, and seasonal holiday varieties.
• Puffs and Eclairs Choux pastry-based pastries made in small batches. Large creme puffs filled with yellow creme and topped with fudge icing; Cannoli Puffs with chocolate chip cheese filling. Available in regular and mini sizes with yellow creme, chocolate creme, and ricotta cheese fillings.
• Grab N' Go Convenience packaging including individually wrapped cannoli (cheese or chocolate chip cheese) in 10-count open top boxes, and two-piece fudge brownie containers.
• Fresh Bread Distribution Distribution and merchandising services for 4 lines of fresh branded breads to retail grocery stores in central and western New York, utilizing a fleet of 6 delivery trucks with experienced drivers and professional merchandisers.
• Co-Packing Services Commercial bakery co-packing and proprietary product development services for food service and bakery partners, including special orders and tailored solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cannoli maintain fresh taste and crisp shell when thawed after freezing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Special Touch BakerycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Special Touch Bakery, a not-for-profit bakery providing employment to people of all abilities, acquired Lanovara Specialty Foods in April 2026. This formalizes a decade-long partnership and positions the organization to potentially double its integrated workforce. The acquisition advances Special Touch Bakery's mission of inclusive employment, building on Lanovara's history as an early vocational partner with Holy Childhood.
• WegmanscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Established retail distribution relationship with Wegmans supermarket chain for specialty bakery products including pies, cookies, cannoli, cakes, and other specialty desserts.
• Regional and Local Bread BakeriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLanovara partners with regional and local bakeries who specialize in bread baking to provide distribution and merchandising services to retail grocery stores for these exceptional brands.
• Holy ChildhoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLanovara had a history as an early vocational partner with Holy Childhood, the parent organization of Special Touch Bakery, which focuses on providing meaningful training and employment opportunities to people of all abilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lanovara-food-distributors-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lanovara Specialty Foods