SOUTH WINDSOR – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that Carla’s Pasta will be recognized as “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer”. Carla’s Pasta was established in 1978 by Carla Squatrito just 10 years after she emigrated from Italy to the United States. Squatrito initially ran the pasta company out of a small retail shop in Manchester, but after years of success, Carla eventually moved the company to its current location in South Windsor. Carla’s Pasta – which produces and distributes pastas and pestos to restaurants, grocery stores, and institutions across the United States - now employs 171 workers and operates out of a 100,000 square foot facility. The company has plans to expand the size of their operation next year.

Determined to save energy and protect the environment, Carla installed a 300-kilowatt fuel cell power plant in December of 2011. The fuel cell was purchased with the help of loans and grant money made available by the federal and state governments, and was manufactured in Danbury. Today, the fuel cell can supply up to 60 percent of the plant’s electricity needs and reduces the company’s emissions of carbon dioxide by about 40,000 pounds per month, and of mono-nitrogen oxides by about 3,600 pounds per month.

Officially accredited by the National Women Business Owners Corporation, Carla’s is a woman-owned and family-run business. She and her two sons, who serve as Vice Presidents of Business Development and Operations, decided to launch a retail division of Carla’s Pasta, called Cucina di Carla, after realizing that nearly 20,000 New England restaurants were using their pastas and recipes. Cucina di Carla’s “Pronto Pastas” are now sold in supermarkets throughout New England and New York.

“For 36 years, Carla’s Pasta has demonstrated true leadership in business and manufacturing,” said Murphy. “The company’s commitment to producing top-quality goods is admirable, as is its commitment to environmental protection. Carla has set her company and her employees up for continued success, and I’m so proud to recognize her entire team for their outstanding contributions to our state.”

The manufacturing industry plays a crucial role throughout Connecticut communities, creating new jobs and accelerating our state’s economic recovery. Today, Connecticut’s 4,602 manufacturers account for 10.2% of the state’s jobs and 87% of the state’s total exports. In order to protect and grow manufacturing jobs in Connecticut, Murphy has introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to strengthen existing standards and prioritize the purchase of American-made goods, the 21st Century Buy American Act and the American Jobs Matter Act.