Alex is the Founder and MD of Pasta Evangelists

University of Exeter entrepreneur brings traditional Italian dishes to UK homes

Pasta Evangelists was founded in 2016 by Exeter alumnus Alessandro Savelli (Business Economics, 2002).

The company delivers fresh pasta, sauces and garnishes to households all over the UK, along with easy-to-follow recipes that allow people to prepare luxury Italian food at home. Recipe choices change every week and ingredients are sourced from across Italy.

The product has become so popular that Pasta Evangelists was recently bought by Barilla – the world’s largest pasta producer.

Alex says: “Our idea with Pasta Evangelists is to bring proper, authentic pasta to people - to essentially uplift an entire food category. I love cooking and I love pasta, and I wanted to share this passion.

“Mostly we sell directly to customers online, but we also have a concession within the Harrods Food Hall and now a partnership to deliver cooked pasta meals via Deliveroo. Business was already growing significantly, but during the pandemic more and more people have been looking for restaurant quality food at home and so demand has increased even further.

In addition to the delivery side of the business, the team run cooking classes for those interested in learning how to make pasta from scratch as well as iconic Italian dishes. These events have been exclusively online since the pandemic, but will be offered face-to-face again once restrictions allow. Demand is such that the team offers hundreds of events each year.

Alex says: “Pasta Evangelists is a real English/Italian hybrid, just like me. I actually lived in Italy right up until I came to the University of Exeter, so it was quite a big change initially but I settled in quickly. Studying in the UK is very different to Italy and coming to Exeter for my degree was great for my future business career. I get my entrepreneurial side from my father but then my studies really helped me build on it, helping me get where I am now.”

Pasta Evangelists’ weekly recipes can be found and ordered online. Exeter alumni can currently benefit from a 25% discount by using this link.

Date: 24 March 2021