1908 Brands expands Pasta Jay’s sauces to Safeway, Costco

BOULDER — The popular pasta dishes of Italian eatery Pasta Jay’s Inc. can now be replicated at home for Safeway and Costco shoppers.

The Boulder staple of more than 30 years will sell its pasta sauce in 100 Costco Wholesale Corp. (Nasdaq: COST) and Safeways, a subsidiary of Albertsons Cos. Inc. (NYSE: ACI). All four flavors — Classic Marinara, Creamy Tomato, Tomato Basil and Tomato Marsala — are currently on Safeway shelves, said Steve Savage, founder and CEO of 1908 Brands, Inc.

1908 Brands, a Boulder-based parent company with several local companies in its profile, license Pasta Jay’s sauce.

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A successful Cotsco roadshow last year led to the bulk grocer agreeing to a Colorado test. 1908 brands will ship out the first delivery this Wednesday to 12 different Costco stores in the state. Only the two top sellers will be available there, Creamy Tomato and Pasta Jay’s owner Jay Elowsky’s favorite, Classic Marinara.  

“It would be nice that this was a nationally branded sauce and that we’re able to be in, you know, all the supermarkets across America,” Elowsky said.

The Cotsco and Safeway deal is bringing that goal closer to realization. Savage, who says Pasta Jay’s has “the world’s best pasta sauce,” has sold the brand for three years. During that time, the sauce got into King Soopers, The Fresh Market, Ralphs, Lucky’s Market and Raley’s Supermarkets, he said. Savage estimates that Pasta Jay’s is now in 750 locations in 10 different states.

Up until recently, the sauce was available through Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN). 1908 brands took the brand off in preparation for an ecommerce site for all of its brands. That site is slated to launch in September.

Elowsky said that the sauce brand is still in its infancy, so it doesn’t yet impact the company’s revenue stream significantly. But it’s leading to exposure for the Boulder-built brand, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the state, he said.

“I think it’s helped keep the brand out there,” he said. “Keeping that brand out there in the grocery markets has helped, definitely.”

Pasta Jay’s operates the Boulder location at 1001 Pearl St., along with a restaurant in Moab, Utah. Elowsky said the Boulder location is down 30% in sales so far this year compared with 2019 revenues.

Before reopening to in-person dining, he made it a goal to retain his 35 staff members while serving only takeout and delivery. After two weeks of reopening more than a month ago, one employee was running a fever. Around the same time, a working interviewee called Elowsky, informing him that her roommate tested positive for coronavirus.

Elowsky notified the health department and customers, and decided to have the entire staff self-isolate for 14 days. Pasta Jay’s was shuttered again, this time without any to-go service, for two weeks. The restaurant used an employee log to decide who should return and when. During that time, all staff were paid, Elowsky said.

“I never paid to work so hard,” he said. “If you’re a business owner, you’re paying to work.”

Correction: A previous version of the article stated that Pasta Jay’s has a location in Hays, Kansas. The Hays location is closed. Pasta Jay’s has restaurants in Boulder and Moab, Utah.