SPRINGFIELD, ILL. — Italian pasta maker Pastificio Rana will open its first U.S. production facility at Brewster Creek Business Park in Bartlett, Ill., Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said May 3. The facility will house the domestic production of Rana’s pasta and sauces.

The state of Illinois will provide a business investment package worth more than $1 million that will leverage a $16.4 million private investment and support the creation of 70 jobs.

“Our pasta company is thrilled to be launching our U.S. operations in Illinois starting later this year,” said Gian Luca Rana, chief executive officer of Pastificio Rana. “We feel Illinois and the Chicago region provide us a great location to recruit employees and to market our products and deliver them to customers across the United States.”

Pastificio Rana started in 1962 when Giovanni Rana began making tortellini. The company, based in Verona, Italy, now has five plants in Europe and employs more than 1,000 people. It has seven subsidiaries located in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland.