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George Joseph Switzer III runs Queen Ann Ravioli, a Brooklyn pasta shop founded in 1972. Inside, vintage machines produce thousands of pounds of pasta each week, including up to 1 million boxes of ravioli a year.
Switzer generates nearly $2 million in annual revenue even as rising costs, mass production, and a changing neighborhood put pressure on his business, but for him the challenge is not just making pasta, it’s preserving a disappearing way of doing business one batch at a time.
Read “Inside Brooklyn’s Little Italy pasta shop that uses a machine over 115 years old”: https://bit.ly/4was2Mm
00:00 – Intro
01:45 – Pasta Dough Mixer & Gramola
02:09 – Antique Pasta Machine from 1909
03:17 – Mechanics of Antique Pasta Machines
04:03 – 50-Count Square Ravioli Machine from 1950s
04:56 – Cost of Bulk Ingredients
05:32 – Crepe Machine from 1960s and Manicotti Pasta
06:28 – Biggest Challenges and Costs
07:13 – Tortellini Machine
09:31 – Round Ravioli Machine
10:30 – Packaging Pasta
11:31 – Small Businesses Disappearing
13:03 – George’s Son & The Future
14:45 – Credits
——————————————————
#ravioli #pastamaker #nycbusiness #smallbusiness
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The Ravioli King Of Brooklyn Making Nearly $2 Million Per Year | Small Business | Insider Food
49 Comments
Also read "I've Been to Every Region of Italy: Best Part for Food": https://bit.ly/496BuGQ
Now i'm in the mood for Ravioli and homemade meat sauce!
No hair nets, no face masks? Didn’t expect to see that.
love his AMerican workers.
You are a nice guy, probably a terrific employer and obvious entrepreneur. Your products are likely very good. But, your food handlers have no hair or beard cover, no gloves or masks. Your son's uncovered hair and beard must be OSHA violations. One of the men has a hooded sweat shirt with cords dangling down his shoulders while working on old, moving, exposed machinery.
Amazing the N.Y. City Dept of Health allows such.
This guy and his business, epitomizes everything that is right with NYC.. and everything that is wrong.
Bernie sanders opened a pasta factory
Love this business always great to see family businesses last so long. A bit concerned on their food safety. No gowns, hair covers etc.
I respect the hustle but the place doesn't look very clean. Is that mold on the roller over at 7:57?
I'm so glad I watched this! What a personable and affable man. I learned so much about pasta making and the business behind it from this. As an Italian American, I love this traditional store and old machinery. 1909- wow!
Nothing can replace this type of business ever❤🎉 if I can afford it I'll buy some of your pasta from Pennsylvania grazie🎉
What an adorable man. I'm in Arizona, I'm going to look for his pasta and buy some.
I am amazed that a "factory" like this with this standards of hygiene…is allowed to produce…and sell what is producing…
Looks great, but pleaseeee invest in some gloves, hair, and beard nets.
Hair nets and gloves are required in most food factories? None here
the building needs cleaningon the outside
Some are wearing gloves, some are not! WTF!
Not even a hint of a Brooklyn accent..lol. This guy is one hell of a character.
Nothing like a good ole well oiled machine. Those things are like Toyotas. They don't make em like they used to
no gloves or hair nets to be seen
Amazing energy love the guy just by watching this
honestly hygience doesnt seem great
according to aoc only a king can earn a million dollars….
At 2:35, a bronze , not teflon, die for extruding pasta; this creates a rougher surface texture which absorbs and holds your sauce. Pasta produced with teflon dies is too smooth!
I looked up the flour shown at 5:11 ; it's made from Durum wheat, the preferred type for traditional pasta. Most nationally recognized supermarket pasta brands ( Barilla, Ronzoni etc) use heavily enriched ordinaru wheat, not durum wheat, which has a higher gluten content.
food hygiene doesn't seem to be a big deal here…
Queen Anne had two passions, furniture and ravioli.
Absolutely the best ravioli. You gotta try it
This company has the same sanitation regulations as any bodega in NYC with cats sleeping on the bread
Communists: Companies shouldn’t be allowed to make that much money!
Americans: Then don’t buy their products
Communists: You’re a fascist!
Eww 😂
Can we buy this product online….
the fan wasnt on
The ravioli and tortellini aren't bad looking; perhaps the pasta is a bit thick, but it's acceptable. The only thing I didn't see was how the filling is made. Classic ravioli typically have ricotta and spinach inside, while classic tortellini have a mixture of pork loin seared in butter, mortadella, Parmesan cheese, and nutmeg.
I didn't see any of these ingredients in the video
Cut the hair, wear gloves please 🙏
Fantastic man
SELL ONLINE, I WILL BUY!! NOTHING BEATS SMALL BUSINESSES. THIS PASTA WILL BEAT ANY OTHER! 💓 KEEP IT ALIVE.
Let's call it the most Indian Italian food producer, out of India. I wouldn't eat anything made there, after this video.
LOVE THIS GUY! 😂❤
This video is wholesome, thank you and god bless his family, what a guy! ❤👏🏽
You might think about partnering with a 3D / CnC company. You’ll never worry about parts again!
I taste a win win win!!
After all these expenses probably not a lot of useable profit! Like he says he needs to save for when the rainy days come ! I blame the people for choosing to eat mass produced chef 🧑🍳 boy r Dee or even worse just to save a dollar ! Maybe he should open up a restaurant where he could charge more
Can they use gloves tho. Mmmmm.
he's awesome!!
Why no one is using hair net, gloves or face mask?
Would be nice if it was more clean,employees to have a uniform like they do in Italy,covered hair,pasta dough reaching the floor 1:20
This is pretty sweet
loved this one. Mr. Switzer is correct about everything.
Doing your father in law proud man.