For more than four decades, Roma Foods has led the way in manufacturing allergen-free and gluten-free products, redefining healthy food production in Australia. Dae Hong writes.
A bit of craziness is needed to run a business.
When founder and managing director Max Buontempo acquired family-owned Roma Foods in the 1980s, he recalled the reactions from his peers.
“Not everyone understood it back then,” he said. “But being willing to do things differently is what allowed us to grow.”
At the time, allergen and gluten free foods in Italian cuisine were uncommon. With consistent attendance at trade shows, meeting international buyers, and educating the sector on the gluten free market and products, the company managed to build up to 70 export destinations.
“Our consistency, patience, and persistence had paid off,” said Buontempo.
Part of this persistence derives from Buontempo’s passion to create. His career did not begin in food manufacturing, but in retail management for a division of a Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company. However, he always had a desire to shift to food manufacturing due to the opportunities presented.
“Manufacturing means control of what you can create while retail is focused on delivering,” he said.
With an opportunity to control the entire process, from sourcing to creating innovative processes and products, Buontempo started his journey to deliver meaningful impact on nutrition and health in the Australian market. With an Italian background, he decided to go against the grain of traditional processed white wheat products that dominated the Australian diet at the time.
“We started manufacturing alternative grains including millet, buckwheat, rice, and corn,” said Buontempo.
Founded in 1953, Roma Food Products was a family-owned business with a history of manufacturing and distributing foods. When the acquisition happened in Adelaide, he initially planned to stay for only three months but ended up dedicating four years to revitalising the business.
According to Buontempo, the facility was outdated.
“There was very little left in the business,” he said. “We changed the whole operation from general processing into focused alternative grain manufacturing.”
He restructured operations, reset equipment, and focused on product development. The company eventually introduced the first gluten free pastas, an innovation that helped open international markets and establish a reputation for allergen free production.
“We’re a pioneer in the gluten free industry – particularly in pasta,” he said.
Laying the foundations for gluten free manufacturing in the food and beverage sector, Roma Foods had also established a European warehouse in the Netherlands to support international distribution. With a broader commitment to allergen free manufacturing while meeting some of the strictest food safety standards, Roma Foods has grown from a rundown manufacturing site in Adelaide into a well-known food producer.
“We had a vision to create better foods for healthier living,” said Buontempo. “Creating something from nothing is very rewarding and seeing it grow into a globally recognised allergen‑free business has been incredibly fulfilling.”
The facility
The company relocated to Carrum Downs, Victoria, in 1990 and now operates from an 8,000 square metre facility dedicated to allergen free and gluten free production. The site houses multiple operations under one roof, including milling, dry blending, pasta production, baking, cereal and snack manufacturing, packing, warehousing, and quality assurance.
The facility is home to a diverse team, many of whom have decades of experience with the business. Long term staff provide institutional knowledge and operational stability, drawing from local talent in Melbourne’s southeast suburbs and the Mornington Peninsula.
“Being located at this site gives incredible strength to draw from good resources and good people,” said Buontempo.
Roma Foods’ capabilities extend to a fully automated pasta plant capable of producing more than 20 million servings annually. The company operates one of two crispbread lines in Australia, and owns a cookie and biscuit bakery, and the facility also produces wafers, cereals and other snacks.
“We control the entire process from milling our own raw materials right through to packaging,” he added. “One of our strengths is that we do our product development in-house not only for our own products but also for other companies.”
By providing flexibility for custom formulations, the company has had to take extra measures for product safety and consistency, from controlled batching and continuous quality oversight to strict sourcing verification.
Healthy foods, operations, and planet
Buontempo said Roma Foods’ products can only be released after quality assurance approval. With a continuous QA presence throughout the floor to maintain certifications, the company meets food guidelines of more than 50 countries, not just domestic requirements. Maintaining standards requires processes and technologies that safeguard and streamline operations.
“From the early days, we have implemented SAP,” said Buontempo.
Roma Foods has implemented Systems, Applications, & Products in Data Processing (SAP), an enterprise resource planning software, for nearly 20 years. It has become a backbone for material flow, traceability, inventory management, and quality assurance. The system facilitates compliance with export standards and supports continuous improvement across production, audits, and inventory control.
“It supports our QA audits, production and inventory checks,” he added. “For critical allergy control or export issues, we can pull up data as requested.”
Safety Culture software has also modernised good manufacturing practice checks. With a digital system that captures images, corrective actions, and real time reporting, it replaces manual Excel spreadsheets. Preventative maintenance is managed through software that tracks downtime, spares, and asset history. Buontempo said this software has become a basis for team communication.
“While we’re semi-automated to a big degree, we also invest heavily in the best and most recent technology,” he said.
For food manufacturing operations, Roma Foods’ automated pasta lines capture data on processing parameters, allowing monitoring of factors such as moisture levels and output quality.
“Our investment into new equipment comes with newer technology that facilitates our growth,” said Buontempo.
Roma Foods is a member of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation and follows sustainable packaging guidelines, reducing unnecessary layers where possible.
Water and energy efficiency measures include on site water tanks for cooling systems and the installation of 694 solar panels, generating 276,000 kilowatt‑hours per year, with excess energy fed back into the grid. Waste reduction is embedded into site operations, with onsite systems and regular clean ups to manage leftover materials.
“In a business like ours where we make healthy products, sustainability, food safety, and product quality go hand in hand,” he added.
Focused on growth
A lot has changed since the pandemic. With rising input and labour costs, energy volatility, supply chain uncertainty, skill shortages, and complex export regulations, the industry is pushing for ongoing improvements to mitigate the challenges.
“Our relationships with partners of up to 30 to 40 years and our dedicated staff have been valuable to the journey,” said Buontempo.
From a business perspective, early investment in machinery and automation has been critical to Roma Foods’ growth. Starting with small scale pasta machines, the company progressively scaled up production capacity, which has been complemented by its commitment to quality, training, and retention of a highly capable team.
“Investment in machinery was done from the outset. We went from 100 kilograms per hour of production and scaled it up to a tonne,” he said.
Buontempo noted that having the right team is as essential as investing in technology, with the culture and expertise of employees underpinning operational success.
“If you’ve got good people around you, it really supports the business,” he said.
Looking ahead, Roma Foods maintains a focus on brand development and innovation, focusing on growing its brand internationally. The company is undertaking a refresh of the brand and is continuing to grow the historical Buontempo brand and Pasta Roma, both of which are stocked in Australian retailers such as Woolworths and Coles.
“We are a family-owned business competing up against larger established businesses,” said Buontempo. “We’ll be reinvesting into remaining Australian-made.”
Investment in new product development, particularly in free form categories, continues to be a priority, with in house teams dedicated to research and innovation. Roma Foods has also expanded into international markets, with a focus on Southeast Asia. Buontempo will be visiting Singapore in April to participate in trade shows to foster relationships with distributors and buyers to grow the reach of allergen free products.
“I’m passionate about this stuff – I get in early and leave late at night and I’ve done that for the last 42 years,” said Buontempo. “As the business marks its 73rd year, we want to cement Roma Foods as a dedicated allergen free manufacturer that is proudly Australian.”