Carbone Fine Food has appointed Autumn Communications as its agency of record for earned media across the U.S. and Canada following a competitive RFP. The partnership will focus on media relations, partnerships and thought leadership as the fast-growing pasta sauce brand accelerates its expansion into a broader lifestyle presence.
Carbone Fine Food has appointed Autumn Communications as its agency of record for earned media relations, marking a strategic move as the fast-growing pasta sauce brand accelerates its ambition to become a full-fledged lifestyle name. The decision follows a competitive request for proposals process held in October, during which five agencies presented their credentials and ideas. Autumn emerged as the selected partner later that month and began onboarding in November, according to Ashley Carone, managing partner at Autumn Communications.
The appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Carbone Fine Food, the retail spinoff of the iconic Greenwich Village restaurant founded by acclaimed chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi. What began as an extension of a celebrated dining experience has evolved into a national brand with a growing presence on grocery shelves across the United States. With reported sales poised to reach $100 million in its 2025 fiscal year—nearly double its revenue from the previous year, according to Foodbeast—the company is increasingly focused on scaling awareness, sharpening its narrative and expanding its cultural relevance beyond the food aisle.
Under the new mandate, Autumn Communications will provide public relations support for Carbone Fine Food across the U.S. and Canada. The scope of work spans earned media relations, partnerships, corporate and thought leadership communications, and award submissions. The brief reflects Carbone Fine Food’s desire to move beyond traditional product publicity toward a more holistic communications strategy that supports brand-building at scale.
“Autumn is helping drive brand growth and awareness for Carbone Fine Food and is focused on elevating the company into a household lifestyle brand,” Carone said. She noted that the work will include developing creative partnerships, producing engaging events, increasing visibility for new product launches and deepening consumer understanding of what differentiates Carbone Fine Food in an increasingly crowded premium food category. The emphasis, she added, is on sustained storytelling rather than one-off moments, aligning with how consumers now discover and engage with brands.
Chris Wendling, executive vice president of marketing at Carbone Fine Food, framed the agency change as part of a broader evolution in how the brand sees itself and its relationship with consumers. As Carbone Fine Food continues to expand from its restaurant roots into packaged goods, Wendling said the brand is committed to pushing category boundaries through innovation and culture-driven marketing. This week, the company launched a new pasta sauce, Cacio e Pepe, extending its portfolio with a flavor that draws directly from Italian culinary tradition while appealing to contemporary tastes.
Wendling also pointed to a robust innovation pipeline and an appetite for partnerships that go beyond food-centric collaborations. “We’re also exploring culture-elevating partnerships and activations throughout 2026 that will showcase how we’re continuing to push the boundaries of what this category can become,” he said. Such initiatives are expected to play a key role in positioning Carbone Fine Food not just as a pantry staple, but as a brand with a point of view on style, hospitality and modern living.
The account will be co-led by Autumn Communications directors Sarah Agate and Natalie Breneman. Agate will oversee media strategy, ensuring consistent and strategic engagement with press across lifestyle, food, business and culture verticals. Breneman will help oversee partnerships, an area that has become increasingly important for brands seeking to reach consumers through experiences and collaborations rather than traditional advertising alone. The core team includes three additional day-to-day members, with overall oversight provided by Autumn principal Shelley Reinstein and Carone.
Budget details for the account were not disclosed. Recent Carbone Fine Food press releases listed The Door as a media contact, though neither Autumn nor Carbone Fine Food confirmed whether The Door was the incumbent agency on the account. A spokesperson for The Door was not immediately available for comment. Wendling, however, emphasised continuity as well as change, noting that the new agency will build on the groundwork laid by previous partners while taking the brand’s storytelling to the next level.
“As Carbone Fine Food expands from a food brand into a true lifestyle presence, bringing on a new PR AOR allows us to level up our storytelling and cultural impact,” Wendling said. “Autumn will build on the strong foundation created by previous partners while driving high-impact, continuous visibility. Consumers engage with brands differently today, and we’re excited to meet them wherever they are: not just in the grocery aisle.”
That sentiment reflects a broader shift within the consumer packaged goods sector, where brands are increasingly expected to operate like media and culture platforms. For Carbone Fine Food, whose identity is deeply tied to the aura and credibility of its restaurant origins, the challenge lies in translating that cachet into mass retail without losing authenticity. Public relations, partnerships and experiential marketing have become critical tools in that effort, helping brands tell richer stories about provenance, quality and lifestyle associations.
Autumn Communications brings experience in precisely this kind of brand-building. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, the firm has worked with a range of fashion, lifestyle, technology and consumer brands, including Ring Concierge, Rent the Runway, car-sharing company Turo, Chamberlain Coffee and TikTok Shop U.S. The agency’s portfolio reflects a focus on culturally fluent brands that rely on earned media, influencer relationships and partnerships to drive awareness and relevance.
For Carbone Fine Food, the partnership with Autumn signals confidence in the brand’s momentum and its readiness to play on a larger cultural stage. Founded as a retail extension of one of New York City’s most famous Italian-American restaurants, the brand has leveraged its culinary pedigree to stand out in the premium pasta sauce category. As sales continue to climb and distribution expands, the company is now investing more deliberately in communications to support its next phase of growth.
Industry observers note that reaching the $100 million sales mark is a significant milestone for a brand that began as a restaurant offshoot. Sustaining that growth, however, will require continued differentiation, innovation and visibility. By appointing a new PR agency of record with a broad mandate, Carbone Fine Food is laying the groundwork for a more integrated approach to brand storytelling, one that blends product innovation with culture, partnerships and thought leadership.
As the onboarding phase concludes and campaigns begin to roll out, attention will be on how Autumn Communications translates Carbone Fine Food’s ambition into tangible moments that resonate with consumers. With new product launches, planned activations and a stated goal of becoming a lifestyle brand, the partnership reflects a shared belief that the future of food branding lies as much in narrative and experience as it does in taste.
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