Loudoun Woman's Pastacraft Business Returns Ahead Of Bigger Launch In 2026

STERLING, VA — As a mom who commutes from Sterling to Rockville, Christine Koetz understands families' need for a quick dinner option. With a new pasta sauce starter venture she's launching, Koetz aims to offer easy meals without compromising on quality.

Koetz's business Pastacraft has launched with a line of organic pasta sauce starters in time for the holiday season. She told Patch her sauce starters can be combined with pasta and butter or olive oil and a garnish to create an easy comfort meal.

"A lot of people are just busy between having kids or, you know, busy with work, and take out in general is so expensive now," Koetz told Patch.

Koetz works as the chief brand officer for MOM's Organic Market. She started Pastacraft while working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, selling fresh pastas at the Eat Loco Farmers Markets' One Loudoun location. She took a break to have a daughter and recently returned to the venture, with pasta sauce starters as a new angle.

"I really have seen really incredible innovations in food and in the organic food industry over the years," said Koetz, "One area, I have not seen much innovation, though, is pasta sauce."

Pastacraft's holiday package includes a trio of sauce starters made with organic ingredients: Miso Brown Butter, Black Garlic Shiitake, and Lemon Aglio e Olio. Each package makes four to six servings. The packaging is recyclable and comes with branding Koetz designed herself of a mermaid in a cowboy hat twirling spaghetti.

The holiday trio of pasta starters is a test launch before Koetz pursues a more full launch of Pastacraft in 2026. Koetz is taking preorders for nationwide shipping and has received orders from as far as South Carolina and Connecticut. Koetz is capping orders at 100 holiday sauce starter sets and will ship them in time for the holidays.

Koetz is confident that strong local support for small businesses will continue during the holiday season.

"I think that it is hard to start a business, and it's hard to be a small business," said Koetz. "You only have so many resources, but you also have people that just really want to support local and small business. And I think tapping into that community is pretty cool."

Looking ahead to 2026, Koetz hopes to get her products on the shelves of natural and organic grocery stores. She's also got a journal of many more sauce ideas she can experiment with.

"I'm just really excited about this venture. I've had my daughter by my side, taste testing my pasta," said Koetz. "It's exciting to be a woman in business where I'm just creating something and kind of putting myself out there and seeing how people receive it."