Genova shutters ravioli factory in Oakland

After 90 years of doing business in North Oakland, Genova Delicatessen closed on April 26, 2016. The family announced Wednesday that the ravioli factory in Oakland would also shutter. After 90 years of doing business in North Oakland, Genova Delicatessen closed on April 26, 2016. The family announced Wednesday that the ravioli factory in Oakland would also shutter. Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Genova shutters ravioli factory in Oakland 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

Another piece of Genova delicatessen's Italian food empire is closing — this time its ravioli factory — effectively ending after 91 years in Oakland.

The decision to shutter the factory was announced on Facebook on Wednesday, with the DeVincenzi family (who owns Genova) citing local issues such as graffiti and vandalism as part of the reason it is closing. After fixing a window that incurred $15,000 in damage due to graffiti etched onto the glass, the family wrote that they have decided to close the factory.

"Graffiti and vandalism continued to be a daily threat despite reporting numerous complaints and requests for assistance from City Government," the family wrote in its farewell post on Facebook. "We have to send out employees to repaint the entire building almost weekly and decided after a long and heartfelt resolution we must leave Oakland."

Along with the post announcing its closure, photos of the graffiti that plagued the factory location were added to the business's Facebook page.

"We hope by going public with our reason for moving from Oakland that the new owners of the building will be protected from the vandalism," the post continued. "With the regeneration of Broadway and all the new building going on, it is a mystery to me why graffiti and vandalism is allowed to flourish and I wonder why requests for assistance from the Mayor and City Government goes unanswered."

The decision to close the factory comes just one year after the family decided to close its flagship Temescal deli location. Although the last locations of both the factory and deli are not the original sites, the business has been an Oakland mainstay since 1926.

An employee confirmed by phone that this is the last week of production in Oakland. Operations will move to the Napa deli location.

SFGATE has reached out to the owners for comment and will update if they respond.

UPDATE (4/20/17) — Erica Terry Derryck, spokeswoman for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, issued a statement regarding comments made by the Genova deli owners on Facebook:

"Not unlike many urban areas, graffiti and vandalism are unwanted problems that the City of Oakland and private property owners unfortunately face. The addition of cameras and vigilance in removing graffiti quickly after it occurs are two of the best deterrents. While the City of Oakland is fully responsible for the handling of graffiti and vandalism on city-owned property, we do not have the resources to provide clean-up services for private residential or commercial property owners.

"We do, however, offer as a one-time courtesy to commercial property owners a clean-up visit when graffiti is reported and this was provided for the Genova Deli property at 4300 Broadway in December 2016. We also cite individuals responsible for graffiti and vandalism when they are identified and we encourage residents to report graffiti and vandalism on public and private property so it can be addressed by the appropriate party.

"Genova Deli's decision to close its retail and factory locations was met with sadness by the Oakland community which for decades has benefited from the contributions of this long-time business. While we sympathize with the owner's frustration about graffiti and vandalism on their property, the City's policy is long-standing."