Cooking has been a hobby for Chef Shamy CEO David Shamy for more than four decades. In college, Shamy used his natural talent for cooking to impress his dates, which was when he created the company’s signature Parmesan Basil Garlic Butter. “It’s a recipe I developed in college to impress a girl,” he says. “I became a professional public speaker and that was my career for 35 years. I was speaking on investments and Chef Shamy was to be my wind down career. Trying to retire to a small business was like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fryer.”
It was not until eight years ago when Shamy’s youngest daughter’s high school drama club was hosting a fundraiser that he packaged his garlic butter to sell. “She didn’t want a typical theater fundraiser selling candy bars and popcorn. She asked if they could sell some stuff I made, including the garlic butter,” he remembers. “I packaged, created a label and sold it in the lobby. The next day I took the remaining butter down to a local boutique grocery store and it started to sell. I acquired a small commercial kitchen, brought my son-in-law on as a cook and my brother (a food broker) on to help sell it.”
The company has had growing pains like every small business, but Shamy says the company has doubled its revenues every year.
“There is a real hunger for real butter and people love our products on they have tasted it,” he says.
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Some companies might balk at changes in food safety regulations, but Cecelia Packing Corp. is more than willing to meet the new standards. “[It’s] what we have to do,” President David Roth asserts. “Safety is No. 1.”
Based in Orange Cove, Calif., Cecelia Packing grows, packs, ships and markets California citrus fruits, including oranges, Minneola tangelos, tangerines and grapefruit. The company started operations in 1979.
Cecelia Packing initially grew tree fruits. Today, “We’re 100 percent citrus,” Roth explains, noting that the operation has 2,200 acres of citrus properties. “We pack about 1.4 million cartons [of fruit] a year.”
The company also has stayed ahead of the “varietals curve,” with products such as its Cara Cara pink navel oranges and Valencia oranges, Roth says. “We’re also getting quite big in the blood oranges,” he adds.
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Moët Hennessy USA had much to celebrate in 2015 and looks forward to more success with its well-known brands.
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Gluten-free baked goods are typically easy to distinguish from their wheat flour-based counterparts. The texture, look and taste of gluten-free cakes, in particular, can take some getting used to on the part of people with Celiac disease or those who have embraced a gluten-free diet for other health reasons.
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As demand rises for better-for-you products, Hickory Harvest Foods responds by switching to an all organic oil manufacturing process and expanding its product lines. The company continues to deliver healthy and gourmet snacks its customers desire, while gaining further name recognition in the industry.
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Many maple product companies focus solely on syrup, but not Sweet Tree Holdings. “We have no intention of selling [just] syrup on the marketplace,” CFO Michael Argyelan says.
Based in Island Pond, Vt., Sweet Tree Holdings plans to develop a broad maple product line, ranging from syrups to beverages. The company, which is part of the portfolio of Wood Creek Capital Management LLC, has a history going back to 2013.
That year, Wood Creek’s managing director, Bob Saul, purchased the startup’s first property. “The idea was to establish a maple producing company that could compete in the world marketplace against other world conglomerates,” Argyelan recalls, noting that the company purchased another 3,500 acres and a former Ethan Allen plant in Island Pond.
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Consumers who buy Sunnyside Farms brand milk and dairy products can rest assured that these goods are of the highest possible quality. “The milk orders we receive are processed and on the store shelves within 24 hours. We don’t maintain inventories,” says Carl Graziani, president and general manager of Super Store Industries (SSI), the brand’s manufacturer and owner. “We get milk out to our partners as fresh as can be.”
The Stockton, Calif.-based company produces milk and other bottled products including juices, yogurt drinks and water, as well as the cultured dairy products yogurt, sour cream and cottage cheese, and frozen products including ice cream. Fresh milk products and juice bottled products are produced in a facility in Fairfield, Calif.; while cultured and frozen products are manufactured in a plant in Turlock, Calif.
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With its unique perspective and approach to foodservice, Premier Food Services plans to expand its footprint by becoming the company of choice for venues throughout the western United States. “We do our homework to understand,” Managing Director Paul Tazar says. “We spend time talking to customers and meeting planners to understand their needs. That’s the key differential and is symbolized by our logo.”
Founded 30 years ago by George E. Karetas, Premier brought with it a history of success, a creative vision and currently serves 31 diverse facilities, including Del Mar Fairgrounds and Racetrack, the University of California, San Diego Faculty Club, nine convention centers including Moscone Convention Center, seven arenas and multiple business dining accounts.
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