History

Tom and Vicki Hughes

OUR HISTORY


Garden-Fresh Foods, Inc. was started in 1978 by Tom and Vicki Hughes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Tom, working as a produce merchandiser for a Midwestern food chain, identified a marketplace need for convenience, quality and consistency with fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. He developed a diverse customer base that included supermarkets, schools and a variety of other institutions.

Tom and Vicki quickly expanded their product line to include prepared salads, dips and desserts as it became clear that there was an unfilled need for high-quality, value-added foods that were traditionally time and labor intensive to produce in-house.

As the business grew, Garden-Fresh Foods moved into a 170,000 square foot facility near Milwaukee’s historic Menomonee Valley, where it is still located today and employs over 100 people. Garden-Fresh Foods is proud to say that all of its products are made in the USA.

To date, Garden-Fresh Foods has developed countless recipes under both their own brands and many private-label brands which distribute nationally. The company continues to craft innovative foods that appeal to today’s discerning consumer through a variety of flavor profiles.

With a top-level leadership team and with second generation family members firmly entrenched, the success of Garden-Fresh Foods continues to rely on a commitment to the legacy of quality, teamwork and family values under which Tom and Vicki have operated since they founded the company.