HISTORY

Phil Graff, John Barajas and Steve Sallenback have more in common than just being long-time residents of Elk Grove Village. Phil and Steve attended high school together. Steve and John both have previous experience working in the food manufacturing industry. All three shared a desire to venture out on their own as entrepreneurs. 

In 2006, Steve and John joined their food industry experience with Phil's financial skills to form Legacy Foods Manufacturing LLC. "We have doubled in size almost every year since we started," says Sallenback, "and we foresee this growth continuing through nurturing our existing customer relationships and actively pursuing new opportunities." Graff adds, "As Legacy has grown, a major priority is maintaining the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standards."

Legacy is considered a liquid foods manufacturer, and the foods it produces fall into hot and cold categories. Its hot (or cooked) food products include such items as marinara, salsas, barbeque and pizza sauces; its cold products consist of mayonnaise, salad dressings and spreads.

"The majority of our products, about 80% percent, are being produced as ingredients for other industrial food manufacturers," says Barajas. "The other 20% is food services. Several restaurant chains also use our products. You'll never see our name on an item in a grocery store, but some of our ingredients could very well be in some of the foods you buy there. "The ingredients used in Legacy Foods' products, which can be fresh, refrigerated, frozen or dehydrated, are shipped in truckloads directly from their sources all over the country. "One of the strengths of being located in the Midwest, besides the fact that it's a major transportation hub," says Sallenback, "is that the producers for the commodities and ingredients that we use are right in our backyard."

Legacy Foods' facilities uses automated food processing technology to produce batch commodities quickly and accurately. It can package its products in a variety of containers ranging from totes, drums, pails, gallons, cups, pouches and bottles. Their employees are all fully trained in the use of the processing machinery and in the safe handling of ingredients.

"Consistency and quality are important in the industrial food industry," says Graff. "Our customers trust us to turn out products that are the same every time. That trust and confidence is a tribute to our commitment to quality. We strive to be an extension of our customers' businesses, not just their supplier."