Egg roll manufacturer Van’s Kitchen has been named Refrigerated Foods Processor of the Year by Refrigerated & Frozen Foods Magazine.
“We are honored to be recognized by this award,” said Van’s Kitchen CEO Theresa Motter. “It affirms all the hard work we’ve done and reflects the investment in our company and people. And the growth we have enjoyed has allowed us to add new positions across the board — from human resources to production and operations.”
During a year plagued by supply issues, Van’s accomplishments are exemplary. The company onboarded over 10 new distributor, supermarket and convenience store accounts increasing its client base by 28%. Last year, to further service increased demand for its products, Van’s added another shift to its production facilities — moving from one shift six days a week to two shifts. Overall, sales increased a healthy 40% over the previous year.
”We continually work to provide our retail partners with the necessary supply of our delicious products that they need to service their customers,” said Van’s CSO Carl Motter at the time the shift was added. “Being proactive now by ramping up production capability ensures that we will continue to meet demand.”
Van’s also gives back to the community. Each month it donates 90,000 egg rolls to food banks — equivalent to over 500,000 meals annually. Van’s Kitchen financially supports No Kid Hungry, a national campaign working to solve problems of hunger and poverty, and its Van’s Cares Fund, which is dedicated to helping the company’s associates and vendor partners who are in financial, medical and personal need. Van’s Kitchen grows the Cares Fund by matching every employee contribution.
Van’s Kitchen, the flagship brand of VAN Oriental Food, was founded in 1986 by Van and Kim Nguyen — immigrants from Vietnam. In 2014 the company was transitioned to their daughter, Theresa, and her husband, Carl Motter, who carry on the family-oriented, relationship-based tradition and lead the company as CEO and CSO, respectively.
A certified Women-Owned and minority-owned egg roll manufacturer, Van’s Kitchen supplies over 10,000 supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide.