Comfort Foods

What Comfort Foods does

Comfort Foods (operating as Copperleaf Kitchen – Comfort Foods Division) is a specialty food manufacturer founded in 1989 and headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company produces and sells Southwest-inspired salsas, salad dressings, bean blends, baking mixes, soups, and dry seasoning blends under two consumer brands — Desert Gardens (flagship) and Country Gardens — alongside a private label program and co-packing services. Manufacturing is anchored in a 50,000 sq ft facility with hot and cold fill, wet and dry product processing, retail glass, institutional plastic, and pouch packaging capabilities, producing more than 150 branded SKUs and 100+ private label products.

The business operates three revenue streams: direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales of branded products at unit prices ranging from $3.45 to $8.99 with 15-25% wholesale case discounts; a private label program serving national retailers and boutique store proprietors with custom-branded specialty food products; and co-packing/contract manufacturing services for restaurants, chefs, and brands seeking to scale recipes to retail. The company holds SQF Level 2 HACCP certification and Costco Wholesale audit certification, supporting enterprise private-label eligibility. Distribution is nationwide across gift stores, specialty food retailers, arts and craft fairs, and major retail chains.

Comfort Foods was acquired by Coffee Holding Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: JVA) in 2017 for $2.3 million. In October 2025, Coffee Holding consolidated Comfort Foods' Massachusetts manufacturing operations into its Second Empire facility in Port Chester, New York, targeting approximately $700,000 in annualized overhead savings. The company is led by Blake Harden, son of founder Mark Harden, and operates with 11-50 employees.

Name

Comfort Foods

Legal name

Comfort Foods Inc.

Website

https://comfortfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Comfort Foods is a specialty food manufacturer producing Southwest-inspired salsas, dressings, bean blends, baking mixes, and seasoning blends under Desert Gardens and Country Gardens brands, plus private label and co-packing services for national retailers, boutique proprietors, and foodservice operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Food Manufacturing

NAICS

Dry Pasta, Dough, and Flour Mixes Manufacturing from Purchased Flour (311824), Mayonnaise, Dressing, and Other Prepared Sauce Manufacturing (311941), Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing (311423)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAJANAD

Spice Blends & Seasoning Mixes (Dry Rubs, Marinade Mixes)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Ingredients & Additives/Seasons & Spices

SECONDARYAFAKAHAG

Ethnic & international prepared meals manufacturing

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Processing & Manufacturing/Prepared Meals, Ready-to-Eat & Convenience Foods Manufacturing

SECONDARYCRAHAKAF

Soup, Chili & Comfort Foods (Self-Serve or Packaged)

Consumer Products & Retail/Grocery & Food Retail/Foodservice-to-Go & In-Store Prepared Foods (Grab-and-Go)

Keywords

• Specialty food manufacturing
• Private label foods
• Co-packing services
• Southwest seasonings
• Dry dip mixes

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: E-commerce and wholesale sales of Desert Gardens and Country Gardens branded specialty food products including dip mixes, soups, seasonings, and sauces to consumers and retailers
2. Private Label Program: Custom private label manufacturing for retailers and store operators featuring premium marinades, barbecue sauces, pasta sauces, salsas, salad dressings, rice and bean blends, soup and baking mixes, and dry seasoning blends
3. Co-packing Services: Contract manufacturing services for product development, food science formulation, and specialty food production for restaurants, chefs, and brands seeking to bring recipes to market

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Comfort Foods manufactures and sells specialty Southwest-inspired food products under its Desert Gardens and Country Gardens brands, including salsas, salad dressings, bean blends, baking mixes, and dry seasoning blends. It also provides B2B private label manufacturing and co-packing/contract manufacturing services for retailers, restaurants, chefs, and brands seeking custom food production.

Product overview

Comfort Foods (operating as Copperleaf Kitchen - Comfort Foods Division) is a specialty food company offering over 150 branded products across two main consumer brands—Desert Gardens (flagship Southwest-inspired line) and Country Gardens (comfort food-style line). The Desert Gardens brand includes dip mixes, soups and stews, spices and seasonings, breads and desserts, and salsas and sauces, all featuring authentic Southwest flavors. The company operates as a total solutions partner providing both branded consumer products and business services including private label manufacturing (100+ products) and co-packing services for wet and dry shelf-stable foods with capabilities in hot/cold fill, retail glass, institutional plastic, and pouch processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Desert Gardens: Flagship brand featuring Southwest-inspired specialty food products including dip mixes, soups, stews, spices, seasonings, breads, desserts, salsas, and sauces.
• Country Gardens

Products and services

• Desert Gardens Flagship Southwest-inspired specialty food brand featuring spices, seasonings, dip mixes, soups, stews, breads, desserts, and salsas made with authentic regional flavors. Marketed to specialty food consumers through e-commerce and wholesale channels.
• Country Gardens Secondary product line offering comfort food-inspired products including dip mixes, breads, desserts, and soups with country-style flavors. Sold through the same e-commerce storefront and wholesale channels as Desert Gardens.
• Private Label Program Total solutions partner program allowing retailers and boutique proprietors to create custom-branded specialty food products including marinades, barbecue sauces, pasta sauces, salsas, salad dressings, rice and bean blends, soup and baking mixes, and dry seasoning blends. Features 100+ products across multiple categories.
• Co-packing Services Product development and specialty food manufacturing services including wet shelf-stable products, hot and cold fill, retail glass and institutional plastic containers, dry products, diverse packaging options, and pouch processing for foodservice, retail, concessions, and e-commerce customers.
• Desert Gardens Dip Mixes A collection of dry seasoning mixes for preparing dips, featuring Southwest and traditional flavors. Sold to specialty food consumers and offered as part of the private label program.
• Desert Gardens Soups & Stews A line of dry soup and stew mixes with Southwest-inspired flavors. Available to consumers at $6.50 per unit and to wholesalers at case-of-6 pricing.
• Desert Gardens Spices & Seasonings A collection of seasoning products featuring Southwest and Mexican-inspired flavors. Available to consumers at $4.95-$5.50 per unit and to wholesalers at case-of-6 pricing.
• Desert Gardens Breads & Desserts Ready-to-mix bread and dessert products with Southwest-inspired flavors, available for consumer and private label sales.
• Desert Gardens Salsas & Sauces Ready-to-use and mix-at-home salsa and sauce products. Available to consumers at $5.95-$8.99 per unit and to wholesalers at case-of-6 pricing.
• Desert Gardens Gift Packs Curated gift pack collections featuring Desert Gardens products, targeted at gifting and specialty retail channels.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Pace Foods (Campbell Soup Co.): Mass-market salsa brand owned by Campbell. Directly competes with Desert Gardens' in the jarred salsa category, though at much larger scale and broader flavor positioning.
• McCormick & Company: The largest U.S. spice, seasoning, and flavor manufacturer (Lawry's, Old Bay, Zatarain's). Comparable to Comfort Foods in spice blends, dry mixes, and private label seasoning programs, but broader in scale and category reach.
• Old El Paso (General Mills): General Mills-owned Mexican/Southwest dinner kit and seasoning brand. Directly competes with Comfort Foods' Southwest salsa, seasoning, and dry meal-mix positioning at mass retail.

Direct peers

• Frontera Foods (Concord Foods/Goya): Chef-driven Mexican/Southwest salsa and cooking sauce brand. Comparable to Comfort Foods' Desert Gardens line in authentic Mexican/Southwest flavor positioning and direct-to-consumer specialty food distribution.
• Tapatio Hot Sauce: Family-owned Mexican hot sauce and salsa brand. Comparable as a Hispanic-flavored CPG brand with broad retail distribution and strongly differentiated flavor profile, similar to Desert Gardens' positioning.
• LGS Specialty Sales (Mrs. Taste / Yucatan): Specialty food company producing Southwest/Mexican salsas, sauces, and dips. Comparable to Comfort Foods in authentic Mexican-flavored CPG and private label manufacturing capabilities.
• Hatch Chile Company: Authentic New Mexico chile-based sauces, salsas, and seasoning brand. Highly comparable to Comfort Foods' Desert Gardens line in green chile/Southwest flavor niche and direct-to-consumer specialty retail model.
• Frontier Ag Co-op: Specialty spice and dry ingredient manufacturer with private label services. Comparable to Comfort Foods' spice blend manufacturing capacity and private label/co-packing capabilities for multi-format customers.
• Cholula Hot Sauce: Premium Mexican hot sauce brand with strong restaurant and retail presence. Comparable to Comfort Foods in authentic Mexican/Southwest flavor positioning and emphasis on foodservice-plus-retail dual distribution.

Others

• Cape Cod Chips (Snyder's-Lance / Campbell): Specialty snack brand with regional heritage and national distribution. Comparable to Comfort Foods as a small specialty food brand that scaled nationally via differentiated flavor positioning and selective retail partnerships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DesertGardensSW
• Pinterestpinterest.com/gqcs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/comfort-foods-abq

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Comfort Foods