Stir Foods

What Stir Foods does

Stir Foods is a privately held U.S. custom food manufacturer that develops and produces sauces, dressings, soups, marinades, dips, and related condiments on a contract basis for foodservice operators, retail/private label brands, and industrial meal assemblers. The company operates three manufacturing facilities — Orange CA, Fullerton CA, and Mississauga ON (the latter acquired via Celtrade in 2020) — and runs a B2B sales-led model in which Stir's culinary team and food scientists collaborate with customers from product ideation through formulation, scale-up, packaging, and shipment. Core technology centers on Ready-to-Eat (RTE) and Ready-to-Use (RTU) cold-mixing capabilities, heat-pasteurization, and flexible packaging lines that handle rigid formats (glass, plastic, cups, totes, drums) and flexible formats (pouches, sachets, bag-in-box), allowing the same facility to run pilot batches and national roll-outs. All facilities hold FDA/USDA inspection status and SQF Level 3 HACCP certification.

Revenue is generated through B2B project-based manufacturing fees tied to product specifications, batch size, and packaging configuration; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Stir Foods has executed three acquisitions in the 2019-2021 window (Van Law Food Products, Celtrade, Lancaster Fine Foods) that broadened its product portfolio and added Canadian production capacity. Documented outcomes include a first-to-market private label crema that became a major retailer's #1 product, a restaurant customer achieving tenfold capacity expansion by outsourcing ~95% of sauce production, and an internationally-inspired Thai/Indian sauce line over-performing national brands at a top U.S. retailer. The company was co-founded by Phil Carion, claims 75+ years of operating history (origins traced to ~1950), and operates without disclosed external venture or private equity backing.

Name

Stir Foods

Legal name

Stir Foods LLC

Website

https://stirfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Stir Foods is a privately held custom food manufacturer producing sauces, dressings, soups, and dips for foodservice operators, retail private label brands, and industrial meal assemblers across the United States and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Food Manufacturing

NAICS

Mayonnaise, Dressing, and Other Prepared Sauce Manufacturing (311941)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Dips, Salsas, Relishes & Chutneys Manufacturing (AFAKADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Prepared soups, stews & chili manufacturing (AFAKAHAJ), Hot Sauce & Chili Sauce Manufacturing (AFAKADAE), Mayonnaise & Aioli Manufacturing (AFAKADAB)

Keywords

• Custom food manufacturing
• Sauce co-manufacturing
• Private label sauces
• Salad dressings
• Food contract manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Orange

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Food Manufacturing: B2B custom manufacturing of sauces, dressings, soups, marinades, and dips for foodservice, retail, and industrial customers. Revenue generated through production fees based on product specifications, batch sizes, and packaging requirements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Stir Foods is a custom B2B food manufacturer that develops, co-creates, and produces sauces, dressings, soups, marinades, dips, and related culinary products for foodservice operators, grocery retailers, and industrial food manufacturers. The company operates RTE/RTU cold-mixing and heat-pasteurization facilities in Orange and Fullerton, California and Mississauga, Ontario, and handles everything from ideation, recipe replication, and pilot testing through full-scale national production and custom packaging.

Product overview

Stir Foods is a custom food manufacturing company offering a broad portfolio of sauces, dressings, soups, and dips. Its product categories include Sweet & Savory Condiments (hot sauces, aioli, BBQ sauce, dips, salsas), Artisanal Dressings & Vinaigrettes (creamy dressings, two-phase vinaigrettes, dietary and plant-based dressings), and Versatile Culinary Sauces (marinades, simmering sauces, culinary pastes, pasta sauces, velvety cream sauces). Named product examples include Toasted Chipotle Tinga Sauce, Mayonnaise, Sesame Soy Ginger Glaze, Hollandaise Sauce, Harissa Cooking Paste, Queso Blanco, Barbecue Sauce, Chipotle Aioli, Korean-Style Barbecue Sauce, Thai & Indian Sauces, Jalapeño Cilantro Crema, plus beverage ingredients such as RTU Syrups & Bar Mixes, Hibiscus Syrup, Horchata, and Chocolate Dessert Sauce. The company operates as a single integrated custom manufacturing platform serving foodservice, retail & deli, and industrial customers across the United States and Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Sweet & Savory Condiments Custom-manufactured condiment product line including hot sauces, aioli, BBQ sauce, dips, and salsas developed collaboratively with retail, foodservice, and industrial customers from concept through production.
• Custom Artisanal Dressings & Vinaigrettes Custom-manufactured line of creamy dressings, two-phase vinaigrettes, and dietary and plant-based dressings produced for retail private label and foodservice partners.
• Custom Versatile Culinary Sauces Custom-manufactured culinary sauce category covering marinades, simmering sauces, culinary pastes, pasta sauces, and velvety cream sauces produced by Stir Foods for foodservice and retail customers.
• Custom Soups & Fresh Dips Custom-manufactured soups and fresh dips co-created and produced for foodservice, retail, and industrial customers as part of Stir Foods' core product offering.
• Custom RTU Syrups & Bar Mixes Ready-to-Use syrups and bar mixes manufactured by Stir Foods for mocktail and cocktail preparation, including hibiscus syrup, horchata, and chocolate dessert sauce bases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Customer's private label crema-inspired Mexican condiment became the #1 product with the retailer
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ventura Foods: One of the largest custom manufacturers of sauces, dressings, marinades, and condiments in North America, serving foodservice, retail, and industrial customers. Closely comparable to Stir Foods in business model, product categories, and customer mix.
• Bay Valley Foods: Custom manufacturer of sauces, dressings, drink mixes, and dry blends for foodservice and retail private-label customers. Directly comparable to Stir Foods in private-label co-manufacturing model and customer segments.
• Mizkan America: North American subsidiary of Mizkan Holdings producing branded and private-label sauces, dressings, and condiments including pasta sauces, vinegar-based dressings, and Asian sauces. Comparable in product categories, with both branded and private-label exposure.
• Newly Weds Foods: Global custom manufacturer of coatings, seasonings, sauces, and functional ingredients for foodservice, retail, and industrial customers. Comparable B2B co-manufacturing model with multi-category capability and similar customer profiles.
• Litehouse Foods: Family-owned manufacturer of refrigerated dressings, sauces, dips, and marinades with both branded and private-label exposure. Comparable in product categories (dressings, sauces, dips) and customer mix including retail and foodservice.

Broad incumbents

• TreeHouse Foods: Large public private-label food manufacturer serving retail and foodservice across multiple categories including sauces, dressings, soups, and meals. Operates in the same private-label co-manufacturing space as Stir Foods but at materially greater scale and category breadth.
• McCormick & Company: Global flavor leader producing spices, seasonings, condiments, and sauces for retail and foodservice. Overlaps with Stir Foods in sauces, dressings, and culinary flavors but at vastly greater scale with heavy branded exposure.
• Conagra Brands: Major North American packaged foods company with deep presence in sauces, dressings, frozen meals, and condiments across retail and foodservice. Adjacent competitor and large potential customer in the same product categories as Stir Foods.
• Campbell Soup Company: Iconic packaged food company with major positions in soup, sauces (Pace, Prego, Ragu), and broths. Directly comparable product categories (soups, sauces) at significantly greater scale, with both branded retail and foodservice exposure.
• Hain Celestial Group: Manufacturer of natural and organic foods including sauces, dressings, soups, and meals under multiple brands. Comparable in product categories and B2B retail/foodservice channels but focused on the better-for-you segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A3 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Stir Foods