Ventura Foods

What Ventura Foods does

Ventura Foods is a private B2B food manufacturer and ingredient supplier headquartered in Los Angeles, California, operating as a joint venture between CHS Inc., a US agribusiness firm, and Mitsui & Co., a Japanese trading company. The company produces custom and proprietary dressings, sauces, mayonnaises, cooking oils, butter blends, condiments, dessert and beverage mixes, and single-serve portion-controlled products for foodservice operators, retail chains, and international markets. Its portfolio spans 20+ consumer-licensed brands (Hidden Valley, Smart Balance, LouAna, Disney-labeled products, Welch's, True Citrus) and 15+ Ready-to-Go professional brands (SunGlow, Mel-Fry, Sauce Craft, Classic Gourmet, Chef's Pride, Grandioso, Phase, Flavor Fresh), supported by 15 manufacturing sites across the US and Canada, four innovation centers, and a 30+ person product development team.

The company operates a hybrid B2B go-to-market combining dedicated sales teams for foodservice operators with distribution through major foodservice distributors and enterprise retail accounts (Costco, Publix), plus international distribution partnerships in Canada, Mexico, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific through the Philippines. Revenue is generated through quote-based product sales with custom pricing by volume, customer type, and contract terms; no public pricing is disclosed. Service offerings include culinary solutions, custom product development, category management, risk management, strategic insights via a proprietary consumer panel, and digital/eCommerce content. In June 2024 Ventura Foods acquired DYMA Brands, adding four US manufacturing facilities and expanding portion-control and dry-blend capabilities; a January 2026 brand refresh consolidated the DYMA identity under the unified Ventura Foods brand.

Notable operational risks include two FDA Class II recalls during 2025 — over 22,000 cases of peanut butter (April 2025) due to blue plastic contamination and 3,556 cases of salad dressing (November 2025) due to black plastic contamination in granulated onion — both indicating quality-control exposure across multiple product lines. Ventura Foods' underlying technology centers on food science formulation (proprietary emulsion process for mayonnaise, high-performance frying oil blends with extended fry life), environmental sustainability (the Pure initiative converting used cooking oil into biodiesel), and broad multi-category manufacturing capability rather than software or digital platforms.

Name

Ventura Foods

Legal name

Ventura Foods

Website

https://venturafoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Ventura Foods is a private B2B food manufacturer, joint-ventured between CHS Inc. and Mitsui & Co., producing custom and proprietary dressings, sauces, mayonnaise, cooking oils, and condiments for foodservice operators, retail chains, and international markets across 15 US and Canadian manufacturing sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Manufacturing and Foodservice Ingredients

NAICS

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

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Condiments, Sauces & Dressings (CRADAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Salad Dressings & Vinaigrettes Manufacturing (AFAKADAC), Ingredient Blends & Systems / Custom Formulation (Seasoning Systems, Functional Blends) (CRADAOAO)

Keywords

• Food manufacturing services
• Foodservice ingredient supply
• Private label dressings
• Cooking and frying oils
• Sauces and condiments

Headquarters

HQ city

Brea

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Manufacturing and Product Sales: Manufactures and sells food products including dressings, sauces, cooking oils, mayonnaise, butter blends, condiments, and specialty ingredients to foodservice operators, retailers, and distributors. Revenue generated through product sales across multiple channels.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ventura Foods manufactures and supplies custom and proprietary food ingredients — dressings, sauces, mayonnaises, cooking and frying oils, butter blends, margarines, pan sprays, popcorn oils, dessert mixes, beverage mixes, and portion-control condiments — for foodservice operators, retailers, and distributors across North America and select international markets. It also offers co-manufacturing, private-label, product development, and category management services under its joint-venture ownership by CHS Inc. and Mitsui & Co.

Product overview

Ventura Foods is a food manufacturing company offering a diverse portfolio of branded food products for foodservice, retail, and industrial customers. The portfolio operates on a platform-plus-modules architecture centered around core product categories (dressings, cooking oils, mayonnaise, sauces, butter blends) enhanced by numerous sub-brands and licensed brands. Ready-to-Go Brands include SunGlow (butter blends), Mel-Fry (frying oils), Sauce Craft (sauces), Classic Gourmet Mayo, Classic Gourmet Bases, Chef's Pride (oils and mayos), Grandioso (garlic sauces), Phase (butter alternatives), LouAna (popping oils), Gold-n-Sweet (margarine), Wilsey (mayonnaise), and Flavor Fresh (single-serve products). Consumer Loved Brands include Hidden Valley, Smart Balance, LouAna, Disney-labeled products, Welch's, and True Citrus. Supporting brands include Aroma Vita, Thirst Ease, Chef's Companion, Single Serv, Coffee Shoppe, Chef's Seasoning, Lite Delite, Packet Brand, Bella Migliore, Poco Pac, Sweet Crystals, and Treemont Select. The company operates as a joint venture between CHS Inc. and Mitsui & Co., with 15 manufacturing sites across the US and Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hidden Valley: Consumer-loved brand featuring Original Ranch dressing and related products
• Smart Balance
• SunGlow
• Mel-Fry
• Sauce Craft
• Classic Gourmet
• Chef's Pride
• Grandioso
• Phase
• LouAna
• Gold-n-Sweet
• Wilsey
• Flavor Fresh
• Aroma Vita
• Thirst Ease
• Chef's Companion
• Single Serv
• Coffee Shoppe
• Chef's Seasoning
• Lite Delite
• Packet Brand
• Bella Migliore
• Poco Pac
• Sweet Crystals
• Treemont Select
• True Citrus

Products and services

• Dressings and Dips Ranch, Italian, balsamic vinaigrette, Caesar, blue cheese, and other dressing and dip varieties sold to foodservice operators and retailers.
• Sauces Hot sauce, taco sauce, BBQ sauce, tartar sauce, and Picante sauce crafted from natural ingredients without artificial flavors or corn syrup, for foodservice and retail customers.
• Mayonnaise Mayonnaise products ranging from heavy duty to real to eggless formulations under Classic Gourmet, Wilsey, and Flavor Fresh brands for foodservice and retail.
• Cooking and Frying Oils Mel-Fry high-performance fry oils and Chef's Pride conventional fry oils that resist flavor transfer and offer extended fry life for demanding kitchen environments.
• Butter Flavored Oils (Phase) Phase butter flavored oils for seasoning, cooking, and grilling that deliver butter taste at 25% higher yield than melted butter.
• Butter Blends and Margarine Butter blends and margarine products including SunGlow European Style Butter Blend and Grandioso garlic sauce for professional kitchens.
• White Cap Pan Sprays Pan sprays for baking and grilling that prevent sticking, simplify cleanup, and reduce waste with proprietary spray head design.
• Concession Popping and Topping Oils (LouAna) LouAna coconut, canola, and classic blend popping and topping oils delivering movie-theater-quality popcorn for concession businesses.
• Bulk Shortening All-purpose shortenings for cookies and tortillas, cake and icing shortenings, and donut fry shortenings for industrial and foodservice baking.
• Salad Oil Versatile salad oils under the Chef's Pride brand for house-made dressings, vinaigrettes, mayonnaise, baking, and sautéing.
• Dessert Mixes Cheesecakes, puddings, mousses, and non-dairy soft serve mixes under Chef's Companion and Treemont Select brands.
• Beverage Mixes Hot cocoa, cappuccino, spiced cider, and dry drink mixes under Aroma Vita, Coffee Shoppe, Thirst Ease, and Lite Delite brands.
• Condiments, Seasonings, and Sweeteners Honey, seasonings, sweeteners, and single-serve condiments under Flavor Fresh, Chef's Seasoning, and Sweet Crystals brands.
• Hidden Valley Branded Dressings Hidden Valley Original Ranch and related dressing products licensed to Ventura Foods for consumer and foodservice markets.
• Smart Balance Spreads and Butter Blends Smart Balance spreads and butter blends licensed to Ventura Foods for retail and foodservice distribution.
• Disney Labeled Food Products Disney-branded food products including mayonnaise and chicken dippin sauce sold under licensing agreement for foodservice and retail.
• Welch's Fruit Spreads Welch's fruit spreads and related products distributed by Ventura Foods for foodservice and retail markets under licensing agreement.
• True Citrus Citrus Products True Citrus lemon and lime juice products and seasoning mixes distributed by Ventura Foods for foodservice and retail.
• Product Development Services Custom product development using a 30+ expert team with 500+ combined years of experience to create specialty food products for customer-specific needs.
• Culinary Solutions Services Culinary solutions team takes custom menu concepts and product ideas from gold standard prototype to point of sale for foodservice customers.
• Category Management Services Retail and foodservice category management covering assortment optimization and void assessment for product portfolio efficiency.

Quantifiable outcome

• Phase butter flavored oil produces 25% more yield than melted butter or margarine
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DYMA BrandscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Ventura Foods acquired DYMA Brands in June 2024, a California-based manufacturer of condiments, seasonings, and dry blend mixes for the foodservice industry. The acquisition includes all employees and manufacturing facilities across four US locations, with DYMA continuing as a subsidiary of Ventura Foods. This acquisition enhances Ventura's manufacturing capabilities and product offerings.
• DYMA Brands Employees and Manufacturing FacilitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Acquisition included all DYMA Brands employees and manufacturing facilities across four US locations, expanding Ventura Foods' production capacity and workforce.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lancaster Colony: Public US foodservice manufacturer with Marzetti dressings and sauces, frozen breads, and dressings under New York Brand and Olive Garden licensing. Direct peer in branded and foodservice dressings, sauces, and spreads with overlapping enterprise customer base.
• McCormick & Company: Global leader in spices, seasonings, and condiments including French's mustard, Frank's RedHot, and dressings. Comparable as a branded flavor solutions provider with significant foodservice and retail presence across similar product categories.
• TreeHouse Foods: Leading private-label food manufacturer producing dressings, sauces, condiments, and other center-store categories for retail and foodservice customers. Closely comparable business model to Ventura's private-label and B2B food manufacturing core.
• Newly Weds Foods: Custom food ingredient manufacturer specializing in coatings, seasonings, and custom formulations for foodservice and retail customers. Comparable as a custom-formulation B2B food manufacturer serving similar enterprise accounts.

Broad incumbents

• Conagra Brands: Major US packaged food company with dressing brands (Wish-Bone, Marie's), sauces (Hunt's), and frozen meals. Competes with Ventura across branded dressings and condiments in retail channels, with broader portfolio reach.
• Kraft Heinz: Global packaged food leader producing dressings (Kraft, Catalina), mayonnaise (Heinz), and sauces across retail and foodservice. Broad incumbent with overlapping categories and significant scale advantage in retail shelf placement.
• B&G Foods: US packaged food company with diverse portfolio of shelf-stable brands including condiments, dressings, and dry mixes. Competes with Ventura in mid-tier branded foodservice and retail categories.
• Sysco: Largest US foodservice distributor serving restaurants, healthcare, and education customers. Operates as both a key Ventura Foods distribution channel and a potential vertical competitor in branded foodservice products.
• US Foods: Major US foodservice distributor with exclusive and proprietary branded products across multiple food categories including condiments and dressings. Channel partner and adjacent competitor to Ventura Foods.
• Performance Food Group: Large US foodservice distributor with branded product lines (Vienna Beef, Custom Brands) competing in condiments and dressings. Distributes Ventura products while also offering own-label alternatives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/venturafoods
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ventura-foods

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Ventura Foods