Five Star Gourmet Foods

What Five Star Gourmet Foods does

Five Star Gourmet Foods, Inc. (operating as "Home of Simply Fresh") is a privately-held fresh food manufacturer founded in 1995 and headquartered at 10234 Fourth Street, Rancho Cucamonga, California. The company produces ready-to-eat salads, salad kits, portable snack packs, and USDA-compliant K-12 meal solutions under the Simply Fresh brand, alongside private label co-manufacturing for retail grocery partners. Its core product portfolio centers on the patented Salad Shaker line (eight SKU variants using a flip-snap-shake bowl design), the Simply Fresh signature and organic salad families, MiniMeals2Go portable packs, Simply Fresh Snacks, family-size salads, and SF2Go institutional meals for K-12 districts meeting NSLP, CACFP, and SFSP requirements.

The company's underlying technology is physical rather than digital: a patented Salad Shaker bowl that enables consumer mixing of dressing without mess, paired with proprietary Ultra Fresh Sealed Packaging that extends shelf life for perishable SKUs. Five Star maintains SQF, HACCP, and USDA compliance, sources antibiotic-free proteins and NON-GMO ingredients, and runs a dedicated quality assurance organization. It also holds a named operating unit, SF-360, led by a dedicated president.

Five Star generates revenue through three channels: branded retail sales of Simply Fresh products through grocery store distribution; private label manufacturing of fresh prepared foods sold under retailer-owned brands; and direct foodservice sales to K-12 school districts via the SF2Go line. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the company is founder-led by CEO Tal Shoshan, has between 501 and 1,000 employees, and is pursuing growth through product-line expansion (Organic sub-brand, broader Salad Shaker range, deeper K-12 institutional offerings) and organizational build-out, rather than through external funding or M&A.

Name

Five Star Gourmet Foods

Legal name

FiveStar Gourmet Foods, Inc.

Website

https://fivestargourmetfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Five Star Gourmet Foods is a privately-held, Rancho Cucamonga-based fresh food manufacturer producing Simply Fresh branded salads, patented Salad Shakers, portable snacks, and USDA-compliant K-12 meals for retail grocery chains, school foodservice, and private label partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Prepared Foods

NAICS

Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing (311991), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Freshly Made Grab-and-Go (Sandwiches, Wraps, Salads) (CRAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cold Prepared Foods & Meal Components (Sides, Proteins, Family Meals) (CRAHAKAC), Local Chef/Restaurant Meal Boxes & Marketplace Prepared Meals (CRAHAJAI)

Keywords

• Fresh prepared foods
• Salad kits
• Private label manufacturing
• K-12 foodservice
• Ready-to-eat meals

Headquarters

HQ city

Rancho Cucamonga

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, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: Manufactures and sells fresh prepared foods including salads, salad kits, snacks, and mini meals under the Simply Fresh brand through retail grocery store channels to consumers.
2. Private Label Manufacturing: Provides private label fresh food solutions to retail trade partners and grocery chains under their own branding.
3. Foodservice/K-12 Sales: Sells fresh prepared meals and salads to K-12 schools meeting USDA nutritional requirements, NSLP, CACFP, and SFSP compliance standards.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FiveStar Gourmet Foods, Inc. manufactures fresh prepared salads, salad kits, mini meals, and snack packs under the Simply Fresh brand. The company distributes its products through retail grocery stores for consumer purchase, directly to K-12 school districts as USDA-compliant meal solutions, and through private label manufacturing arrangements with retail trade partners.

Product overview

Five Star Gourmet Foods (home of Simply Fresh) is a premier provider of fresh, healthy, and innovative food solutions operating across retail, private label, and foodservice channels. The product portfolio centers on the Simply Fresh brand of ready-to-eat salad kits featuring patented Salad Shaker bowl technology, complemented by MiniMeals2Go portable snack packs, SF2Go K-12 school meal solutions, organic salad offerings, family-size salads, and Simply Fresh Snacks. The company emphasizes antibiotic-free proteins, house-made dressings, premium toppings, and NON-GMO ingredients across its product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Simply Fresh: Primary consumer brand for fresh salads, salad shakers, snacks, and prepared food products.

Products and services

• Simply Fresh Salads

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Taylor Farms: Largest U.S. processor of fresh salads, vegetables, and value-added fresh prepared foods, supplying retail, foodservice, and K-12 channels. Directly comparable on product mix (salads, kits, bowls), customer base (retail grocery + institutional), and private label model.
• Bakkavor Group: U.K.-based private label fresh prepared foods manufacturer supplying major retailers with salads, sandwiches, and chilled meals. Comparable on private label fresh prepared manufacturing model, retailer relationships, and multi-SKU fresh category capabilities.
• Earthbound Farm: Organic produce and packaged salad brand (owned by Danone) with retail and foodservice distribution. Directly comparable on organic / clean-label positioning, retail salad kits, and premium fresh prepared portfolio overlap with Five Star's Organic Salads line.
• Litehouse Inc. Manufacturer of salad dressings, dips, and fresh refrigerated foods sold through retail and foodservice. Comparable on house-made dressing positioning, refrigerated fresh food manufacturing, and retail private label programs.
• Reser's Fine Foods: Manufacturer of refrigerated prepared salads, side dishes, and Hispanic fresh foods distributed to retail and foodservice. Comparable on perishable prepared food manufacturing, multi-channel retail and institutional distribution, and private label offerings.
• Bonduel (formerly Ready Pac Foods): Manufacturer of fresh prepared salads, snack packs, and refrigerated meals serving retail and foodservice. Directly comparable on perishable prepared food manufacturing, retail private label capabilities, and multi-channel distribution.
• Organic Girl: Organic packaged salad and fresh greens brand sold in retail grocery. Comparable to Five Star on the organic and clean-label SKU set, retail grocery go-to-market, and premium positioning of Simply Fresh Organic.
• Fresh Express: Leading packaged salad brand (owned by Chiquita) supplying retail grocery with bagged salads, kits, and prepared bowls. Directly comparable on retail packaged-salad category presence, private label capabilities, and national distribution scale.

Broad incumbents

• Dole plc: Diversified global fresh produce giant with growing fresh prepared and packaged salad exposure. Comparable on retail fresh produce and packaged salad categories, but operates at vastly larger scale and with a broader product portfolio spanning fruit, vegetables, and prepared foods.

Emerging players

• Eat Just, Inc. Plant-based prepared food and ingredient company (Just Egg, Just Meat) selling into retail and foodservice. Partially comparable on fresh, premium, clean-label prepared foods serving retail grocery and foodservice channels, though focused on plant-based proteins.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fivestargourmetfoods
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fivestargourmetfoods
• Instagraminstagram.com/eatsimplyfresh
• Xx.com/fivestargf

Compliance4 records

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&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Five Star Gourmet Foods