Ready Foods

What Ready Foods does

Ready Foods is a family-owned and operated food manufacturer founded in 1972 and headquartered at 2645 W 7th Ave, Denver, Colorado. The company produces a portfolio of ready-to-use prepared foods for the U.S. foodservice industry, including cheese sauces (Aged White, Yellow, Alfredo, Three Cheese, Chile Con Queso, Queso Blanco), soups, salsas (Salsa Verde, Roasted Salsa Asada), red and green chile sauces, fully-cooked beef, seasoned beans, Spanish rice, and pasta/rice/vegetable sides. Products are kettle-cooked and packed in BPA-free flexible film with a 6-month frozen shelf life (and select 60-day refrigerated SKUs), engineered for steam-table holding and 100% yield utilization in commercial kitchens.

The company serves two primary customer sets: independent restaurant and foodservice operators, and chain/multi-unit foodservice operators, both reached exclusively through major broad-line foodservice distributors (Sysco, US Foods, Core-Mark, Performance Foodservice, Greco, Peddler's Son, Shamrock) across at least eight western and southwestern states. A secondary revenue stream is private-label and co-manufacturing contract manufacturing, supported by an in-house R&D team that develops custom formulations for brand owners and foodservice customers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

The business is privately held under continuous family ownership since 1972, with no external funding rounds, M&A activity, or parent company structure disclosed. Ready Foods holds industry association memberships (Colorado Proud, Colorado Restaurant Association) and sustainability credentials (Colorado Green Business Network Silver Level, 2025 Innovation Spotlight Award).

Name

Ready Foods

Legal name

Ready Foods LLC

Website

https://readyfoods.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Ready Foods is a family-owned Denver-based food manufacturer, founded in 1972, producing kettle-cooked ready-to-use cheese sauces, salsas, chiles, soups, beans, and prepared foods for U.S. foodservice operators, distributed exclusively through broad-line distributors and supplemented by private-label co-manufacturing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Food Manufacturing

NAICS

Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing (311991), Food Manufacturing (311), Mayonnaise, Dressing, and Other Prepared Sauce Manufacturing (311941)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Chilled/ready-to-heat prepared meals manufacturing (AFAKAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Prepared soups, stews & chili manufacturing (AFAKAHAJ), Cold Prepared Foods & Meal Components (Sides, Proteins, Family Meals) (CRAHAKAC), Soups, Broths & Meal Starters (CRADAAAF)

Keywords

• Foodservice manufacturing
• Private label co-manufacturing
• Ready-to-use foods
• Cheese sauces
• Kettle-cooked foods

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foodservice product sales: Ready Foods manufactures and sells prepared food products (cheese sauces, soups, salsas, beans, beef, chile, pasta/rice/vegetables) to foodservice establishments through broad-line distributors. Products are sold as ready-to-use ingredients for restaurant kitchens.
2. Private label / contract manufacturing: The company offers co-manufacturing services under customer private labels, providing custom contract manufacturing capabilities for foodservice operators and brands seeking custom formulations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ready Foods manufactures kettle-cooked, ready-to-use food products including cheese sauces, soups, salsas, beans, fully-cooked beef, chile sauces, and pasta/rice/vegetable dishes for foodservice operators. The company also offers private-label contract manufacturing and co-packing services for brands and distributors seeking custom formulations. Products are packaged in BPA-free film with a 6-month frozen shelf life and 100% yield.

Product overview

Ready Foods is a family-owned food manufacturing company offering a comprehensive portfolio of ready-to-use products for foodservice operations. The product line centers on cheese sauces (including Aged White Cheese Sauce #7601, Yellow Cheese Sauce #7604, Alfredo Sauce #7606, Three Cheese Sauce #7618, and Chile Con Queso #7605), authentic Mexican and Southwestern salsas (Salsa Verde #7296, Roasted Salsa Asada #7282, and Morita Salsa #7283), red and green chile sauces, fully-cooked beef, seasoned beans (Vegetarian Black Beans #7113), Spanish Rice (#7289), soups, and pasta dishes. Products are kettle-cooked and packed in BPA-free film with 6-month frozen shelf life. The company operates as a co-manufacturer and private-label partner for restaurant operators and distributors nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Three Cheese Sauce (#7618) A thicker three-cheese sauce made with American Cheese, Romano, and Monterey Jack cheeses, formulated with whole milk and butter for steam-table stability in foodservice kitchens.
• Green Chile Hot Dish Hearty vegetarian green chile sauce suitable for hot dish preparations, used with pulled chicken or turkey, grated cheese, and tater tots in foodservice menus.
• Cheese Sauces Complete line of cheese sauces including Aged White Cheese Sauce, Yellow Cheese Sauce, Alfredo Sauce, and specialty varieties designed for foodservice operations.
• Soups Ready-to-use soups for foodservice establishments, including beer cheese soup and other kettle-cooked varieties.
• Sauces Ready-to-use sauces including gravies, demi glace, and specialty sauces for foodservice operations.
• Chile Chile products including green chile and other Southwestern chile varieties for foodservice operators.
• Fully-Cooked Beef Pre-cooked beef products ready for foodservice operations, eliminating prep time in commercial kitchens.
• Beans Ready-to-use beans including Vegetarian Black Beans (#7113), seasoned with onion, garlic, cumin, and coriander.
• Pasta, Rice & Vegetables Ready-to-use pasta, rice, and vegetable products for foodservice establishments.
• Salsa Ready-to-use salsa varieties including Salsa Verde (#7296) and Roasted Salsa Asada (#7282).
• Private Label Contract Manufacturing Custom contract manufacturing and co-packing services under customer private labels, providing custom formulations for foodservice operators and brands using Ready Foods' kettle-cooking capabilities and in-house R&D team.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of distributor reps surveyed recommend Ready Foods products to their customers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• GC ProducecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGC Produce is a Colorado-based supplier that connects Ready Foods with high-quality dried pepper farmers. They source and screen peppers while still growing and manage rigorous quality control including metal detectors and visual inspections. GC Produce provides over 2 million pounds of dried peppers to Ready Foods annually, including Morita and Árbol chiles. The company was started by a farming family from Sinaloa, Mexico, and operates a state-of-the-art screening facility in Colorado.
• SyscocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor broad-line foodservice distributor providing nationwide distribution of Ready Foods products to restaurants and foodservice establishments.
• US FoodscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor broad-line foodservice distributor providing nationwide distribution of Ready Foods products to restaurants and foodservice establishments.
• Core-MarkmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroad-line foodservice distributor carrying Ready Foods products.
• Performance FoodservicemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroad-line foodservice distributor carrying Ready Foods products.
• GrecominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional foodservice distributor in the western US carrying Ready Foods products.
• Peddler's SonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional foodservice distributor carrying Ready Foods products.
• Shamrock FoodsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional foodservice distributor (primarily western US) carrying Ready Foods products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bay Valley Foods: Custom manufacturer of sauces, dressings, and dairy-based ingredients for foodservice and private label. Comparable co-manufacturing business model, foodservice channel focus, and custom formulation capabilities to Ready Foods.
• Basic American Foods: Foodservice-focused manufacturer of prepared foods including potatoes, beans, and Mexican-style ingredients. Comparable operator base, prepared-food product line, and broadline distribution model.
• Reser's Fine Foods: Family-owned manufacturer of prepared foods including Mexican-style entrees, beans, and salsas for foodservice and retail. Closely matches Ready Foods' Mexican/Southwestern cuisine focus and family-owned private structure.
• Pacific Foods: Manufacturer of soups, broths, and plant-based prepared foods for foodservice and retail. Overlaps with Ready Foods in soups and broths category with a comparable kettle/batch production approach.
• Custom Culinary: Manufacturer of sauces, gravies, soup bases, and seasonings for foodservice operators. Overlapping product categories (sauces, soups, bases) and foodservice channel distribution model closely mirror Ready Foods' offerings.
• Kettle Cuisine: Kettle-cooked soup, sauce, and prepared foods manufacturer serving the foodservice channel. Highly comparable production method (kettle cooking) and product mix to Ready Foods' soups, sauces, and prepared foods line.

Broad incumbents

• Schreiber Foods: Large privately-held dairy and foodservice ingredient manufacturer with significant co-manufacturing operations. Overlaps with Ready Foods in cheese sauces and private-label manufacturing but at substantially larger scale.
• TreeHouse Foods (Windsor Foods): Large private-label food manufacturer with significant prepared foods and sauce operations for foodservice and retail. Comparable in private-label co-manufacturing and prepared foods categories, but at enterprise scale.
• Campbell's Foodservice: Foodservice division of Campbell Soup Company producing soups, sauces, and beverages for foodservice operators. Offers overlapping capabilities but as part of a much broader portfolio across the foodservice channel.

Emerging players

• Tortilla King / Ruiz Food Products: Manufacturer of Mexican-style prepared foods and frozen burritos for retail and foodservice. Adjacent competitor in the Mexican/Southwestern cuisine category with overlapping salsa, chile, and prepared protein categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/readyfoodsinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ready Foods