Don Lee Farms

What Don Lee Farms does

Don Lee Farms (legal entity: Goodman Food Products, Inc., with Texas operating entity Goodman Food Products Texas, Inc.) is a third-generation, family-owned American frozen protein manufacturer founded in 1982 by Donald Goodman, building on his father Larry's pioneering work in flash-frozen cooked burgers and spun soy protein fiber dating to the early 1970s. The company operates two USDA-inspected production campuses in Inglewood, California (1984) and Mansfield, Texas (2012), charbroiling proteins over 800°F direct flames and flash-freezing at peak to produce hundreds of millions of meals annually across charbroiled burgers, handmade tacos and quesadillas, bowls, breakfast sandwiches, handhelds, meatballs, plant-based, and USDA Organic product lines under the Don Lee Farms® and CrispUps® registered trademarks.

The company generates revenue across five distinct streams: (1) branded consumer sales through wholesale clubs (Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's), mass retailers (Walmart, Target, Smart & Final), and Instacart for online fulfillment; (2) private-label and co-manufacturing partnerships with national and regional retailers, club chains, convenience chains, foodservice and K-12 distributors, structured around multi-store, truckload-scale programs with end-to-end R&D; (3) convenience-store branded grab-and-go supply for roller grill, hot case, and packaged sets; (4) foodservice operator and distributor sales; and (5) K-12 institutional supply of CN-labeled, spec-ready proteins (where the company self-describes as a top-3 commodity beef processor for U.S. schools feeding millions of students weekly through districts such as LAUSD, NYC DOE, Houston ISD, Dallas ISD, and Urban School Food Alliance members). Pricing is not publicly listed; consumer pricing is set by retailers while B2B pricing is quote-based on program scale.

Go-to-market is channel-partner-led across consumer retail, enterprise field sales for foodservice and K-12, and direct B2B sales for private label. The company is USDA Organic-certified (since 2012), SQF Level 2-audited, FDA-registered, and HACCP-compliant, with cleaner-ingredient positioning (over 100 banned ingredients in the retail brand) and certified antibiotic-free and gluten-free options. The business is family-owned across three generations (Larry, Donald, and Donald's sons Michael, Danny, and Brandon), self-funded with no outside investors, and has no public ticker or exchange listing.

Name

Don Lee Farms

Legal name

Goodman Food Products, Inc.

Website

https://donleefarms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Don Lee Farms is a third-generation, family-owned American frozen protein manufacturer producing hundreds of millions of meals per year across charbroiled burgers, tacos, quesadillas, bowls, and handhelds under the Don Lee Farms® and CrispUps® brands, sold through U.S. wholesale clubs, mass retail, convenience stores, foodservice distributors, K-12 schools, and private-label partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Frozen Prepared Foods

NAICS

Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing (311412), Frozen Food Manufacturing (31141), Frozen Fruit, Juice, and Vegetable Manufacturing (311411)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen prepared meals & entrées manufacturing (AFAKAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen Prepared Foods & Meals Manufacturing (AFAKACAH), Refrigerated & Frozen Doughs and Batters Manufacturing (AFAKACAM), Frozen Entrées & Complete Meals (CRADADAA)

Keywords

• Frozen protein manufacturing
• Charbroiled burgers
• Private label co-manufacturing
• K-12 school nutrition
• Foodservice protein supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Branded consumer product sales (Club & Retail): Sale of Don Lee Farms® branded frozen proteins — charbroiled burgers, tacos, quesadillas, bowls, and the CrispUps® line — to consumers via wholesale club and grocery partners such as Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's, Walmart, Target, Smart & Final, and Instacart; unit-priced packs sold frozen.
2. Private label and co-manufacturing (B2B): End-to-end R&D plus commercial-scale co-manufacturing of private-label and co-branded frozen and fresh proteins for national and regional retailers, club chains, convenience-store chains, and large-scale foodservice and K-12 distribution; programs built for multi-store and truckload-scale runs with no minimum business disclosed publicly.
3. Convenience-store branded grab-and-go supply: Finished, ready-to-sell Don Lee Farms branded products (The Smashed Griller, taquitos, handhelds, breakfast sandwiches, cooked proteins) sold to convenience-store chains for roller grill, hot case, and packaged grab-and-go sets, shipped frozen with multi-store, truckload-scale minimums.
4. Foodservice and K-12 institutional supply: Operator-ready, fully cooked proteins (charbroiled burgers, handhelds, breakfast, bowls, Foldovers, The Smashed Griller) sold to foodservice operators, distributors, and K-12 school districts on a spec'd-in basis; CN-labeled and USDA Choice commodity options for school nutrition programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion6 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Don Lee Farms manufactures and distributes charbroiled and slow-cooked frozen protein products — burgers, tacos, quesadillas, handhelds, bowls, breakfast items, and sides — under its own brands (Don Lee Farms®, CrispUps®, The Smashed Griller, The Backyard Griller, Foldovers) sold through club and grocery retailers, plus end-to-end R&D and commercial-scale private-label/co-manufacturing for national and regional retailers, convenience-store chains, foodservice distributors, and K-12 school nutrition programs. Production occurs at two company-owned USDA-inspected campuses in Inglewood, California and Mansfield, Texas, with charbroiling over 800°F of direct flames and flash-freezing at peak.

Product overview

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Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CrispUps®: Air-fryer-ready line of loaded handhelds, hand-rolled taquitos, and stuffed quesadillas built on authentic flour tortillas developed by the CrispUps team, with real cheese and premium proteins.
• The Smashed Griller
• The Backyard Griller
• Foldovers

Products and services

• Don Lee Farms Burgers Charbroiled and flame-grilled burgers including USDA Choice beef, USDA Choice Angus, and antibiotic-free chicken varieties, fully cooked and flash-frozen for retail consumers through club and grocery channels.
• Don Lee Farms Crispy Tacos & Quesadillas Handmade tacos, loaded quesadillas, taquitos, and burritos made with authentic flour tortillas; crispy and air-fryer ready for retail and foodservice customers.
• Don Lee Farms Bowls & Entrées Ready-to-heat frozen meals and bowls built around generous protein and bold, global flavors, packaged in compostable packaging as of 2025.
• Don Lee Farms Breakfast Sandwiches & Handhelds Protein-packed frozen breakfast sandwiches and handhelds designed for foodservice operators and K-12 school nutrition programs, ready in minutes.
• Don Lee Farms Meatballs & Crumbles Fully cooked meatballs and seasoned crumbles for pastas, bowls, subs, and other menu applications across foodservice operations.
• Don Lee Farms Sides, Dips & Sauces Frozen sides, dips, and signature sauces sold to foodservice operators and K-12 school nutrition programs as complements to the protein line.
• Don Lee Farms Flame-Grilled Angus Choice Beef Patties USDA Choice Angus beef charbroiled over 800°F of direct flames, flash-frozen at peak, fully cooked and gluten-free with 23g protein per quarter-pound serving. Sold primarily through Sam's Club, Costco, and BJ's wholesale club channels.
• CrispUps Shredded Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas Air-fryer-ready shredded chicken and cheese quesadillas made with antibiotic-free dark-meat chicken and authentic flour tortillas, 19g protein per serving, ready in about 6 minutes from frozen. Sold through Sam's Club and other retailers.
• CrispUps Loaded Taquitos Air-fryer-ready loaded handhelds with premium hand-rolled fillings and bold included dips, available in four flavors, now stocked at Walmart.
• The Smashed Griller Double-stacked, craft-style charbroiled smashed patties with crispy, lacy edges and real beef flavor, designed to stack on K-12 school lunch lines and convenience-store grab-and-go sets. CN-labeled with 1.25 oz M/MA per patty.
• The Backyard Griller Flame-grilled classic patties and proteins positioned around the everyday cookout, designed for menu inclusion across foodservice and K-12 channels.
• Foldovers Slow-cooked proteins folded by hand into warm bread, offering real, visible protein and melty goodness; available in Beef & Cheese and Shredded Chicken & Cheese varieties for K-12 menu inclusion.
• Private Label & Co-Manufacturing Services End-to-end R&D plus commercial-scale co-manufacturing of private-label and co-branded frozen and fresh protein products for national and regional retailers, club chains, convenience-store chains, foodservice distributors, and large-scale K-12 distributors; programs engineered for multi-store, truckload-scale runs at two company-owned USDA-inspected campuses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100M+ meals made a year
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship (long-running community/brand-building partnership), core (institutional/philanthropic partnership), flagship (named facility and recurring fundraiser), core (community partnership), core (co-presenter of flagship event), core (industry consortium relationship), core (private-label customer and award giver), flagship (long-standing wholesale club partner), flagship (flagship club partner for new drops), core (wholesale club partner), core (mass retail partner), secondary (grocery retail partner), core (online grocery delivery partner), core (k-12 institutional customer) and flagship (founding/family legacy).

• LA Ramsflagship (long-running community/brand-building partnership)GTM or Marketing PartnerDon Lee Farms is the presenting sponsor of "Taste of the Rams" since 2017, an annual LA Rams event (co-presented with Bank of America) that brings together LA Rams players, acclaimed LA chefs, and a community dedicated to fighting hunger. All proceeds support the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, and the event has helped power the Food Bank's mission to serve more than 900,000 people every month across LA County.
• UCLA (UCLA Health / UCLA Goodman–Luskin Microbiome Center)core (institutional/philanthropic partnership)Strategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing community partnership with annual events alongside UCLA, and philanthropic support that helped establish the UCLA Goodman–Luskin Microbiome Center. Featured alongside LA Rams, City of Inglewood, and LA Regional Food Bank as core community partners.
• Los Angeles Regional Food Bankflagship (named facility and recurring fundraiser)GTM or Marketing PartnerLong-time community partner and beneficiary of Taste of the Rams proceeds. The Donald Goodman Family Foundation Volunteer Center at the LA Regional Food Bank is named for Don Lee Farms' founder, and Don Lee Farms supports the Food Bank's mission to serve more than 900,000 people every month across LA County through annual events and food donations.
• City of Inglewoodcore (community partnership)GTM or Marketing PartnerRecurring community partner alongside LA Rams, UCLA, and the LA Regional Food Bank, with annual events and food donations. Don Lee Farms' headquarters is located in Inglewood, California (200 East Beach Avenue).
• Bank of Americacore (co-presenter of flagship event)GTM or Marketing PartnerCo-presenter with Don Lee Farms of the annual Taste of the Rams fundraiser benefiting the LA Regional Food Bank. Sponsorship relationship tied to the company's flagship community-marketing event.
• Urban School Food Alliancecore (industry consortium relationship)Strategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry consortium partnership; Don Lee Farms was honored with the 2023 Urban School Food Alliance Award for helping raise the bar on school meals, and supplies member districts with CN-labeled, spec-ready proteins.
• Albertsons Companiescore (private-label customer and award giver)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrivate-label partner; recognized Don Lee Farms as New Supplier of the Year in 2019 after launching dozens of items in months, cementing Don Lee Farms' role as a leading private-label supplier for national retailers.
• Costcoflagship (long-standing wholesale club partner)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStocks Don Lee Farms burgers, tacos, and other frozen proteins across club locations; Don Lee Farms' original launch customer (via predecessor Price Club) for hand-dipped corn dogs in 1982. Costco Warehouse Feedback is used as a shopper-driven product request channel.
• Sam's Clubflagship (flagship club partner for new drops)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStocks Don Lee Farms USDA Choice Flame-Grilled Angus Beef Patties, CrispUps Shredded Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas, and other club SKUs; primary launch partner for new product drops.
• BJ's Wholesale Clubcore (wholesale club partner)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStocks Don Lee Farms USDA Choice Flame-Grilled Angus Beef Patties (12 quarter-pound patties, 2 lb) and CrispUps products in the freezer aisle.
• Walmartcore (mass retail partner)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStocks Don Lee Farms and CrispUps® products in grocery aisles, including the launch of CrispUps Loaded Taquitos in the frozen aisle.
• Targetcore (mass retail partner)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStocks Don Lee Farms and CrispUps products in the frozen aisle.
• Smart & Finalsecondary (grocery retail partner)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStocks Don Lee Farms products for in-store shopping and pickup.
• Instacartcore (online grocery delivery partner)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline delivery and pickup channel for Don Lee Farms products nationwide; Don Lee Farms does not sell direct-to-consumer and instead routes online orders through the Instacart, Sam's Club, and Walmart apps and websites.
• Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)core (k-12 institutional customer)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of the K-12 districts Don Lee Farms serves nationwide with CN-labeled, spec-ready proteins including The Smashed Griller and Foldovers. Featured on the K-12 "Trusted by Districts Nationwide" page.
• San Diego Unified School Districtcore (k-12 institutional customer)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorK-12 district that Don Lee Farms supplies with CN-labeled, spec-ready proteins. Featured on the K-12 "Trusted by Districts Nationwide" page.
• New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE)core (k-12 institutional customer)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorK-12 district that Don Lee Farms supplies with CN-labeled, spec-ready proteins. Featured on the K-12 "Trusted by Districts Nationwide" page.
• Houston Independent School Districtcore (k-12 institutional customer)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorK-12 district that Don Lee Farms supplies with CN-labeled, spec-ready proteins. Featured on the K-12 "Trusted by Districts Nationwide" page.
• Dallas Independent School Districtcore (k-12 institutional customer)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorK-12 district that Don Lee Farms supplies with CN-labeled, spec-ready proteins. Featured on the K-12 "Trusted by Districts Nationwide" page.
• The School District of Palm Beach Countycore (k-12 institutional customer)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorK-12 district that Don Lee Farms supplies with CN-labeled, spec-ready proteins. Featured on the K-12 "Trusted by Districts Nationwide" page.
• Austin Independent School Districtcore (k-12 institutional customer)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorK-12 district that Don Lee Farms supplies with CN-labeled, spec-ready proteins. Featured on the K-12 "Trusted by Districts Nationwide" page.
• Larry's Food Products (predecessor; Gardena, CA)flagship (founding/family legacy)Strategic or Co-development PartnerLarry's Food Products of Gardena, California, founded by Larry, is the predecessor company to Don Lee Farms and the foundation of its plant-based protein capability. In 1972 it was the first processor to build new spun soy protein fiber into a line of pre-cooked meat products (documented in Food Product Development, May 1972). Donald carried the expertise forward as plant manager at Gardena, and the third generation continued the work at Don Lee Farms.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tyson Foods: Largest U.S. fully cooked and frozen protein manufacturer with national retail and foodservice distribution. Directly comparable to Don Lee Farms in frozen burgers, handhelds, and K-12 supply, but at vastly larger scale and a broader portfolio.
• Pilgrim's Pride: Major U.S. poultry and prepared-foods producer with retail and foodservice distribution. Comparable to Don Lee Farms in fully cooked protein SKUs and foodservice scale, though dominated by poultry rather than charbroiled beef.
• Conagra Brands: Major frozen-foods manufacturer (Banquet, Marie Callender's, Healthy Choice) with national retail and foodservice distribution. Comparable to Don Lee Farms in frozen-meal retail placement and K-12/foodservice institutional supply, with a much broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• Beyond Meat: Public plant-based protein company competing in retail club freezers and foodservice. Comparable to Don Lee Farms' 1972 plant-based capability and competing for the same frozen shelf sets at Walmart, Costco, and Sam's Club.
• Impossible Foods: Plant-based protein brand with retail and foodservice distribution across major U.S. banners. Comparable to Don Lee Farms as a competing plant-based and frozen protein brand pursuing the same club/retail placement and K-12/foodservice channels.
• Bell & Evans: Premium, antibiotic-free fully cooked chicken producer with growing frozen retail presence. Comparable to Don Lee Farms in clean-label frozen protein positioning and foodservice distribution, though focused on poultry rather than beef.

Direct peers

• Butterball: U.S. leader in fully cooked turkey and protein products sold across retail and foodservice. Comparable to Don Lee Farms in fully cooked flash-frozen protein SKUs and foodservice operator supply.
• Perdue Farms: Family-founded, antibiotic-free-focused fully cooked protein producer with retail, club, and foodservice distribution. Closely comparable to Don Lee Farms in clean-label positioning, USDA Choice/antibiotic-free SKUs, and foodservice volume.
• Johnsonville: Family-owned, category-leading U.S. sausage and fully cooked handheld producer with strong retail club presence. Comparable to Don Lee Farms in family-ownership DNA, club-store dominance, and frozen handheld/burger category.
• Foster Farms: California-based, family-influenced frozen and fully cooked poultry/beef producer serving U.S. retail, club, and foodservice channels. Comparable to Don Lee Farms in dual-coast production, club-store frozen SKUs, and K-12 foodservice supply.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Don Lee Farms