What Custom Culinary does

Custom Culinary is a U.S. food production company, founded in 1946 and headquartered in Lombard, Illinois, that manufactures flavor bases, gravies, sauces, broths, and seasonings for professional foodservice and industrial customers. The company operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Griffith Foods, a privately held, family-owned global food products group operating in over 30 countries, with U.S. headquarters in Alsip, Illinois. Custom Culinary's product portfolio spans five branded lines — Gold Label (meat-first bases), Chef's Own (gravy mixes and sauce starters), Master's Touch (premium bases and concentrates), True Foundations (clean-label bases, broths, and globally-inspired sauces), and PanRoast (gravy mixes and seasonings) — plus the FlavorIQ® insight-driven menu innovation platform. Sustainability is embedded across the portfolio via EcoVadis Gold Medal recognition, 100% sustainably sourced seafood bases, Rainforest Alliance-certified spice sourcing through the parent company's Griffith Sustainably Sourced program, and Upcycled Certified Indian-inspired sauces.

The company sells through direct sales to restaurant chains and food processors, a broker/sales representative network for regional U.S. coverage, and the FoodServiceDirect.com marketplace for digital ordering (transitioned June 2025). Revenue is generated primarily through transactional product sales of flavor systems across six customer verticals: Restaurant Chains (primary), Healthcare, Travel & Leisure, Processors, College & University, and Restaurant. A secondary revenue stream comes from menu innovation and culinary development services delivered to chains via FlavorIQ — encompassing trend research, competitor analysis, concept development, and store testing — which functions as a strategic-partner engagement layer on top of product sales. The company is led by President T.C. Chatterjee, employs 1,001–5,000 people, and does not publicly disclose revenue or pricing.

Name

Custom Culinary

Legal name

Custom Culinary Inc.

Website

https://customculinary.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Custom Culinary is a U.S. foodservice manufacturer of flavor bases, gravies, sauces, broths, and seasonings, serving restaurant chains, processors, healthcare, travel & leisure, and college dining. It is a Griffith Foods subsidiary operating branded product lines Gold Label, Chef's Own, Master's Touch, True Foundations, and PanRoast, with FlavorIQ-driven menu innovation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Ingredients

NAICS

Mayonnaise, Dressing, and Other Prepared Sauce Manufacturing (311941), Other Food Manufacturing (3119), Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing (311930)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Condiments, Sauces & Dressings (CRADAAAB)

Keywords

• Foodservice ingredient manufacturing
• Culinary bases and gravies
• Sauce and seasoning production
• Menu innovation services
• Clean label foodservice

Headquarters

HQ city

Lombard

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

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. Foodservice Product Sales: Custom Culinary generates revenue through the sale of bases, gravies, sauces, broths, and seasonings to foodservice operators (restaurants, healthcare, travel & leisure) and food processors. Products are sold via direct sales, broker network, and online ordering through FoodServiceDirect.com. Revenue is transactional, driven by product volume and recurring purchase from operators.
2. Menu Innovation & Culinary Services: Custom Culinary offers culinary development and menu innovation services to restaurant chains as a strategic partner, including trend research, competitor analysis, concept development, and store testing through the FlavorIQ platform.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Custom Culinary manufactures and sells flavor foundations — including food bases, gravies, sauces, broths, and seasonings — for professional foodservice operators, restaurant chains, and food processors. The company also delivers menu innovation and culinary development services to restaurant chains through its proprietary FlavorIQ methodology.

Product overview

Custom Culinary is a food service ingredients company offering a diverse portfolio of bases, gravies, sauces, broths, and seasonings for professional kitchens. Their product lines include Gold Label bases (Lobster, Crab, Seafood, Clam, Shrimp, Turkey, Chicken varieties), Chef's Own gravy mixes (Country, Brown, Pork, Turkey, Chicken, Beef flavored varieties, including low-sodium and peppered options), Master's Touch premium bases and concentrates (Cream Soup, Herb Roasted Beef, Turkey Gravy, Au Jus, Chicken), True Foundations clean-label products (Chicken Base, Chicken Liquid Stock Concentrate, Birria Broth, Latin-inspired sauces including Tomatillo Serrano, Al Pastor, Harissa, Coconut Curry, Tikka Masala, Indian-Style Butter), and Latin Liquid Flavor Concentrates. The company operates as a portfolio of branded product lines rather than a unified software platform, serving foodservice operators, processors, and restaurant chains across multiple channels including Healthcare, Restaurant, Travel & Leisure, Chains, Processors, and College & University.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chef's Own®: Product brand line featuring gravy mixes, soup bases and sauce starters
• Master's Touch®
• True Foundations®
• Gold Label®
• PanRoast®
• FlavorIQ®

Products and services

• Gold Label Food Bases Premium meat-first food bases (Lobster, Crab, Seafood, Clam, Shrimp, Turkey, Chicken, Savory Roasted Chicken, Low Sodium Chicken) delivering authentic slow-roasted flavors to professional kitchens. Target users: restaurant operators, chains, and processors.
• Chef's Own Gravy and Soup Mixes Gravy mixes (Country, Brown, Pork, Turkey, Chicken, Beef, Au Jus, Old Fashioned Biscuit, Peppered Biscuit, low-sodium variants) and cream soup/sauce starters targeting restaurants, chains, healthcare, and travel & leisure operators.
• Master's Touch Premium Bases and Concentrates Premium product line including cream soup base, herb roasted beef concentrate, turkey gravy concentrate, au jus base, and chicken base delivering authentic slow-cooked flavor profiles for professional kitchens.
• True Foundations Clean Label Products Clean label product line featuring simple-ingredient bases, broths (Birria Broth), chicken liquid stock concentrate, and globally inspired sauces (Tomatillo Serrano, Latin-Style Citrus Chili, Al Pastor, Harissa, Coconut Curry, Tikka Masala, Indian-Style Butter) for chains and operators seeking wholesome, on-trend menu options.
• Liquid Stock Concentrates Ready-to-use liquid stock concentrates delivering authentic slow-cooked flavor in a convenient format, including the True Foundations Chicken Liquid Stock Concentrate. Targeted at operators seeking labor-saving back-of-house solutions.
• Latin Liquid Flavor Concentrates Vibrant blend of spices, herbs, and aromatics that bring slow-cooked Latin flavors instantly to menus. Targeted at restaurant chains and operators seeking bold Latin menu options without extended simmer times.
• Sustainably-Sourced Seafood Products Seafood bases traceable, audited, and certified as sustainably sourced according to international best practice guidelines developed with the fishing industry, scientists, conservationists, and stakeholders.
• FlavorIQ Menu Innovation Service Proprietary six-step insight-driven menu innovation methodology combining trend analysis, consumer insights, culinary expertise, and food science to develop on-trend menu concepts for restaurant chains. Includes competitor analysis, concept development, store testing, and marketing/sales support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 78% of suppliers achieved Bronze or better EcoVadis rating in 2022
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FoodServiceDirect.comcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2025Custom Culinary transitioned its online shopping experience to FoodServiceDirect.com in June 2025. Customers are redirected to FoodServiceDirect.com for online purchases, and Custom Culinary products are available through the FoodServiceDirect.com marketplace.
• Rainforest Alliance Certified Farms (via Griffith Sustainably Sourced)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the Griffith Sustainably Sourced (GSS) program, Custom Culinary sources ingredients from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, improving farmer livelihoods and enabling farm-to-table traceability.
• International Seafood Certification BodiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom Culinary works with certification bodies representing the industry standard for certifying seafood sustainability. Standards are developed through consultation with the fishing industry, scientists, conservationists, experts, and stakeholders to ensure seafood is traceable, audited, and certified as sustainably sourced at every stage.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ventura Foods: Ventura Foods manufactures sauces, dressings, and culinary bases for foodservice and retail customers, providing a near-identical product mix and institutional customer base as Custom Culinary.
• French's (McCormick & Company): French's foodservice line supplies condiments, gravies, and seasonings to operators and chains, directly competing with Custom Culinary's Chef's Own and True Foundations gravies and sauces.
• Minor's (Nestlé Professional): Minor's, a Nestlé Professional brand, produces bases, gravies, and sauces for foodservice operators — directly comparable to Custom Culinary's core product portfolio and channel focus on restaurant chains.
• Newly Weds Foods: Newly Weds Foods supplies coatings, seasonings, and ingredient systems to foodservice and food processor customers — comparable to Custom Culinary's ingredient-blends and seasonings business for chain and processor channels.
• Lawry's (McCormick & Company): Lawry's foodservice seasonings, marinades, and sauce bases serve the same restaurant chain and institutional customers as Custom Culinary, with comparable seasoning-and-marinade product categories.
• Knorr (Unilever Food Solutions): Knorr offers soup bases, bouillons, sauces, and seasonings for professional kitchens worldwide — overlapping directly with Custom Culinary's bases, gravies, broths, and seasonings categories across the same foodservice channel.

Broad incumbents

• Kerry Group: Kerry Group's taste and nutrition division supplies flavor systems, sauces, and culinary ingredients to foodservice and food processing customers globally — overlapping with Custom Culinary's industrial processor and chain business at much larger scale.
• Givaudan: Givaudan is a global flavor and fragrance house supplying flavor systems and culinary solutions to food manufacturers and foodservice — adjacent to Custom Culinary's FlavorIQ-style insights and ingredient-blends offering, but at far greater scale.
• McCormick & Company: McCormick is a global flavor leader offering seasonings, sauces, and flavor solutions to both retail and foodservice — competing with Custom Culinary across seasonings, sauces, and clean-label flavors with materially larger scale and R&D.
• Hormel Foodservice: Hormel Foodservice supplies protein-based products, broths, and culinary ingredients to foodservice operators, overlapping with Custom Culinary's meat-first bases, gravies, and protein-adjacent categories across chain and institutional channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/custom-culinary-127642277282400
• Instagraminstagram.com/customculinary
• Xx.com/customculinary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/custom-culinary

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 Custom Culinary