The Garlic Company

What The Garlic Company does

The Garlic Company is a privately held, family-owned producer and supplier of garlic products headquartered in Shafter, California, operating with 101-250 employees since its founding in 1980 by Joe Lane and John Layous. The company runs a fully vertically integrated operation that spans an in-house seed program in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon), growing operations in California's San Joaquin Valley, on-site controlled atmosphere cold storage, cracking and peeling processing lines, and a garlic puree manufacturing line, allowing it to control the supply chain from seed to finished product. It holds BRC Global Standards, GAP/GMP, HACCP, USDA Organic, Kosher, and California Grown certifications across its operations.

The company serves three distinct customer segments through separate product lines: retail (home chefs purchasing whole bulbs, peeled garlic, diced, minced, and chopped garlic in various jar and bag sizes from grocery stores), foodservice (restaurants, chefs, and commercial kitchens sourcing peeled garlic, organic peeled garlic, diced garlic, shallots, cipollini, and pearls through major foodservice distributors), and industrial (food manufacturers using bulk garlic puree, diced garlic, garlic juice, peeled garlic, and related jalapeno and ginger ingredients in pail and drum packaging for soups, frozen entrees, sauces, dips, and dressings). Distribution is purely domestic within the United States, with no public indication of export activity.

Revenue is generated through physical product sales of garlic and adjacent ingredients priced via quote-based inquiry rather than listed pricing, with the company self-describing as the industry-leading supplier of fresh California peeled garlic in the U.S. Market presence is captured almost entirely through the company website and inbound product inquiry forms segmented by buyer type, with phone-based direct contact for general and employment inquiries. The business is privately held with no institutional investors, no acquisition activity, and no third-party capital disclosed; the second generation of the founding families has joined the leadership team alongside the active founders.

Name

The Garlic Company

Legal name

The Garlic Company

Website

https://thegarliccompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Garlic Company is a privately held, vertically integrated garlic producer and supplier founded in 1980 in Shafter, California. It serves retail, foodservice, and industrial customers across the United States with fresh, peeled, diced, minced, and pureed California-grown garlic products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Garlic Processing and Supply

NAICS

Other Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming (111219), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Spice Crop Farming (Pepper, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Cardamom) (AFAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fruit & Vegetable Ingredients for Food Manufacturing (Diced, Slices, Fillings, Toppings) (AFAKAFAI), Whole Spices (Seeds, Pods, Bark, Roots) (AFAJANAA)

Keywords

• Garlic processing
• Fresh peeled garlic
• Garlic puree manufacturing
• Foodservice garlic supply
• Industrial garlic ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Shafter

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, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Garlic Products: Sale of fresh whole bulb garlic, peeled garlic, and ready-to-use jarred garlic products (minced, chopped, diced) in various sizes to home chefs through retail stores.
2. Foodservice Garlic Products: Sale of California peeled garlic, organic peeled garlic, diced garlic, shallots, cipollini, pearls, and whole bulb garlic in foodservice-sized packaging (1-5 lb bags) to restaurants and chefs.
3. Industrial Garlic Ingredients: Sale of garlic ingredients in bulk packaging (pails, drums) for food manufacturing including garlic puree in vinegar, refrigerated or frozen garlic puree, diced garlic, garlic juice, and jalapeno/ginger products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Garlic Company produces and supplies garlic products — including whole bulbs, peeled garlic, diced/minced/chopped garlic, garlic puree, garlic juice, and complementary ingredients such as shallots, cipollini, ginger, and jalapeno products — to retail (home chefs), foodservice (restaurants and commercial kitchens), and industrial (food manufacturers) customers. Operations are vertically integrated from an Oregon-based proprietary seed program through California farming, controlled-atmosphere cold storage, peeling and puree processing, and packaging.

Product overview

The Garlic Company offers a diversified product portfolio across three distinct channels: Retail Products (whole bulb, peeled, diced, minced, and chopped garlic in various sizes plus organic options, shallots, ginger, and cipollini for home consumers); Foodservice Products (California peeled garlic, organic peeled garlic, diced garlic, shallots, cipollini, pearls, and whole bulb garlic in foodservice-appropriate packaging for restaurants and commercial kitchens); and Industrial Products (garlic puree in vinegar, garlic puree with citric acid, refrigerated/frozen garlic puree, refrigerated diced garlic, garlic juice, peeled garlic, jalapeno products, and ginger products in bulk packaging for food manufacturers and processors). The company operates as a vertically integrated garlic farming, processing, and packing operation in California's San Joaquin Valley, controlling the supply chain from seed to finished product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retail Garlic Products Fresh whole bulb garlic, peeled garlic, and jarred ready-to-use garlic (minced, chopped, diced, minced in olive oil) in 3 oz to 48 oz sizes, plus organic variants, elephant garlic, shallots, ginger, and cipollini packaged for retail grocery sale to home chefs.
• Foodservice Garlic Products California peeled garlic, organic peeled garlic, diced garlic, peeled shallots, peeled cipollini, peeled pearls, and whole bulb garlic in 1–5 lb bags and jars for restaurants, chefs, and commercial kitchens.
• Industrial Garlic Ingredients Bulk garlic ingredients for food manufacturers, including garlic puree in vinegar (higher and lower solidity), garlic puree with citric acid, refrigerated or frozen garlic puree (45 lb pail), refrigerated diced garlic (30 lb pail), garlic juice (475 lb drum), peeled garlic (30 lb pail/case), jalapeno peppers diced in brine, jalapeno pepper puree in brine, ginger juice, and ginger puree (40 lb pail) for use in soups, frozen entrees, sauces, dips, and dressings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Quadrupled throughput capability after 2011 cracking and peeling line overhaul
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Christopher Ranch: Largest US garlic processor, also based in California, offering peeled garlic, diced garlic, and prepared garlic products to retail, foodservice, and industrial customers — the most direct domestic competitor to The Garlic Company's core fresh peeled garlic business.
• Spice World: Major US garlic supplier producing fresh peeled, crushed, and minced garlic as well as industrial purees for foodservice and retail. Operates a vertically oriented garlic business with overlapping customer segments to The Garlic Company.

Broad incumbents

• McCormick & Company: Global leader in spices, seasonings, and condiments. While not a fresh garlic specialist, McCormick's industrial ingredient business competes with The Garlic Company's industrial garlic puree and diced SKUs in the same food-manufacturer customer base.
• Olam Food Ingredients: Global supplier of food ingredients and spices, including garlic, onion, and other allium products sold to industrial food manufacturers. Comparable to The Garlic Company's industrial ingredients stream and represents global competition for the same B2B accounts.
• TreeHouse Foods: Large private-label food manufacturer producing sauces, dressings, dips, and other prepared foods for retail and foodservice channels. Sources garlic and other allium ingredients from suppliers like The Garlic Company and is a relevant comparable for the industrial B2B business model.
• Griffith Foods: Global B2B food ingredient formulator supplying seasonings, sauces, and flavor systems to food manufacturers. Relevant comparable for the industrial purees, juices, and value-added garlic ingredients that The Garlic Company sells into food formulation.

Regional players

• Gills Onions: California-based fresh onion and allium processor supplying diced and value-added onion products to foodservice and industrial customers. Operates in the same San Joaquin Valley fresh-cut vegetable category and serves overlapping foodservice distributor customers.

Emerging players

• Litehouse Foods: Refrigerated dressings, dips, and herb/garlic-based specialty products sold through retail deli and foodservice channels. Comparable in the value-added prepared-garlic-and-herbs refrigerated product niche that The Garlic Company serves with minced-in-jar and refrigerated industrial products.
• Dorot Gardens: Frozen fresh garlic and herb cubes sold through retail and foodservice. A niche-format competitor in the prepared-convenience garlic category where The Garlic Company also competes with its refrigerated and frozen industrial purees and diced products.

Others

• Pacific International Enterprises: California-based grower, packer, and shipper of fresh garlic, onions, and shallots. Adjacent comparable for The Garlic Company's farming and packing operation in the San Joaquin Valley and a partial competitor in the wholesale garlic supply market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-garlic-company-llc

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 The Garlic Company