Tait Farm Foods

What Tait Farm Foods does

Tait Farm Foods Inc. is a privately held, family-owned specialty food producer founded in 1987 and headquartered in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, with manufacturing operations in nearby Boalsburg. The company handcrafts small-batch shrubs, chutneys, fruit spreads, dessert sauces, grill and sauté sauces, mustards, vinaigrettes, baking mixes, savory condiments, and curated gift collections using traditional colonial recipes and methods — a portfolio exceeding 65 SKUs across nine product categories. The company is credited with the modern revival of the colonial Shrub beverage and is commonly referred to as "The Original Shrub," with brand presence built continuously since 1987.

The business operates a three-channel go-to-market: (1) direct-to-consumer e-commerce through a Shopify-powered website shipping to the lower 48 U.S. states at flat-rate $14.95, with product pricing from $3.00 to $149.95 and electronic gift cards in $25–$100 denominations; (2) wholesale distribution to hundreds of specialty food retailers, restaurants and bars, and museum gift shops nationwide, with a 2-case (24-unit) minimum order; and (3) the on-farm Tait Farm Harvest Shop & Greenhouse in Centre Hall, a brick-and-mortar destination featuring the company's products alongside other Pennsylvania-made goods. Marketing is supported by a biweekly email newsletter, organic social presence on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and a recipe-content library of over 100 entries spanning mocktails, cocktails, appetizers, salads, main dishes, breakfast/brunch, and desserts.

Operationally, Tait Farm Foods runs a small team (11–50 employees) under family leadership, with company president Kim Tait and product development manager Cindy Tait Law on the culinary development team, and founder David Tait credited with creating the original Raspberry Shrub recipe. Manufacturing moved in 2014 from the original farm bank barn to a dedicated Boalsburg production facility. The company is self-funded with no external investment, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed acquisitions or funding rounds.

Name

Tait Farm Foods

Legal name

Tait Farm Foods Inc.

Website

https://taitfarmfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tait Farm Foods is a family-owned Pennsylvania specialty food producer founded in 1987 that handcrafts small-batch shrubs, chutneys, jams, sauces, mustards, and gift collections, selling through DTC e-commerce, wholesale to specialty retailers, restaurants, and museum gift shops, and an on-farm retail shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Foods

NAICS

Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing (3113)

SIC

Canned, Fruits, Veg, Preserves, Jams & Jellies (2033), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Dips, Salsas, Relishes & Chutneys Manufacturing (AFAKADAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Condiments, Sauces & Pickles Wholesale (AFAIAIAJ)

Keywords

• Specialty food products
• Artisanal condiments
• Fruit preserves
• Drink mixers
• Gift collections

Headquarters

HQ city

Boalsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Online retail sales of specialty food products and gift collections through company website to individual consumers across the United States.
2. Wholesale Distribution: Sales to specialty food retailers, restaurants, and museum gift shops. Minimum order 2 cases (24 units). Payment due before shipment.
3. On-farm Retail Sales: Direct retail sales at the Tait Farm Harvest Shop & Greenhouse location, featuring Tait Farm specialty foods and other Pennsylvania-made food products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tait Farm Foods manufactures and sells small-batch, handcrafted specialty food products including shrubs (non-alcoholic drink mixers made from fruit preserved in vinegar with organic cane sugar), chutneys, fruit spreads (jams, preserves, butters, conserves), dessert sauces, grill and sauté sauces, mustards, vinaigrettes, baking mixes, and savory condiments. The company offers over 65 SKUs plus curated gift collections and gift cards, distributing through direct-to-consumer e-commerce, on-farm retail, and wholesale channels across the United States.

Product overview

Tait Farm Foods is a small-batch specialty food company that handcrafts artisanal products made from all-natural ingredients since 1987. The company operates a single unified product line organized into distinct product categories: Shrubs (non-alcoholic drink mixers in 17+ varieties), Chutneys (sweet-savory condiments in 7 varieties), Fruit Spreads (jams, preserves, butters, and conserves), Dessert Sauces (fruit-flavored dark chocolate sauces), Grill & Sauté Sauces, Mustards, Vinaigrettes, Baking Mixes, and Savory Condiments. These individual products are sold individually and also bundled into Gift Collections. The company sells directly through its e-commerce website and at its Harvest Shop & Greenhouse retail location in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shrubs Non-alcoholic drink mixers made from fruit preserved in vinegar with organic cane sugar, available in over 17 varieties including Raspberry, Lime, Lemon, Cherry Amaretto, Cranberry, Elderberry, Grapefruit, Orange, Peach, Pineapple, Rhubarb, Sour Cherry, Spiced Apple, Spiced Cranberry Orange, Spiced Vanilla Pear, Strawberry Basil, Strawberry Rhubarb, and Wild Blueberry.
• Chutneys Sweet, savory, and sometimes spicy condiments made with fruits, vegetables, and spices. Varieties include Mango Chutney, Apple Chutney, Cranberry Chutney, Ginger Peach Chutney, Rhubarb Chutney, Spiced Pear Chutney, and Tomato Chutney.
• Fruit Spreads Wide range of fruit preserves including jams, preserves, butters, and conserves such as Apple Butter, Apricot Butter, Apricot Orange Marmalade, Blackberry Jam, Blueberry Preserves, Carrot Cake Conserve, Cranberry Orange Conserve, Fig & Honey Conserve, Holiday Conserve, Peach Jam, Pear Butter, Pumpkin Butter, Raspberry Jam, Salted Caramel Apple Conserve, Sour Cherry Jam, Strawberry Jam, and Strawberry Rhubarb Conserve.
• Dessert Sauces Dark chocolate sauces featuring fruit flavors including Raspberry Dark Chocolate Sauce, Sour Cherry Dark Chocolate Sauce, Strawberry Dark Chocolate Sauce, and Alyssa's Berry Sauce.
• Grill & Sauté Sauces Sauces for grilling and sautéing including Smoked Apple Grill & Sauté Sauce, Spicy Mango Grill & Sauté Sauce, and Apricot Zest Grill & Sauté Sauce.
• Mustards Artisan mustards including Ginger Mustard, Honey Mustard, Mango Habanero Mustard, and Cranberry Mustard.
• Vinaigrettes Salad dressings including Garlic Vinaigrette, Herbal Balsamic Vinaigrette, Honey Mustard Vinaigrette, and Lemon Vinaigrette.
• Baking Mixes Ready-to-make baking mixes including Oat Scone Mix, Pancake & Waffle Mix, Thumbprint Cookie Mix, and Drop Biscuit Mix.
• Savory Condiments Savory toppings including Fig & Olive Relish, Sweet Onion Jam, and Tomato Bruschetta.
• Gift Collections Pre-curated gift box collections including 3 Jar Gift Boxes, Breakfast Collections, Summer Collections, Tait Farm Foods Collections, Happy Valley Inspired Collections, Specialty Made Collections, Custom Gift Boxes, and themed collections like Backyard Grilling, Berries & Biscuits, Bon AppeTait!, Celebrate Home, Savory Cheese Pairings, and Strawberry Fields.
• Gift Cards Electronic gift cards available in $25, $50, $75, and $100 denominations for use on the website or at the Tait Farm Harvest Shop & Greenhouse, with no processing fees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 65 products in their line
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 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

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Specialty Food RetailerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHundreds of independently-owned specialty food stores and gift shops across the United States that carry Tait Farm products. These partners are flexible and willing to bring in items by request.
• Museum Gift ShopsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMuseum gift shops carry Tait Farm Foods products. Museums often highlight the history of Shrub and enjoy the seasonality of many offerings.
• Restaurants and BarscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRestaurants and bars use artisan products as ingredients in an assortment of menu items often reflecting the current season. A well-known restaurant partner uses Lemon Shrub as the secret ingredient in a Honey Bee's Knees cocktail recipe.
• UPSminorOthersPrimary shipping provider for order fulfillment. Alternate carriers may be used as needed.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bonne Maman: Mainstream French premium jam and preserves brand with mass grocery, club, and DTC distribution worldwide. Comparable to Tait Farm on the preserve/spread category but operates at vastly greater scale across mainstream channels where Tait Farm does not currently compete.
• The J.M. Smucker Company: Large publicly-traded packaged food conglomerate with leading jam/preserves brands (Smucker's, Welch's) plus broader grocery distribution. Comparable to Tait Farm on the preserves category but serves as a mass-channel incumbent benchmark rather than a direct artisanal competitor.
• The Vermont Country Store: Heritage mail-order and specialty food/gift retailer carrying its own and third-party artisanal foods including jams, mustards, sauces, and gift collections. Comparable to Tait Farm on the heritage-food, gift-collection, and specialty retail/gift-shop distribution model, but as a much larger multi-brand retailer.

Direct peers

• American Spoon Foods: Michigan-based premium fruit preserves, conserves, and condiments maker with a heritage brand narrative, DTC e-commerce, farm/retail destination, and selective wholesale to specialty retailers. Highly comparable to Tait Farm on fruit-spread focus, small-batch handcrafted production, and farm-rooted brand storytelling.
• Stonewall Kitchen: Maine-based specialty food brand producing artisanal jams, sauces, mustards, baking mixes, and gift collections across DTC, wholesale, and own retail. Closely comparable to Tait Farm in category mix (condiments, preserves, gift boxes), small-batch positioning, multi-channel model, and family/independently-owned heritage.
• Crofter's Organic: Organic fruit spreads and preserves brand with national retail distribution. Comparable to Tait Farm on fruit-spread core category, jar-based product format, and specialty/grocery wholesale presence, though scaled larger and positioned on organic rather than artisanal heritage.
• Tillen Farms: Premium pickled vegetables, cocktail garnishes, and drinking vinegars sold primarily through the cocktail and specialty food channel. Closely comparable to Tait Farm's Shrub line and cocktail/foodservice positioning, with similar cocktail-program and gift-shop distribution.
• Sonoma Syrup Co. Premium cocktail syrups, drinking vinegars (shrubs), and bar mixers sold via DTC and specialty wholesale to bars, restaurants, and gift shops. Closely comparable to Tait Farm on shrub/drinking vinegar category and bar-program/cocktail focus.
• Robert Rothschild Farm: Ohio-based specialty sauces, mustards, fruit spreads, and gift collections sold through DTC, wholesale, and gifting channels. Comparable to Tait Farm on specialty condiment manufacturing, gift collections, and multi-tier price architecture.

Emerging players

• Woodson's Mill: Small Virginia water-powered mill producing heritage grains, mixes, and artisanal food products with DTC, gift-shop, and farmer's market distribution. Comparable to Tait Farm on small-batch heritage positioning and gift-shop wholesale, but at a smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/taitfarmfoods
• Instagraminstagram.com/taitfarmfoods
• Xx.com/Taitfarmfoods

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 Tait Farm Foods