Major Product Classes

Frozen Food Products

The Company’s frozen food division serves both food service and retail customers. The Company sells approximately 200 unique frozen food products through wholesalers, cooperatives and distributors to approximately 21,000 retail outlets and 22,000 restaurants and institutions.

Frozen Food Products – Food Service Customers

The food service industry is composed of establishments that serve food outside the home and includes restaurants, the food operations of health care providers, schools, hotels, resorts, corporations, and other traditional and non-traditional food service outlets. Growth in this industry has been driven by the increase in away-from-home meal preparation, which has accompanied the expanding number of both dual income and single-parent households. Another trend within the food service industry is the growth in the number of non-traditional food service outlets such as convenience stores, retail stores and
supermarkets. These non-traditional locations often lack extensive cooking, storage or preparation facilities, resulting in a need for pre-cooked and prepared foods similar to those provided by the Company. The expansion in the food service industry has also been accompanied by the continued consolidation and growth of broadline and specialty food service distributors, many of which are long-standing customers of the Company.

The Company supplies its food service customers generally through distributors that take title to the product and resell it. Among the Company’s customers are many of the country’s largest broadline and specialty food service distributors. For these and other large end purchasers, the Company’s products occasionally go through extensive qualification procedures and its manufacturing capabilities are subjected to thorough review by the end purchasers prior to the Company’s approval as a vendor. Large end purchasers typically select suppliers that can consistently meet increased volume requirements on a national basis during peak promotional periods. The Company believes that its manufacturing flexibility, national presence and long-standing customer relationships should pose barriers to entry for other manufacturers seeking to provide similar products to the Company’s current large food service end purchasers, although no assurances can be given.

Frozen Food Products – Retail Customers

The majority of the Company’s existing and targeted retail customers are involved in the resale of branded and private label packaged foods. The same trends which have contributed to the increase in away-from-home meal preparation have also fueled the growth in easy to prepare, microwaveable frozen and refrigerated convenience foods. Among the fastest growing segments is the frozen and refrigerated hand-held foods market. This growth has been driven by improved product quality and variety and the increasing need for inexpensive and healthy food items that require minimal preparation. Despite rapid growth, many categories of frozen and refrigerated hand-held foods have achieved minimal household penetration. The Company believes it has been successful in establishing and maintaining supply relationships with certain selected leading retailers in this market.

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