Garlic cloves key element to "Garlic Expressions? dressing
Garlic cloves key element to "Garlic Expressions? dressing
What humbly started out as a signature house dressing for one restaurant some 12 years ago is an item that can be found in specialty food stores and conventional supermarkets across the nation.
?Garlic Expressions? " a salad dressing noted for its whole fresh garlic cloves in every bottle " is the creation of Larry Croy, former chef and owner of a Perrysburg, OH-area restaurant where the salad dressing got its start.
The salad dressing has been on the market for 13 years, distributed by Mr. Croy?s company, LarMar Foods Inc. But it was when Mr. Croy met with the Thomson family of Bakersfield, CA-based Thomson International at a Produce Marketing Association convention a half-dozen years ago that the business moved forward.
Thomson International " growers of garlic, watermelons and onions " devised a method for getting the whole cloves of fresh garlic into the bottles. The cloves were too big to fit in the neck of salad dressing bottles, and LarMar incurred large labor costs as a result. But Thomson came to the rescue.
?We got equipment for special sizing, so they no longer had to cut garlic," said Karen Thomson, vice president of sales and marketing who handles the marketing of "Garlic Expressions? for the West Coast market and Texas for the family business.
Thomson secures the sourcing and processes the garlic, then sends the raw product back to LarMar. LarMar packages and bottles the product at its salad dressing factory and ships product destined for the West Coast market and Texas back to Ms. Thomson. Whole Foods Markets in Southern California has been carrying "Garlic Expressions? for about a year. Whole Foods recently agreed to carry the salad dressing in its Northern California stores, and LarMar is seeking a distributor to handle the product, Mr. Croy said.
?Garlic Expressions? also can be found in the Southern California-based Gelsons supermarket chain and in seven Kroger supermarket divisions, Mr. Croy said. In addition to the garlic cloves, the 12.5-ounce bottle of "Garlic Expressions? salad dressing has premium cider vinegar, canola oil and seasonings.
?It's almost exclusively in the produce section as opposed to the grocery section [of stores], Mr. Croy said of "Garlic Expressions." The garlic used in the product comes from Argentina, Mexico and the Bakersfield, CA, area, he said.
?Garlic Expressions? " a salad dressing noted for its whole fresh garlic cloves in every bottle " is the creation of Larry Croy, former chef and owner of a Perrysburg, OH-area restaurant where the salad dressing got its start.
The salad dressing has been on the market for 13 years, distributed by Mr. Croy?s company, LarMar Foods Inc. But it was when Mr. Croy met with the Thomson family of Bakersfield, CA-based Thomson International at a Produce Marketing Association convention a half-dozen years ago that the business moved forward.
Thomson International " growers of garlic, watermelons and onions " devised a method for getting the whole cloves of fresh garlic into the bottles. The cloves were too big to fit in the neck of salad dressing bottles, and LarMar incurred large labor costs as a result. But Thomson came to the rescue.
?We got equipment for special sizing, so they no longer had to cut garlic," said Karen Thomson, vice president of sales and marketing who handles the marketing of "Garlic Expressions? for the West Coast market and Texas for the family business.
Thomson secures the sourcing and processes the garlic, then sends the raw product back to LarMar. LarMar packages and bottles the product at its salad dressing factory and ships product destined for the West Coast market and Texas back to Ms. Thomson. Whole Foods Markets in Southern California has been carrying "Garlic Expressions? for about a year. Whole Foods recently agreed to carry the salad dressing in its Northern California stores, and LarMar is seeking a distributor to handle the product, Mr. Croy said.
?Garlic Expressions? also can be found in the Southern California-based Gelsons supermarket chain and in seven Kroger supermarket divisions, Mr. Croy said. In addition to the garlic cloves, the 12.5-ounce bottle of "Garlic Expressions? salad dressing has premium cider vinegar, canola oil and seasonings.
?It's almost exclusively in the produce section as opposed to the grocery section [of stores], Mr. Croy said of "Garlic Expressions." The garlic used in the product comes from Argentina, Mexico and the Bakersfield, CA, area, he said.
