Dutch Valley Family of Companies
Dutch Valley Food Development
Product manufacturing has long been a part of the history of Dutch Valley Food Distributors, Inc. Over 20 years ago, a manufacturing department was created to control product quality. Sweetened coconut, a small selection of snack mixes and other miscellaneous products were the first to be produced in-house. As the years passed, customer feedback played an important role in the expansion of our product selection as well as the volume of products being produced.
In 2006, our manufacturing division became its own entity named Dutch Valley Food Development, Inc. To date, Dutch Valley Food Development is responsible for the production of several hundred items including sweet and savory dip, dressing and dessert mixes, custom seasoning blends, international grain pilafs, Meals-in-Minutes, gourmet no MSG and home-style soups as well as many other items.
Dutch Valley Food Development has a full time Research and Development department, a strict Quality Assurance program to ensure quality, consistency and integrity in all products, and is also Certified Organic to meet the needs of our customers. We continue to improve our daily operations by investing in up-to-date equipment and providing a healthy environment for employee growth and advancement. From day one we’ve been committed to providing our customers with a high level of service and we continue to strive to do so today.
Schlabach Distributing Inc.
Travel to the heart of Amish Country in Holmes County, Ohio and you’ll find Schlabach Distributing Inc., a wholesale meat and cheese distributor that’s been a pillar of the community since 1959. The company was born when Wayne Schlabach began storing locally produced meat and cheese products in a small refrigerated shed in Berlin. Wayne would load the products in his own truck and make personal deliveries to his customers. Wayne’s quality products and dedication to service helped his business to thrive.
In 1993 the business was passed onto Wayne’s nephew, John Schlabach. With the help of his wife Barb and their two daughters, John continued to grow the family business through increased product selection and the purchase of a refrigerated delivery truck. Product selection grew from 20 cheese items and 5 meat products to over 1,000 items including meats, cheeses, pickles, noodles, jerky and a selection of dry goods. Ten years later, John and Barb added a group of partners to the business. Schlabach Distributing, Inc. continued on their path of success by researching new product lines to meet the needs of their customers as well as expanding their delivery territory thanks to the purchase of additional delivery trucks.
Today, Schlabach Distributing carries over 1,500 items. The most recent additions include a variety of smoked cheese, specialty and deluxe meat products and freezer items such as baked goods and breaded chicken products. Schlabach has also grown to employ seven full time and three part time employees. The facility has also been updated to include additional office space and a new computer and phone system to better serve customers.
The most recent growth occurred in 2010 when Schlabach Distributing, Inc. was acquired by the Burkholder family. The partnership with Dutch Valley Foods will allow Schlabach products to reach a larger market of customers while continuing to provide the quality products and services that the business was founded on over 50 years ago.
J&A Foods, Inc.
J&A Foods, Inc. was founded originally as a sole proprietorship in 1991 under the name Stoltzfus Kountry Kitchen. Starting as a quality dessert manufacturer in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, SKK provided a complete line of ready to serve desserts to delis and farm markets in the PA, NJ, DE, and MD regions. The company evolved into a full line co-packer of gourmet quality jar goods in 1995 while continuing dessert manufacturing with even broader distribution. The line-up of jar goods include pickled vegetables, salsas, marinades, sauces and butters, fruit, jams, jellies and mustards among other unique items for both private labeled and brand name customers.
In 2005, a new entity named ICC Foods, Inc. was formed as part of expansion plans. After many years of continued growth in both desserts and jar goods manufacturing, Dutch Valley Food Distributors, Inc. the company’s largest customer, acquired the assets of ICC in October of 2011 forming what is now known as J&A Foods, Inc.
J&A Foods has emerged into new markets through its R&D and production capabilities of both shelf stable and refrigerated food products. The company now employs 25+ people and will soon occupy a 30,000 square foot manufacturing facility located in New Holland, Pennsylvania. J&A Foods is an FDA inspected facility and has plans to attain SQF certification, Kosher and organic certifications in the near future.