In 1952 John purchased The Whittex Company building. It is here that he would begin the business. John & I founded Rudolph Foods Company in 1955.
In 1957, we almost lost everything we had worked so hard to build. The meat industry quit smoking the rind on the bacon, causing the flavor of our pork rinds to become less than desirable. Johnny was worried, but with my home economics degree and keen food sense, I worked until I came up with my secret recipe. This was the making of the company! My signature recipe has won taste test after taste test for 5 decades and is still being used today to make the best tasting pork rinds in the world.
We sold Rudolph Foods to Beatrice Foods in 1966. John accepted a position with Beatrice as a Group Vice President responsible for 22 plants as well as continuing oversight of RFC. But, after six years of constant travel, John was ready to be back in Lima with his family and his snack business. He shed the Beatrice VP title in 1972 and came home to build Rudolph Foods as the President.
In 1972, the Atkins Diet became a national best selling book. Dr. Atkins recommended pork rinds as the high protein snack food of choice causing the pork rind market to grow as a result.
We introduced traditional cracklins in 1982.
John became the first non-potato manufacturer to head the Snack Food Association in Washington, DC in 1984. During his tenure as chairman a new SFA World Headquarters was established in Alexandria, VA.
My secret recipe has been winning taste tests for years. And in 1986, we put it to the test again. Our product won a Blind Label Taste Test which compared it to the competitor’s product in three major cities.
After two decades, we’re a family business again! In September of 1987, we purchased the business back from Beatrice. Our sons, Rich and Jim, joined the company in sales and operations roles.
We introduced the tender style pork cracklin in 1987. Just as we remember crunchy tender cracklins from our childhood, so do many other consumers. The product gained strong acceptance immediately.
Once again our product wins a Blind Label Taste Test in 1988.
In 1988, Vice President of the United States, George H. Bush, during his campaign for the Presidency, announced that pork rinds with hot sauce were his favorite snack. Bush stopped in Lima and was presented with pork rinds by John. Once Bush is elected President, the media announces that the jelly bean is out and the pork rind is in. Our entire Rudolph Foods family was honored in 1989 when Lima, Ohio was proclaimed the “Pork Rind Capital of the World” by Ohio’s Governor, Richard F. Celeste.
In 1991, we started Rudolph West in San Bernardino, CA. The San Bernardino facility added a crucial link to the western U.S. for Rudolph Foods. The following year, the Dallas, Texas plant was acquired. This plant would house the operation for the next 10 years.
The Heritage Pork Rind Festival in Harrod, Ohio is always fun. In 1992, Rudolph Foods attempted the world’s largest bag of pork rinds during the Festival. A 316-pound bag of pork rinds is a BIG bag of pork rinds!
Again, we win a major taste test performed in four cities across the country.
Rudolph Foods opened operation in Pachuca, Mexico in 1993 giving us the opportunity to serve Mexico and Central America. In 1994, Rudolph Foods purchased Southern Snacks in Lawrenceville, Georgia adding an Atlanta based facility to our operation.
Whitefeather Foods joined our family in 2000. The facility is close to home, located in Wapakoneta, Ohio just 18 miles south of the Rudolph Foods corporate office.
In 2002, people are going crazy with the rejuvenation of Dr. Atkin’s diet plan and the Low Carb diets. The pork rind market experiences growth as new consumers are introduced to the product. I am pleased to hear that more females tried pork rinds during this time, a snack that I’ve enjoyed for years!
In 2003, the Dallas location opened a new state -of -the -art facility in Texas.
My we sure have grown! In addition to celebrating 50 years in 2005, we formed Rudolph Foods Europa in April, a joint venture in Grasten, Denmark.
Rich followed in his father’s footsteps serving as Chairman of the Snack Food Association in 2006.
In 2005-2006, we launched OnYums Original Onion Rings and Rudolph’s Cinnamon Churros. These launches mark an exciting time for Rudolph Foods as we branch out into new snack categories. In 2008, Rudolph Foods launched ENGOBI, an energy snack chip, in New York City.
Also in 2008, Rudolph Foods announces the opening of our operation in Chapeco, Brazil in June.
