Originally, Santini Foods focused on importing food products from Italy and the Far East to fill the growing consumer desire for authentic ethnic foods. Some of our original product offerings included pasta, olive oil, pestos, marinated artichokes, and the first dolphin-safe Tongol tuna.

 

In 1994, the company took a major step forward by acquiring a 100,000 sq. ft. manufacturing plant located in San Lorenzo, California. This modern, multi-faceted facility positioned Santini Foods for future growth on a number of different product fronts including sweetened condensed milk, chocolate sauces & syrups, fruit flavored syrups and olive oil.

 

In 1995, Santini began making full cream and skim sweetened condensed milk in 14 oz cans, #10 cans, 50 lb pails and 600 lb drums. Our unique West Coast location and our commitment to quality soon attracted a major national company and many supermarket chains who sold their brands of sweetened condensed milk in 14 oz cans produced by Santini. Soon thereafter, several well-known food manufacturers were buying our products in bulk 50 lb pails and 600 lb drums.

 

In 1999, a major brand of confectionary chocolate came to Santini to see if we could make their dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate and caramel sauces in a large foodservice size plastic bottle. By working with this company to understand their needs, a skill we take pride in, we enabled them to enter the market in a very short time.

 

In 2001, we began to market our products in Mexico. We currently sell our sweetened condensed milks and chocolate syrups to one of the largest and most prestigious Mexican supermarket chains.

 

In 2002, Santini Foods introduced several lines of Organic Italian Foods including pasta, pasta sauce, pesto, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Santini Foods has developed many contacts in Italy over the years so it was natural for us to source our Italian organic products directly from Italy.

 

In 2003, we took advantage of our expertise in making milk products and introduced the first organic sweetened condensed milk in the category.

 

The year 2004 was a particularly busy year for Santini Foods:

• We introduced a six item line of organic fruit-based syrups targeted towards the Health Foods category. These products are made with organic fruit concentrates, not corn syrups, and are packed in convenient squeezable plastic bottles with appetite-appealing graphics.

• We began shipping no cholesterol sweetened condensed milk to supermarkets in both the U.S and Mexico. This product is preferred by various segments of the Latino community.

• Santini added a full bodied shrink sleeve machine to our production line. This was done at the request of one of our clients and shows our willingness and flexibility to expand and modify our capabilities to meet the needs of our customers.

 

In 2005 and 2006 we upgraded our production lines with state-of the-art filling and packaging equipment that both improved our efficiencies and added to our capacity.

 

In 2006, our co-pack syrup & sauce business increased significantly as more customers trusted Santini to make products under their brands names. We like to think that our collaborative working environment; flexibility; consistent quality; and commitment to customer needs were the keys to this growth.

 

In 2007, Santini became the only producer of sweetened condensed milk with the capability to make this product in plastic bottles. We make several products in this increasingly popular package type including full cream and no cholesterol sweetened condensed milks.

 

In 2008, Santini began producing whey based creamer. This product is popular with certain segments of the Asian population. No other U.S manufacturer makes this type of sweetened condensed milk.

 

In 2009 and 2010, Santini responded to continued strong volume growth with significant investments in additional processing equipment and an expansion of warehouse space. This commitment to future growth is proof to our growing list of customers that Santini will be here to source their needs now and well into the future.

 

In 2011, we acquired the capability to fill 3,000 pound tote bins with sweetened condensed milk. In addition, we installed Bag-in-Box filling and packaging equipment. Also in 2011 we entered the South Korean market. Major supermarket chains began to carry our sweetened condensed milk in plastic squeeze bottles. In 2012 we introduced a full line of Frozen Indian Foods under the Vadilal brand. The line includes authentic Indian meals, Nann breads, vegetables, and mango purees & slices.

 

Also, in 2012, we introduced the “California Farms” brand of Sweetened Condensed Milk and Chocolate & Caramel Syrups. California Farms is the only brand of Sweetened Condensed Milk that is rBST Free.

 

In 2013 we obtained certification of our evaporated milk line. We will become the first manufacturer of Organic Evaporated Milk. We can now serve our customers even better by shipping both organic evaporated milk and organic sweetened condensed milk in the same trucks.