SIDNEY, OH - We are saddened to report the news that a beloved industry veteran has passed away. Freshway Foods Co-Founder Frank Gilardi passed away on July 8, 2024.
Born and raised in Sidney, Ohio, Gilardi was a successful entrepreneur who, along with his brother Phil Gilardi, co-founded Freshway Foods in Sidney in 1988 after purchasing the assets of their father’s wholesale company. Both men had worked in the multi-generational business previously and wanted to refocus the strategy to provide pre-cut and shredded lettuce to the foodservice industry.
The customer transaction cycle began with Frank Gilardi securing the order, brother Phil Gilardi making the order, and finally, Frank Gilardi delivering the order. Roughly 100-hour work weeks for both brothers translated into a successful business a few short years after it began.
“As Frank would often say, he enjoyed the ‘chase’ of growing a business,” said Devon Beer, President and Chief Operating Officer of Freshway Foods. “Customers will remember Frank as a man of his word. He was very focused on making sure that promises made were kept, and he took Freshway’s critical role in the value-add supply chain very seriously.”
By 1992, Freshway Foods opened a 12,000-square-foot facility to accommodate growth and, in 1995, Gilardi landed his first national restaurant chain which expanded the distribution beyond the Midwestern states. 1996 brought more expansion when the company opened an additional processing plant to meet the increased demand. In 1997, it accomplished another major milestone entering the retail market with a line of fresh deli salad kits. Growth and expansion were ongoing in the early 2000s with a new 60,000-square-foot processing facility followed by the addition of another 36,000 square feet by 2005. In 2006, Freshway was awarded Processor of the Year by the International Fresh-Cut Produce Association. The Gilardi’s sold Freshway Foods to US Foods in 2016.
“We are all so utterly heartbroken by the loss of Frank Gilardi,” said Dan Purdy, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Frank was so much more than a colleague and a boss. Frank was the father of the Freshway family.”
Gilardi was born on January 5, 1958, to Francis (Frank) Gilardi Sr. and the late Carol (Wesbecher) Covault. Gilardi will be lovingly missed by his wife of 44 years, Julie (Raterman) Gilardi, daughter Jennifer (Kurt) Jung, and grandsons Theodore and Luca Jung, of Huntersville, North Carolina.
Gilardi was passionate about giving back to his community and served on the board of many local associations, including the Holy Angels Soup Kitchen, the American Heart Association, Lehman Catholic High School, and more.
Gilardi placed a high value on spending time with family and friends, enjoying frequent gatherings with the Gilardi family and many close friends in both Ohio and Florida. He especially loved spending time with his grandsons Theo and Luca, talking about airplanes and cars, and swimming with them in the family pool.
Our deepest condolences go out to the friends and family mourning Frank Gilardi.
