Employees celebrate company’s 20th year

Freshway Foods, headquartered at 601 N. Stolle Ave. in Sidney, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with an employee’s pizza party and other activities on Wednesday.

Founded Feb. 13, 1988, in a building on Wapakoneta Avenue, Freshway has grown from a staff of five employees to a major supplier of fresh-cut produce east of the Mississippi.

Employment has also grown from the 1988 crew to more than 550 associates. Its foodservice customers include: Olive Garden, Red Lobster and other major restaurants.

The fresh-cut fruit and vegetable processor operates from its Sidney and Sanford, Fla., facilities with a combined total of nearly 200,000 square feet of production capacity.

Co-owners Frank Gilardi is chief executive officer and brother Phil Gilardi is president of Freshway.