The Fresh Factory
Chicago, IL
Chicago public benefit corporation with two Chicagoland manufacturing facilities offering product development, turnkey contract manufacturing, co-packing and private label for clean-label brands. Makes condiments, dressings, sauces, soups, dips, spreads, cold-pressed juices, wellness shots and snack bars and bites using hot fill, refrigerated cold fill, HPP, slab forming, extrusion and baking, with 200,000 sq ft of cold, frozen and dry storage and fulfillment.
Request an introductionWhat this plant can run
Process
Lit: the preservation processes they state. 6 processes stated in all.
Packaging
9formats stated
Minimum order
Not publishedAsk on the first call.
Certifications
A dark light means their published information does not say, not that they cannot.
What they state
- Plant locations
- Chicago, IL
- Process
- Cold-formed barsBakingHot fillCold fillHPP (in house)Cold pressing
- Packaging
- Glass jarsSqueeze bottlesTubsFlow wrapBags and flexible filmPlastic bottlesPlastic jarsStick packs and sachetsBulk and foodservice
- Products
- CondimentsSauces and marinadesSoups and brothsDips and spreadsJuiceBarsDressingsSalsasJams and preservesNut and seed buttersFunctional drinksShots and concentrates
- Minimum order
- Not published
- Food safety certification
- SQFSQF level not verified; SQF Fundamentals is not GFSI benchmarked.
- Other certifications
- KosherNon-GMO ProjectUSDA OrganicCertified gluten-freeGMP
- Regulatory scope
- Not stated in their published information
- Equipment
- Not stated in their published information
- Batch size or capacity
- Produced over 314 SKUs for 41 brands in 2024; small, medium and large batch runs; 200,000 sq ft of cold, frozen and dry storage
- Services
- Formulation and R&DTurnkey (they buy materials)Ingredient sourcingPackaging sourcingPilot and small runsRecipe scale-upCommercialization supportShelf life testingLabeling and regulatoryWarehousingCold storageE-commerce fulfillmentDistribution and logisticsKitting and assembly
- Works with
- Startups and first runsEmerging brandsRegional and national brands
- Also states
- Snack extrusion and co-extrusion
- Refrigerated snack processing
- Foodservice pouches
- Multi-pack formats
- Cold fill is refrigerated (site distinguishes it from shelf-stable hot fill)
- Startup accelerator program (Fresh Start)
- Vendor-managed inventory and mixed-pallet builds
- Support for vegan, non-bioengineered and halal-certifiable claims
- Type of company
- Co-manufacturerCo-packerPrivate label
How we checked
Verified 2026-10-02 from the manufacturer's published information (7 pages checked).
Their own published information states these capabilities clearly.
We do not publish this plant's contact details. Request an introduction and we contact the plant for you.
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Before you call
- High pressure processing (HPP): what it is and when it paysHow high pressure processing works, what it costs, and when tolling beats owning a machine.Lesson
- Hot fill vs cold fillThe pH, temperatures and holds behind the two most common sauce and drink fills.Lesson
- Low-acid canned foods and acidified foods: the pH 4.6 lineWhat makes a food low-acid or acidified, and what each one requires of your co-packer.Lesson