Our Story
In 1940, with the Depression still a vivid memory, George Renfro took a big risk
for a man with a family. He quit his job selling restaurant supplies and condiments.
And with little more than sheer determination and the support of his family, George
and his wife, Arthurine, co-founded George Renfro Food Company in the garage of
their north Fort Worth home. In their new venture, they distributed packaged spices
and pepper sauces throughout Fort Worth and the surrounding areas.
With hard work, George Renfro Food Company grew steadily. By 1948, the Renfros expanded
the company's product line, buying a local syrup manufacturer. Through the tireless
efforts of George, his family and a small sales staff that literally sold goods
from the back of a truck, the company's Dixieland Syrups soon had wide distribution
throughout Texas grocery stores. Virtually every Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant purchased
the syrup from George Renfro Food Company, approximately 85% of the restaurants
in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Only four short years after adding syrup to its manufacturing line, George was again
looking for his next quality product. This time George and Arthurine acquired the
formulas of Gold Star Foods. They reworked the ingredients, making them taste more
like family recipes. Before long, George Renfro Food Company had entered the jelly,
preserve, vinegar and chow chow business as well.
At the time, few Southerners could imagine eating beans or peas without homemade
chow chow, especially during the cold winter months. Realizing they had one of the
few commercially made, yet homemade-tasting chow chows available, the Renfros capitalized
on public demand and created the popular Dixieland Chow Chow.
Response to the blend of cabbage, bell peppers, sugar, spices and vinegar was so
tremendous that, by 1960, George Renfro Food Company had become a one-product business
focusing exclusively on Dixieland Chow Chow.
By 1963, company sales had more than quadrupled. The Renfros now distributed their
chow chow to nearly every grocery store in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and northern
Louisiana. As great as everything seemed, George knew there were a few problems.
During the warm summer months, grocery store sales traditionally slumped. Consequently,
the company created the Mrs. Renfro's label and began selling the chow chow directly
to fruit and vegetable stands. The Dixieland label was exclusively reserved for
grocery stores.
With this new direction, sales began to take off. Soon fruit and vegetable stands
throughout Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee were carrying the increasingly
popular Mrs. Renfro's products, which by the mid-'60s included Corn Relish and Tomato
Relish. There was still, however, a lack of chow chow popularity among younger consumers.
For George, the time had come again to look for yet another expansion opportunity.
In 1972, shortly after incorporating under its current name, Renfro Foods, Inc.,
the family purchased the recipes of Olé Foods, a Mexican-style hot sauce maker.
The Renfros anticipated that customers' tastes were changing, and they quickly made
plans to ride the wave of interest in Mexican foods. Reworking the basic taco sauce
ingredients of Olé Foods, the Renfros created a richer and tastier salsa recipe.
Mrs. Renfro's salsas gained popularity fast, earning a reputation for quality flavor
at a reasonable price. This quick surge in demand lead to a major facilities expansion
that more than doubled the company's production operations.
With George's death in 1975, Arthurine and the children, Bill and Jack, were left
to lead the company into its greatest growth period yet. The country's love of hot
and spicy foods was escalating, and with this, so was the rise in demand for Mrs.
Renfro's products. The product line soon expanded from the original hot or mild
sauces to a variety of picantes and medium-style sauces.
Demand for Mrs. Renfro's Mexican-style products and its old-time favorites continued
to soar in the decades ahead. In 1988, to manage the brand's growing popularity,
Renfro Foods again doubled its facilities and production capacity. Then, in 1995,
after determining that consumers' tastes were becoming more sophisticated and somewhat
adventurous, the company introduced two gourmet salsas - Black Bean and Habanero.
Mrs. Renfro's gourmet product line became a favorite for salsa lovers and connoisseurs.
Forced to keep up with increased demand, Renfro Foods expanded its manufacturing
plant again in 1997, also adding Peach, Chipotle Corn and Roasted salsas to its
list of intriguing salsa palates. In 2000, Mrs. Renfro's products got a fresh, new
contemporary look with a label and jar re-design to strengthen shelf presence. The
following year, Renfro Foods introduced its 25th product - Garlic Salsa - and began
labeling in French and Spanish to increase its global presence with product distribution
in new international markets. Raspberry Chipotle Salsa was introduced in 2003.
In 2005, the company built a new 12,000 square foot warehouse to accommodate continued
growth. That was coupled with the installation of new computerized accounting and
shop floor control software that gave them more detailed financial and quality assurance
information. In 2006, the latest Mrs. Renfro's product was unveiled - Mango Habanero
Salsa.
As a community minded company, in 2007, Renfro Foods launched its Pink Lid Breast
Cancer Awareness Campaign. Six of its top-selling salsas - Mango Habanero, Green,
Black Bean, Raspberry Chipotle, Habanero, and Peach - were all re-fitted with pink
lids and new labels. A portion of the sales were given to organizations and institutions
involved in cancer research. To date, the company has donated $45,000 to cancer
research.
In 2009, the company added three new salsas to its salsa line - Pomegranate, Tequila
and Pineapple, a 2010 Scovie Award first place winner for fruit salsa in the processed
salsa category.
In 2010, Renfro Foods debuted its hottest salsa to date, the Ghost Pepper, also
known as Bhut Jolokia, the world's hottest chile pepper, at the Summer Fancy Food
Show in New York. Mrs. Renfro's Ghost Pepper salsa received rave reviews.
Today, with sons Jack and Bill, and grandchildren Doug, Becky and James active in
the day-to-day operations, Renfro Foods and its Mrs. Renfro's label, continue to
grow at a fast pace. Mrs. Renfro's products, which now include more than 30 salsas,
sauces and relishes, are available at supermarkets, gourmet and gift shops and fruit
and vegetable stands in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean and England.