History

 

Diana and David Moore met at a luxury hotel in the late 1980s. She was a concierge and he was a food and beverage director. They soon realized they had a shared love and curiosity for nature and began hiking and foraging together on the weekends. Following that decade in the service industry, the now husband-and-wife team founded Woodland Foods with the goal of connecting others to the same dedication to service and passion for nature and adventure that initially drew them together.

Since our very first shipment of Chanterelle Mushrooms over three decades ago, to the more than 1,600 unique ingredients we offer today, our mission at Woodland Foods has always focused on obtaining the uncommon, pushing the limits of culinary innovation, and ethically sourcing the same ancient foods that have sustained global populations for millennia.

From quinoa fields in the Andes Mountains of Peru to red rice from the lush fields of Bhutan, we have traveled the world in search of the next remarkable ingredient - and the next great story.  Over the past 30 years, we have grown from a small team working out of an apartment to a workforce of over 300 in 475,000 square feet. Our three facilities house a new fine-mesh pulverizer and state-of-the-art sterilization equipment, making these unusual ingredients market-ready. As we continue to expand our service and facilities, we remain committed to anticipating the evolving needs of manufacturing, foodservice, and retail customers. We do this by offering distinctive, high-quality ingredients and an unparalleled selection of services, including product development, custom blending, processing and private label.  Mission At Woodland Foods, we provide our Customers with authentic products through strategic sourcing and a commitment to excellence that meets the highest standards in food safety and quality. In doing so, we offer unique value, unrivaled variety, and innovative products aimed at delivering the very best that the culinary world has to offer.  Purpose

To be a trusted source of inspiration for food lovers everywhere, by delivering fascinating food experiences from every corner of the world.

Facilities Woodland Foods’ headquarters in Waukegan, Illinois, is the centerpiece of more than 475,000 square feet of manufacturing, warehouse, and office space across three buildings in Northern Illinois. Our facilities were specifically designed and constructed to conform to the most stringent quality and safety standards.

  

BRCGS CERTIFIED GRADE AA RATED

The BRCGS is a leading global product safety and quality certification program used by certificated suppliers in over 100 countries and is recognized as a GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) benchmarked food safety scheme. A growing number of retailers and major manufacturers in Europe and North America require this independent certification from their suppliers. They facilitate standardization of quality, safety, operational criteria and manufacturers’ fulfillment of legal obligations. They also help provide protection to the consumer. With BRGCS Certification, we have attained the highest global food safety standard for a scheduled audit for the receipt, storage, blending, packaging and transport of dry foods and ingredients. 

• HACCP Certified (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point).
• HACCP is a systematic series of preventative measures to ensure food safety during all stages of production processes.
• Designed for comprehensive and detailed ingredient inspection. Our products are visually inspected, metal-detected, cleaned, sorted and laboratory-analyzed.
• Constructed to accommodate complete aroma segregation of ingredients, allowing each of our 1,600 ingredients to maintain its true natural flavor.
• Designed to support complete and comprehensive product traceability, from product inception to customer delivery.
• Temperature controlled - A temperature regulated facility allows for maximum shelf life and stability.
• Equipped with a purpose-built culinary center and a state-of-the-art quality assurance lab. We constantly monitor the quality of our products from quality control to culinary development of the ingredients we sell.

Quality Assurance QUALITY IS AT OUR CORE – FOOD SCIENCE & SAFETY Our Quality Assurance Department is unrelentingly committed to food safety and product quality. We partner exclusively with suppliers that deliver consistently clean, high-quality ingredients. We demand uncompromisingly good practices from our suppliers and closely monitor every stage of production from farm to fork. In fact, every day we receive or ship products, our in-house QA lab ensures every item we handle consistently meets our most exacting specifications. We’ve worked hard to build our reputation by exceeding our customers’ expectations and are dedicated to providing consistent, reputable products as well as share our expert product knowledge gained from years of experience.

ON-SITE QUALITY ASSURANCE LAB

Our on-site Quality Assurance lab goes beyond the typical procedures at other facilities. We focus on:

• Allergen control.
• Strict adherence to ingredient specifications.
• Monitor consistency in quality, color, flavor, and texture.
• Comprehensive and detailed ingredient inspection – our products are closely inspected, metal-detected, cleaned, sorted and laboratory-analyzed.

Memberships & Associations  WOODLAND FOODS IS CERTIFIED BY THESE ORGANIZATIONS Woodland Foods’ facilities and processes are regularly audited by our customers including Fortune 100 Brands.  

• 

WOODLAND FOODS IS A PROUD MEMBER OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS