Axium Foods
 | |
| Company type | Private Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Snack food |
| Headquarters | South Beloit, IL |
Key people | Pat McCleary, CEO Jerry Stokely, President Bill Pruyne, Production Manager Stephanie Moyer, Director of Sales |
Axium Foods, Inc. -- a division of McCleary, Inc. -- is a manufacturer of corn-based snack products, including plain and flavored tortilla chips, corn chips, puffed cheese snacks and crunchy cheese snacks.
Headquartered in South Beloit, IL, it is a private label snack food manufacturer and the maker of Pajeda’s, Fiesta Crunch and Mystic Harvest.
History
Eugene “Mac” McCleary graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University class of 1942. He enlisted in the Navy during World War II and was stationed in Beloit, WI, where he was head of government inspection for submarine engines being built at Fairbanks Morse.
After the war, Mac was offered a job at Adams Corporation, a fledgling company formed to manufacture and distribute the Korn Kurl, a new snack food that was invented on a local dairy farm. Mac worked with Adams Corporation for 15 years as their Director of Manufacturing and was instrumental in the development of continuous production of this new snack food.
Mac started his own private label snack food company November 22, 1960 and called it McCleary Industries, later to become McCleary Inc. and Axium Foods, Inc.
In the year 2000, Axium Foods created Pajeda’s, their first branded line of tortilla chips and snacks, then in 2010 they introduced Fiesta Crunch, a line of tortilla chips and potato poppers.
In November 2010, Axium Foods celebrated 50 years in business.[1] Mac McCleary died in 2007, though today the company remains family-owned and operated.[2]
In March, 2012, Axium Foods introduced the brand Mystic Harvest[3] which includes tortilla chips made with purple corn.
Environmental sustainability
Axium Foods has a full wastewater treatment plant that includes an anaerobic digester. That process creates methane gas, and while the company currently flares that gas, it is exploring ways to recapture it and/or generate electricity with it. The company also takes any dry waste created from producing its corn-based snacks and sells it as cattle feed to a local farmer, keeping the dry waste out of landfills.[4] Raw materials for their snacks, primarily corn and flavorings, come from local farmers and ingredient companies.[5]
Products
- Pajeda’s Tortilla Chips
- Pajeda’s Puffed Cheese and Crunchy Cheese snacks
- Pajeda’s Party Mix
- Pajeda’s Corn Chips
- Pajeda's Onion Rings
- Fiesta Crunch Tortilla Chips
- Mystic Harvest Purple Corn Tortilla Chips
See also
References
- ^ Rockford Register Star. "Axium Foods Parent Company Celebrates 50 Years in Business".[permanent dead link]
- ^ Rockford Register Star. "Ethanol Ruling Aside Higher Corn Prices Bad for Everyone".[permanent dead link]
- ^ Food Processing. "Mystic Harvest Revolutionizes Snack Foods".
- ^ Retail Merchandiser. "Axium Foods Quality and Value". Archived from the original on 2010-04-25.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Janesville Gazette. "Axium Looks to Cash in on its Chips".