Freshway Foods announced that co-founder Frank Gilardi passed away unexpectedly on July 8th, 2024.
Born and raised in Sidney, Ohio, Gilardi was a successful entrepreneur who, along with his brother Phil Gilardi, co-founded Freshway Foods in Sidney in 1988 after purchasing the assets of their father's wholesale company.
"One day an unannounced 30-year-old young man walked into the front door of my wholesale produce business and introduced himself as Frank Gilardi. He explained that he and Phil were going to get started in the next few weeks and asked for our business. I agreed," said Jim Sanfillipo, owner of Sanfillipo Produce, one of the company's first customers. "I always remained loyal to Frank because he was a good man. Friendly, sincere, and honest is how I would describe him. Frank Gilardi will be missed by everyone who knows him. I hope he's playing golf in heaven."
The business had very humble beginnings. The customer transaction cycle began with Frank Gilardi securing the order, brother Phil Gilardi making the order, and finally Frank delivering the order. The 100-hour work weeks for both brothers translated into a successful business a few short years after it began.
Frank Gilardi was 66 years old.
By 1992, Freshway Foods opened a 12,000 sq ft facility to accommodate growth and in 1995, Gilardi landed his first national restaurant chain, expanding the distribution beyond the midwestern states. 1996 brought more expansion when the company opened an additional processing plant to meet the increased demand. In 1997, the company entered the retail market with a line of fresh deli salad kits. Growth and expansion were ongoing in the early 2000s with a new 60,000-square-foot processing facility followed by the addition of another 36,000 square feet by 2005. In 2006, Freshway was awarded Processor of the Year by the International Fresh-Cut Produce Association. The Gilardis sold Freshway Foods to US Foods in 2016.
"We are all so utterly heartbroken by the loss of Frank," said Dan Purdy, vice president of sales and marketing. "Frank was so much more than a colleague and a boss. Frank was the father of the Freshway family."
Gilardi was born on January 5th, 1958 to Francis (Frank) Gilardi Sr. and the late Carol (Wesbecher) Covault. He will be missed by his wife of 44 years, Julie (Raterman) Gilardi, daughter Jennifer (Kurt) Jung, and grandsons Theodore and Luca Jung.
Gilardi was also passionate about giving back to his community and served on the board of many local associations, including the Holy Angels Soup Kitchen, the American Heart Association, the Sidney Airport Advisory Board, and many more.
Gilardi also had a passion for flying as a skilled pilot and was part of the Veterans Airlift Command, a community of aviators who give injured combat veterans free flights for medical and compassionate purposes.
For more information:
Freshway Foods
Tel: +1 (937) 498-4664
www.freshwayfoods.com