"Sticking to your knitting" is a tried and true business cliche that many entrepreneurs love say but few can follow-up on.
The co-owners of MiDAS Foods International believe the good habits of sticking to their core mission of developing and making dry food mixes has lead to some consistently healthy growth for the company.
"We really have stuck to our knitting," Gary Freeman, co-owner of
MiDAS Foods International. "We have been sticking with our customers and investing a lot in them."
The 22-year-old company specializes in developing and manufacturing dry food mixes for restaurants and food producers. Those mixes are often used to make things like pudding, mousses and pie glazes. Freeman and his co-owner Richard Elias began working for the Oak Park-based company in 1983 and bought it out in the late 1980s. It has been growing steadily ever since and was recently named to the
Michigan 50 Companies to Watch.
MiDAS Foods International has hired four people over the last year, expanding its workforce to 30 employees. Freeman expects to hire another handful of people over the next year. He is also looking at expanding the company's facilities in Oak Park by 10,000-20,000 square feet. All while the company continues to stick to its knitting.
"I would like to see us continue exactly on the road we're on," Freeman says. "We're looking at expanding our plant and acquiring companies."
Source: Gary Freeman, co-owner of MiDAS Foods International
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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