Garden-Fresh Foods, a Milwaukee, Wis.-based manufacturer of fresh and wholesome deli salads, dips, desserts and salad kits, formed a distribution partnership with Carlin Group, a regional retail merchandising company based in Elk Grove Village, Ill.

“This is an exciting time for us,” says Tom Hughes, co-founder, president and CEO of Garden-Fresh Foods. “Garden-Fresh Foods is looking to expand into new markets, and partnerships like this one with the Carlin Group will help us achieve that goal.”

The partnership will also give consumers more access to the Garden-Fresh Foods line of products, including its new Moroccan Chick Pea Salad, Pasta Robusto, European Carrot and Cranberry Slaw, Cheesy Au Gratin Potato Salad with Bacon, Coconut Cream Pie Dessert Kit, Banana Apple Salted Caramel Crunch and Korean Kimchi.

“The Garden-Fresh brand and family culture, along with their Midwest roots, fit perfectly into our portfolio of clients that service the perimeter of the grocery store, which is one our largest growing segments,” says Peuler, executive vice president of the Carlin Group. “As a sales agency, it is always our goal to represent clients that manufacture the highest quality of products, and our sales team is excited about the products we tasted at a recent visit to their corporate headquarters.”