A New Year brings with it the possibilities of writing a new chapter.

Led by CEO Theresa Motter, Van’s Kitchen has weathered the COVID pandemic to sign over 10 new distributor, supermarket and grocery store accounts, increasing the company’s client base by 28%. Van’s Kitchen has spent the past year fulfilling more orders, marking a 40% increase in sales year-over-year.

As the cold chain responded to the challenges of 2021, each of our five Processors to Watch overcame an unprecedented year, growing their brands and positioning them to take off in 2022.

Our cover story, Cold Foods Processors to Watch, highlights five emerging companies using innovative technology, sustainability, and creative ways to connect with their consumers to leverage growth. These processors overcame a year of manufacturing and logistical challenges, responding to changing consumer tastes while growing their brands.

This is my last magazine as editor-in-chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, since I am moving over to R&FF’s parent publication, FOOD ENGINEERING. I have truly enjoyed my time at R&FF reporting on all aspects the cold chain, while being fortunate enough to cover the industry during its unprecedented transformation that continues today.

St. Louis-based Louisa Foods—our 2021 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year—can trace its roots back almost 60 years, not to a food processing plant, but a single family-owned restaurant in the Gateway City.