Our Company

History

history_of_buddys_kitchen We are frequently asked if there is or was a "Buddy".

Nils "Buddy" Eian moved to Minneapolis from Ashby, Minnesota in 1974 to start Buddy's Kitchen. The first product was a succulent hand-cooked omelet for North Central Airlines. That omelet remains a signature Buddy's product 34 years later.

Two surviving daughters of Buddy remain active shareholders today, carrying on their father's traditions of making high quality products that are fairly priced, and fostering an amazingly positive work environment for the employees.

Although initially grew serving the catering needs of airlines, the company has diversified to serve other growing industries.

Executive Team

Dave Smith, President/CEO
Tim Risbrudt, Chairman
Lyle Horrmann, VP Operations & Contract Manufacturing
Brad Wetherbee, Inflight Customer Segment Manager
Steve Carvel, Vending/Convenience Segment Manager
Barb Bright, Quality Manager
Carol Horrmann, Culinary Manager
Tom Stadelman, Quality and Production Manager
Duc Truong, Production Manager
Thuy Nguyen, Shipping/Receiving Supervisor
Dave Devore, Supply Chain/Accounting Manager
Kellie Eggerichs, Customer Service
Chris Jenson, Accounts Payale Manager
Tari Prachar, Accounts Receiving Manager
Erick Horrmann, IT Support

Buddy's Kitchen has a small, but lively management team, and we guarantee our customers a very SENIOR LEVEL of attention throughout the life of our relationship.

Production Team

Buddy's Kitchen employs 130 of the most productive food workers in the industry. We are incredibly proud of our team, many of whom have made their careers working in production for Buddy's and have proudly retired from Buddy's. history_of_buddys_kitchen

The hallmarks of the production team at Buddy's Kitchen are:

Long-tenured employees and minimal turnover
Amazing teamwork and productivity
Extremely competitive total cost structure
Strong work ethic and adaptability
Positive, cohesive culture that has been nurtured for over 30 years
Loyalty and dedication that extends to the customers of Buddy's
Scalable for new projects

We overflow with pride in our workforce, and consider our people to be a core competitive advantage. When you tour Buddy's production facility and observe our team, we predict you will feel the same way.


Home \| Our Company \| Products \| Capabilities \| Customers \| Facilities \| Capacity \| Financials \| Food Safety \| Contact
OUR COMPANY History We are frequently asked if there is or was a "Buddy". Nils "Buddy" Eian moved to Minneapolis from Ashby, Minnesota in 1974 to start Buddy's Kitchen. The first product was a succulent hand-cooked omelet for North Central Airlines. That omelet remains a signature Buddy's product 34 years later. Two surviving daughters of Buddy remain active shareholders today, carrying on their father's traditions of making high quality products that are fairly priced, and fostering an amazingly positive work environment for the employees. Although initially grew serving the catering needs of airlines, the company has diversified to serve other growing industries. Executive Team Dave Smith, President/CEO Tim Risbrudt, Chairman Lyle Horrmann, VP Operations & Contract Manufacturing Brad Wetherbee, Inflight Customer Segment Manager Steve Carvel, Vending/Convenience Segment Manager Barb Bright, Quality Manager Carol Horrmann, Culinary Manager Tom Stadelman, Quality and Production Manager Duc Truong, Production Manager Thuy Nguyen, Shipping/Receiving Supervisor Dave Devore, Supply Chain/Accounting Manager Kellie Eggerichs, Customer Service Chris Jenson, Accounts Payale Manager Tari Prachar, Accounts Receiving Manager Erick Horrmann, IT Support Buddy's Kitchen has a small, but lively management team, and we guarantee our customers a very SENIOR LEVEL of attention throughout the life of our relationship. Production Team Buddy's Kitchen employs 130 of the most productive food workers in the industry. We are incredibly proud of our team, many of whom have made their careers working in production for Buddy's and have proudly retired from Buddy's. The hallmarks of the production team at Buddy's Kitchen are: Long-tenured employees and minimal turnover Amazing teamwork and productivity Extremely competitive total cost structure Strong work ethic and adaptability Positive, cohesive culture that has been nurtured for over 30 years Loyalty and dedication that extends to the customers of Buddy's Scalable for new projects We overflow with pride in our workforce, and consider our people to be a core competitive advantage. When you tour Buddy's production facility and observe our team, we predict you will feel the same way.