Grote Company is Celebrating its 50th Anniversary

Grote Company, a reliable, high-quality food-slicing, and assembly equipment manufacturer, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Jim Grote founded the company in 1972 to help bring automation to his first company, and it has grown from one small factory to eight locations worldwide, employing over 300 people.

“Jim Grote invented an entire category of slice-and-apply in the food processing industry, which makes me wonder what we’ll invent next. As we move into the future, based on the strong foundation Jim built along with a reputation for holding our values tight, even as we expand, the possibilities are endless. The market will keep growing – everyone needs to eat – and Grote Company will play a role in that,” said Bob Grote, chief executive officer, of Grote Company said.

Bob Grote joined the company 22 years ago and became CEO in 2008. Now, Bob Grote looks forward to the future with the family’s third generation as his son Jack has also joined the company as sales manager for its Vanmark arm.

In the last 20 years, Grote Company has diversified and strengthened its food processing expertise with acquisitions of industry pillars, including PFI, Vanmark (industrial potato and produce processing equipment), Advanced Food Technology, GME International, and Pizzamatic. Its eight locations include an office in the UK and a warehouse in the Netherlands.

“Watching how the technology has evolved and how data and robotics have impacted the world of automation – yet realizing there’s still so much that can be done in the future – you recognize what opportunity there is,” Bob Grote said.

This year, the company announced the opening of a parts warehouse and service center in The Netherlands. The new location allows the company to ship parts orders to our EU customers faster and without any duty, taxes, or holds.

Grote Company manufactures reliable, top-quality food slicing and assembly equipment.