Custom Made Meals experienced significant changes in the past year. A private equity firm purchased the company, and Custom Made Meals switched from using an employment agency to hiring its own employees.
Two things that didn’t change were the company’s commitment to producing high-quality meals and providing an exceptional workplace for its employees.
The Colorado company, which earned spots on the Top Workplaces list for the past four years, creates oven-ready meals for 15,000 groceries nationwide.
This year, Custom Made Meals jumped from the top spot on the 2021 mid-size companies list to No. 1 on the large companies list.
Keeping employees
Katie Prekel, vice president for human resources, says the switch to bringing employees in-house created higher attendance and reduced turnover. An employee referral program helps recruit new workers.
“Who’s better than the people who know the work to bring in the new workers,” Prekel asks.
The company even has a waitlist of potential employees.
“People want to be part of the Custom Made Meals family, and they’re willing to wait,” she says.
Ongoing challenges
As the company grows, it faces new challenges, says Dale Easdon, president and chief executive officer.
Among the most significant challenges are supply chain kinks and rising costs. Some expenses are 20% to 30% higher than they were pre-COVID 19. And rising fuel prices have increased transportation costs by $1
million in the past year.
“We have to continually be creative,” Easdon says. “We know our customers love our product, so we ask ourselves, ‘How can we do our best work to provide it to them?'”
To help cut costs and make the business more competitive, the company stopped outsourcing meat cutting and brought that work back in-house, says Stefano Casadei, chief operating officer.
“It’s also giving us a higher level of quality,” he says. “It’s made us more consistent and allowed us to take advantage of the capabilities of our workforce.”
Looking ahead
While Custom Made Meals continues to consider expansion opportunities outside Colorado, the company has no plans to move its headquarters.
“This is a good location for us,” Prekel says. “We can draw potential employees from multiple counties in the metro area.”
The company strives to create a family-friendly product and provide an employee-friendly workplace.
“Our employees love food. They know we’re creating a high-quality product,” Prekel says.
“We’re not just a food manufacturing company. We turn cooks into chefs.”
No. 1
Years named: 4
Founded: 2009
Headquarters: Denver
Employees: 505
Locations: 2
Facts: Custom Made Meals creates fresh oven-ready entrees and appetizers for more than 15,000 groceries nationwide.
