Garlic: The Root of it All

Follow your nose. En route to Gilroy, California, the 'garlic capital of the world'' you’ll smell this little bulb before you see it. Just stroll past an Italian restaurant and you can't miss its piquant aroma. The flavor it lends is unmistakable and essential in everything from classic American comfort food to all kinds of multi-cultural cuisine.

It started in the fertile ground and mild climate of the West coast, an ideal scenario for garlic plants, with the ‘softneck’ variety predominant in California. Gilroy opened with a processing facility of just 20,000 square feet, completing its first production run on October 17, 1959. Back then, the distinctive papery white bulbs were sorted by hand and Gilroy concentrated on processing dehydrated garlic.

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The Meat Industry Hall of Fame was created in 2009 to enshrine the leaders and legends whose visions, skills, and dedication have shaped and sustained the meat and poultry industries.

This new annual reception will celebrate the Meat Industry Hall of Fame Class of 2023 inductees in person during the AAMP American Convention of Meat Processors & Suppliers’ Exhibition in Omaha, Nebraska.