SALINAS, CA - Founded in 1985, Markon Cooperative will reach its milestone 40th anniversary this November. The company officially kicked off its year of celebrations at the May Board of Directors meeting in Monterey, California. The three-day event brought together Markon leadership and representatives from all five of their independent foodservice member companies—Ben E. Keith, Gordon Food Service, Gordon Food Service Canada, Nicholas & Company, and Shamrock Foods. The gathering included dinners with key strategic suppliers and served as the launch point for the celebrations planned throughout 2025.

The year coincides with the company’s 20th Produce Summit anniversary, as well as their 10th Chef Summit, giving the group many opportunities to shine a spotlight on their multiple industry firsts, honor long-time employees and grower-partners, and commemorate through exclusive dinners, festive parties, themed gifts, and shareable social media announcements.

“Markon was created to bring value to our member companies by educating growers about the real-life needs of foodservice customers in the areas of packaging, pack sizes, product information, promotions, and new products,” explains CEO Andy Hamilton in a recent press release. “Over the past four decades, we’ve set many milestones that keep us uniquely positioned to anticipate and respond to the rapidly evolving fresh produce demands of the foodservice industry.”

Debuting the 2025 celebration plans at the annual Board of Directors meeting gave Markon’s key leadership insight into how the group will honor their well-earned successes and set the stage for more industry benchmarks. Showing no signs of stopping, Markon has bold plans moving forward into their next 40 years in the areas of product innovation, food safety, sustainability, community support, and multi-unit account development.