It also changed its name, incorporating as Golden State Foods. Toward the end of the 1960s, the company built a new meat-processing plant and warehouse in City of Industry, California, just outside Los Angeles. As Kroc ’s restaurant chain grew, so did Golden State ’s business. In 1965, the company went public and three years later celebrated the opening of its 1,000th restaurant. Meanwhile, McDonald ’s was experiencing explosive growth. When Moore ’s partner died, however, he sold the restaurants back to McDonald ’s in exchange for stock. In 1965, Moore and a partner purchased their own McDonald ’s franchise, and over the next two years acquired four more. A year later, he moved to California to oversee a major expansion initiative in that state, and befriended Moore, who was serving as a supplier to the chain. In 1961, Kroc bought out the McDonald brothers and became the owner of the rapidly growing McDonald ’s chain. When the McDonald brothers agreed, Kroc quickly began opening a series of McDonald ’s restaurants in Illinois, Indiana, and California.

In 1954, an enterprising salesman from Illinois named Ray Kroc had approached the brothers to inquire about the possibility of turning the successful hamburger stand into a chain. McDonald ’s, a fast-food hamburger stand, had been founded in 1948 in San Bernardino, California, by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald. a client a franchisee of a new restaurant chain called McDonald ’s. Originally named Golden State Meat, the small business started as a meat supplier to restaurants, hotels, and institutional food services in the Los Angeles area. Golden State Foods was formed in 1947 by William Moore. 1947 –70: One-Stop Shopping for the Food Service Industry Headquartered in Irvine, California, Golden State maintains 12 production plants and distribution centers in the United States, Egypt, and Australia. Golden State is one of McDonald ’s largest suppliers, providing product to approximately 2,000 of the company ’s 25,000 restaurants. The company ’s main products are hamburger patties, buns, ketchup, mayonnaise, and other sauces.

Golden State Foods Corporation is a food processor and distributor, supplying more than 130 products to McDonald ’s Corporation, its only customer. Private Company Incorporated: 1969 Employees: 1,800 Sales: $1.6 billion (1998) NAIC: 42241 General Line Grocery Wholesalers 18301 Von Karman Avenue Suite 1100 Irvine, California 92612 U.S.A.

Golden state farms