Meadowvale is a 100% Employee Owned dairy mix manufacturing company supplying the finest ice cream, frozen custard, dairy free dessert and soft serve mixes. We are dedicated to three fundamental principles in the creation of our products: using premium ingredients, upholding rigorous food safety standards, and applying skilled production expertise to craft extraordinary dairy dessert mixes.
All of our products are made in a state-of-the-art dairy manufacturing facility newly built in 2017. We use HTST pasteurization for our dairy mixes ensuring both safe and fresh products.
Thank you to Steve Steinwart, our past President, for providing our history narrative.
John Steinwart founds Meadowvale
January 1, 1967
After leaving a local dairy and securing business from customers like Sherb Noble, John opened Meadowvale in Joliet, IL.
“We used to call him Honest John. He was a relationship guy. It was all about the relationships. And people just loved him because of that. He made them feel special. His philosophy was to do whatever the customer needed.”
Meadowvale moves to Yorkville site
1972
Yorkville had begun an industrial park, and Meadowvale was one of the first businesses in it. Though the move had John “mortgaged up to his eyeballs,” he put his faith in Meadowvale and took a big chance that paid off.
Steve Steinwart gets summer job with Meadowvale
Summer 1972
John’s nephew Steve worked on the land the summer before he started high school, picking up rocks in the yard. “I pretty much swore that the next day John had taken all those rocks and put them back on the lawn for me to pick up again.”
Meadowvale sells ice cream mix to over 100 stores
1985
“John was a great salesman. He could sell ice to Eskimos. He was just that kind of guy.” The company continued to grow as John picked up custard business with Leon’s in Milwaukee and Michael’s in Madison.
Steve Steinwart joins Meadowvale team in sales
1987
After working for International Dairy Queen (DQ) in Mississippi, Steve joined the managerial team John was putting together at Meadowvale. Steve worked in sales for a few years before becoming general manager in 1990.
Meadowvale becomes an ESOP company
1991
When John was looking to spend less time at the plant, he didn’t want to sell the company to outsiders. Instead, he sold the company to the employees. “The hard thing about an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) is you really have to convince all your employees that they’re owners. That means the guy that’s working third shift in the cooler has to believe that what he does affects the growth of the company, which can be a hard concept to get across. However, if they stay with you and become fully vested in the company, employees see their accounts grow as the company grows. The ESOP has been amazing for us. My goal is that every loyal employee is treated very well in retirement.”
Steve Steinwart becomes President of Meadowvale
April 1993
After John passed away suddenly while recovering from heart surgery, Steve was elected president because, according to him, “there was no one else to make president, really.” In the years following, people integral to the growth and success of the company would join Meadowvale.
Jason Leslie joins Meadowvale team in production/sales
May 1993
Jason worked in production before shifting into sales fulltime. “Jason really helped us go. It took a while. He put on accounts and we were growing at a steady rate. But then we hit pay dirt with Andy’s. And he had us selling more than just ice cream to stores (cones, toppings, candies, etc.). There was one year where ingredient costs skyrocketed, and the only reason we made money was because of the resale program.”
Amy Collins joins Meadowvale team
September 1993
Amy came to Meadowvale right out of high school. “Amy was a breath of fresh air when she came in. When she took over the office, it was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. She could probably run the whole place.”
Amy has held many positions at Meadowvale, starting as a lab technician/production planner in 1993 before becoming Office Manager in 2003. In 2019, she became VP of Administration, a title more accurate for the person who can be considered the “glue” of our company.
As of January 2023, Amy is now our Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
Jason Leslie makes unbridled discovery
Summer 1994
“Jason also cut the lawn for us. Uncle John, who was big into horses, had Irish Rebellion, who was buried on the premises. Jay ran into his tombstone while cutting the lawn and freaked out. He came running into the office yelling, ‘Who’s Irish Rebellion? Is that the old man’s nickname? He’s not buried out there, is he?’ He didn’t find the fact that it was a horse much better.”
Brent Mander Joins Meadowvale
February 1996
Brent has been here since February of 1996 and is currently our Warehouse Manager. He oversees everything in the warehouse. Past positions have included production clean up, running the fill line, and also using his CDL license to haul cream.
“Brent has spent half his life here – he’s grown up here. He understands how important the culture of an employee owned company is and promotes it. He’s a leader.”
Andy’s Frozen Custard becomes a customer
2001
Though significantly smaller when they began buying their mix from Meadowvale (with three Andy’s stores), Andy’s was integral to Meadowvale’s growth. Today, Andy’s has opened over 90 stores, including 13 in the Chicagoland area!
Meadowvale produces 1 million gallons of dairy mix
2001
Eddie Cajina joins Meadowvale team in sales
2003
Eddie joined our team in 2003 in sales. “He has a great eye, outstanding personality, a total team player. Eddie’s a great guy to work with and just really embodies the company’s culture.”
Eddie is an integral part of our team known for building relationships with some of the best brands in the frozen dessert industry.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers becomes a customer
2006
Though significantly smaller when they began buying their mix from Meadowvale (with 2 stores), Freddy’s was integral to Meadowvale’s growth. Today, Freddy’s has opened over 375 stores, including 5 stores in the Chicagoland area.
Meadowvale has it’s first expansion
2008
After gaining wildly successful business with Andy’s and Freddy’s, Meadowvale set out to expand its facilities to keep up with the growth of its customers. The expansion was completed in 2009.
Meadowvale works to become a team-oriented company that gives back to the community
2010-Present
A team-oriented environment has proven difficult for a company like Meadowvale, which has a shift that works overnight and a shift during the day. Without communication, this set up can build walls and foster “us versus them” mentalities. However, thanks to the work and compassionate nature of Meadowvale employees, those walls have been broken down. “Meadowvale has truly become a family, where employees from any shift or department feel comfortable and encouraged to work together and help one another.”
“As we’ve grown and become a bigger fish in a small town, we wanted to figure out what we could do in the community to help serve. So we do a food drive, volunteer at the Payton run and annual veteran’s dinner, have a build day with Habitat for Humanity, and sponsor a family for Christmas. These activities have brought the company closer together to work as a team, to take the focus off ourselves and look at how we can help the community. And that’s taken over the culture. When people are going through tough times, you see people pull closer and focus on serving.”
Image: Meadowvale (Steve) being awarded the Volunteer Business of the Year Award by the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation in 2016
Meadowvale celebrates its 50th year with rapid growth
2017-2018
Our sales have spread to over 40 states and continues to grow. At one time our sales included an ice cream store in Alaska, but unfortunately, “Alaska’s ice cream season wasn’t quite long enough.”
In 2018, Meadowvale moved from Yorkville, IL to our new manufacturing facility in Sandwich, IL.
Meadowvale introduces dairy free dessert mix
January 2020
Meadowvale announced its first dairy-free dessert mix: Coconut Cream! We are proud to offer a clean, dairy-free label product that we know our partners have wanted for a long time.
Vamshi Chintha joins Meadowvale as Quality Manager
May 2021
Vamshi Chintha joined our team in May 2021 as Quality Manager. He manages all aspects of our Food Safety and Quality systems. With Vamshi at the head of our quality program, we’ve had great success obtaining new certifications, maximizing product quality, and creating a strong food safety culture.
Meadowvale achieves 100% on SQF Audit
December 2022
Our SQF (Safe Quality Food) Audit came back with a score of 100%! The SQF program is a rigorous food safety and quality certification recognized worldwide. By achieving a score of 100%, Meadowvale demonstrated its serious commitment to food safety and product quality.
Steve Steinwart Retires
December 2023
After a remarkable 36 year career at Meadowvale, Steve Steinwart has retired.
“I have been truly blessed to be a part of Meadowvale for 36 years. We have a built a company that is long on teamwork, accountability, and encouragement. The future is bright because of the people here.” says Steve.
Amy Collins, CFO, who has worked closely with Steve since 1993, reflects, “Without a doubt Steve has left an incredible legacy, one that we can only hope to achieve. He’s been an incredible leader and friend to all and we want that legacy to live on here. That’s our goal!”
As Meadowvale bid farewell to a seasoned leader, Joe Gomoll, who joined the company in 2018, has transitioned into the role of CEO.
Joe Gomoll becomes Meadowvale CEO
January 2024
Joe joined Meadowvale in 2018 to assist in the buildout and integration of our state-of-the-art mix manufacturing facility in Sandwich, IL. With 20 years of experience in engineering, innovation, and management, Joe was instrumental in integrating new technologies into Meadowvale’s operations, complementing the 50 years of mix manufacturing expertise of the company.
“I am honored and humbled to step into the role of CEO and build upon the incredible legacy left by Steve Steinwart,” remarks Joe Gomoll. “Steve’s guidance will serve as a valuable source of inspiration for Meadowvale’s current and future endeavors. With a commitment to quality, honesty, and integrity, we aim to build upon past successes, chart new territories, and ensure a prosperous future for Meadowvale and its customers.”
Looking Ahead: The Future of Meadowvale
In 2018, Meadowvale moved into its new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Sandwich, IL. This move not only gives Meadowvale the means to produce over triple its current production, but also offers new opportunities in transportation through dairy tankers. Overall, the team wants this move to uphold and further Meadowvale’s mission to serve their customers with quality, honesty, and integrity.
“We provide special attention and go the extra mile. We want to be there for our customers to help make their business better, whether it’s developing a menu, pricing that menu, or customer service. We strive to be more than an ice cream mix company.“
