Axium Foods, Inc., a division of McCleary, Inc., is a manufacturer of corn-based snack products, including plain and flavored

tortilla chips A tortilla chip is a snack food made from corn tortillas, which are cut into triangles and then fried or baked (alternatively they may be discs pressed out of corn masa then fried or baked). Corn tortillas are made of nixtamalized corn, vege ...

corn chips Corn chips are a snack food made from cornmeal fried in oil or baked, usually in the shape of a small noodle or scoop. Corn chips are thick, rigid and very crunchy. Corn chips have the strong aroma and flavor of roasted corn, and are often heav ...

, puffed cheese snacks, and crunchy cheese snacks. Headquartered in South Beloit, IL, it is a

private label A private label, also called a private brand or private-label brand, is a brand owned by a company, offered by that company alongside and competing with brands from other businesses. A private-label brand is almost always offered exclusively by th ...

snack food manufacturer and the maker of Pajeda's snacks.

History

Eugene "Mac" McCleary graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

class of 1942. He enlisted in the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and was stationed in

Beloit, WI Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. History Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire, created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836 and sent ...

, where he was head of government inspection for

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

engines being built at

Fairbanks Morse Fairbanks, Morse and Company was an American manufacturing company in the late 19th and early 20th century. Originally a weighing scale manufacturer, it later diversified into pumps, engines, windmills, coffee grinders, radios, farm tractors, fee ...

. After the war, Mac was offered a job at Adams Corporation, a fledgling company formed to manufacture and distribute the Korn Kurl, a new snack food that was invented on a local dairy farm. Mac worked with Adams Corporation for 15 years as their Director of Manufacturing and was instrumental in the development of continuous production of this new snack food. Mac started his own private label

snack food A snack is a small portion of food generally Eating, eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home. Traditionally, snack ...

company on November 22, 1960, and called it McCleary Industries, which would later be renamed to McCleary, Inc. and then Axium Foods, Inc. In the year 2000, Axium Foods created Pajeda's, its first branded line of tortilla chips and snacks. In 2010, Pajeda's introduced Fiesta Crunch, a line of tortilla chips and potato poppers. In November 2010, Axium Foods celebrated 50 years in business. Mac McCleary died in 2007, but the company remains family-owned and operated. In March 2012, Axium Foods introduced the brand Mystic Harvest, including tortilla chips made with purple corn.

Environmental sustainability

Axium Foods has a full

wastewater treatment plant Wastewater treatment is a process used to remove contaminants from wastewater and convert it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once returned to the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on the environmen ...

that includes an

anaerobic digester Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to Waste management, manage waste or to produce fuels. Mu ...

. That process creates

methane gas Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...

, and while the company currently flares that gas, it is exploring ways to recapture it and/or generate electricity with it. The company also takes any dry waste created from producing its corn-based snacks and sells it as cattle feed to a local farmer, keeping the dry waste out of

landfills A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...

. Raw materials for their snacks, primarily corn and flavorings, come from local farmers and ingredient companies.

Products

*Pajeda's Tortilla Chips *Pajeda's Puffed Cheese and Crunchy Cheese snacks *Pajeda's Party Mix *Pajeda's Corn Chips *Pajeda's Onion Rings

References

External links

Axium Foods Official Website

Pajeda's Website
Brand name snack foods Food and drink companies of the United States Companies based in Winnebago County, Illinois Privately held companies based in Illinois

History

Environmental sustainability

Products

See also

References

External links