Gardenburger
Encyclopedia
Gardenburger is the brand name of a veggie burger
. The company was originally incorporated as Wholesome & Hearty Foods, Inc. in March 1985. Initial funding was given to founders Paul Wenner and Allyn Smaaland, as part of a venture capital investment program of Louisiana-Pacific Corp., whereby L-P took immediate controlling interest. A second round of venture capital financing was provided about a year later.
In approximately 1990, Wholesome & Hearty Foods bought the company back from L-P, with IPO funds from about a dozen private investors. The initial public offering
was very successful. Later, the company changed its name to "Gardenburger, Inc." to reinforce the association with its primary product.
The original formula (recipe) for the Gardenburger is no longer produced, as a key seasoning stopped being manufactured in the late 1990s.
The company makes a variety of vegetarian and vegan products and meat substitutes. According to the company's website, the original Gardenburger is made from mushroom
s, onions, brown rice
, rolled oats
, cheese
, eggs
, garlic
and spices. Gardenburger is a registered trademark of the Wholesome and Hearty Foods Company a subsidiary of Kellogg Company
.
Although all Gardenburger products are vegetarian, some of them are not vegan and include animal-derived ingredients
such as egg
s or dairy products, such as milk
and cheese
. Their vegan burgers are the Black Bean Chipotle, Flame Grilled, GardenVegan (which is no longer soy free ), California Burger, and Veggie Medley; the vegan specialties include BBQ Riblets, Chik’n Grill, Herb Crusted Cutlet, and Veggie Breakfast Sausage. Although the Gardenburger website once listed wheat
free, gluten
free, and soy free products, as of Dec. 2008 all products listed on the Gardenburger website contain gluten
and soy.
In 2005, Gardenburger filed for bankruptcy, though they continued operation by becoming privately held.
In 2006, Gardenburger announced that it had taken eggs out of all of its products except for one private-sourced item which now contains organic
, cage-free eggs.
In 2007, Kellogg Company
purchased the Wholesome and Hearty Foods Company, makers of the Gardenburger.
Veggie burger
A veggie burger is a hamburger-style patty that does not contain meat. The patty of a veggie burger may be made, for example, from vegetables, textured vegetable protein , legumes, nuts, dairy products, mushrooms, wheat, or eggs....
. The company was originally incorporated as Wholesome & Hearty Foods, Inc. in March 1985. Initial funding was given to founders Paul Wenner and Allyn Smaaland, as part of a venture capital investment program of Louisiana-Pacific Corp., whereby L-P took immediate controlling interest. A second round of venture capital financing was provided about a year later.
In approximately 1990, Wholesome & Hearty Foods bought the company back from L-P, with IPO funds from about a dozen private investors. The initial public offering
Initial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
was very successful. Later, the company changed its name to "Gardenburger, Inc." to reinforce the association with its primary product.
The original formula (recipe) for the Gardenburger is no longer produced, as a key seasoning stopped being manufactured in the late 1990s.
The company makes a variety of vegetarian and vegan products and meat substitutes. According to the company's website, the original Gardenburger is made from mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s, onions, brown rice
Brown rice
Brown rice is unmilled or partly milled rice, a kind of whole, natural grain. It has a mild nutty flavor, is chewier and more nutritious than white rice, but goes rancid more quickly because the germ—which is removed to make white rice—contains fats that can spoil...
, rolled oats
Rolled oats
Rolled oats are traditionally oat groats that have been rolled into flat flakes under heavy rollers and then steamed and lightly toasted. The oat, like the other cereals, has a hard, inedible outer husk that must be removed before the grain can be eaten. After the outer husk has been removed from...
, cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
, eggs
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
, garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
and spices. Gardenburger is a registered trademark of the Wholesome and Hearty Foods Company a subsidiary of Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company , is a producer of cereal and convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and vegetarian foods...
.
Although all Gardenburger products are vegetarian, some of them are not vegan and include animal-derived ingredients
Animal product
Animal product, or animal by-product, is a term used to describe material taken from the body of a non-human animal. Examples are fat, flesh, blood, milk, eggs, and lesser known products such as isinglass and rennet....
such as egg
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
s or dairy products, such as milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
and cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
. Their vegan burgers are the Black Bean Chipotle, Flame Grilled, GardenVegan (which is no longer soy free ), California Burger, and Veggie Medley; the vegan specialties include BBQ Riblets, Chik’n Grill, Herb Crusted Cutlet, and Veggie Breakfast Sausage. Although the Gardenburger website once listed wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
free, gluten
Gluten
Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye...
free, and soy free products, as of Dec. 2008 all products listed on the Gardenburger website contain gluten
Gluten
Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye...
and soy.
In 2005, Gardenburger filed for bankruptcy, though they continued operation by becoming privately held.
In 2006, Gardenburger announced that it had taken eggs out of all of its products except for one private-sourced item which now contains organic
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
, cage-free eggs.
In 2007, Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company , is a producer of cereal and convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and vegetarian foods...
purchased the Wholesome and Hearty Foods Company, makers of the Gardenburger.