Mrs. Gerry's

She really does exist!

So many have asked, “Is there really a Mrs. Gerry?” Yes, she really does exist! Believe it or not, there are actually two of them. Gerry Vogt is the founder of the company, alongside her husband Jerry. Gerry and Jerry (better known to locals as “The Gerry’s”) founded the company five decades ago, in support of Jerry’s sales position selling meats to grocery stores. He wanted to enhance his product offering by not only selling the main dish but providing a full meal to his clients: meat and salads.

A Look Back

The company got started the same way every batch of Mrs. Gerry’s salad does: with a demand for high quality delicious food, a great family recipe, and the two best employees, Gerry’s Mom and Dad. Just as they were then, all ingredients are sourced fresh from local farms to our facility.  The first plant was bought in 1973 - just 1,100 square feet – on East 7th Street in Albert Lea, Minnesota.  Two stoves, a sink, and a cooler were added - and Mrs. Gerry’s was in business. The company started by using Mrs. Gerry’s family recipe and to this day it is still one of the biggest sellers. 

Since then, the company has expanded in every way!  Mrs. Gerry’s now sells more than 50 million pounds of product a year and employs 250 team members.  Mrs. Gerry’s offers over 100 different products such as pasta salads, coleslaws, salad kits, specialty salads, sides, including the popular Premium Mashed Potatoes and, of course, the recipe that started it all – Mrs. Gerry’s Original Potato Salad. In fact, 90% of the potatoes used for the potato salads are grown within 15 miles of the Albert Lea plant. None of this would be possible without our amazing staff who are consistently practicing food safety and employee safety as they are our top priorities.