Silver Spring Foods, Inc.
Raquel Kite has extensive experience in quality control and assurance, currently serving in multiple roles at Silver Spring Foods, Inc. since July 2012, including Quality Control Technician, Quality Assurance Technician, Quality Assurance Team Lead, and Quality Technician/Trainer. Prior to this, Raquel owned Apple Blossom Child Care from February 2001 to July 2012 and held the position of Production Supervisor and Quality Lead at Hutchinson Technology Inc. from January 1993 to April 2000, where responsibilities included supervising 30-40 employees and managing performance reviews. Raquel Kite's educational background includes studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Silver Spring Foods, Inc.
Founded in 1929, Silver Spring Foods, Inc. is the world's largest grower & processor of horseradish. We also produce high-quality, affordable specialty mustards & sauces that enhance the flavor of your favorite foods. We are the only horseradish company that is vertically integrated, which ensures freshness of our product direct from our farm to your table. In addition to the retail customer, Silver Spring Foods, Inc. can accommodate food service and industrial quantities. Our private label business is rapidly growing as we have the capabilities of producing a variety of sauces including wasabi and barbecue, along with dressings, marinades & mayonnaise. Our Story Founded in 1929 when Ellis Huntsinger started growing horseradish & other vegetable crops on a few acres of land near a fresh water spring south of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Huntsinger Farms now grows corn, soybeans, wild rice, horseradish & forage crops on over 7,000 acres of prime Wisconsin & Minnesota farmland. In the early days, Ellis prepared & bottled the horseradish by hand in an old milk shed behind his house and sold it it locally to help augment his income during Wisconsin’s long cold winter months. Prepared horseradish is traditionally ground & mixed with vinegar as a natural preservative since the fresh root, once washed and grated, would otherwise soon turn dark & lose its characteristic bite. Refrigeration is also necessary in order to keep prepared horseradish white in color & to retain its sharp flavor. Ellis Huntsinger discovered that the addition of fresh sweet dairy cream helped further enhance the flavor, heat & longevity of prepared horseradish. This discovery helped him expand his horseradish sales to markets throughout the United States. Today, Silver Spring horseradish is the number one retail brand in the United States. Currently owned by Ellis Huntsinger’s granddaughter & her two sons, the company has been family owned & operated for over 90 years & through four generations.