Our History

How It Started

In 1981, Kitty and her husband, Larry, turned decades of restaurant know-how into The Alder Market & Catering Co., a Northern California gourmet restaurant and catering company. They ran it together — Larry earned the affectionate title "chief cook and bottle washer," and between the two of them, nothing left the kitchen unless it was right. Chefs prepared every dish from the finest natural ingredients; the butchers built seasonings from their own unique blends of fresh spices.

Guests didn't just come back for the meals. Year after year, they asked to buy the sauces and dressings to make the meals at home themselves. At first, the orders were easy to fill — sold over the counter in to go containers — but the demand kept growing until that approach no longer worked.

In 1987, Kitty and Larry started bottling their dressing and seasoning salt, introducing Alder Products to gourmet food shops across the country as well as their own customers at The Alder Market & Catering Co.

Forty Years, One Standard

Whatever left that kitchen — whether it was a catered wedding or a bottle on a store shelf — was held to the same standard: real ingredients, nothing cut for convenience. We hold to that standard today.

Evolving With the Times

The Alder Market & Catering Co. was retired in 2011. Larry has since passed, and Kitty carries their story forward on her own. In 2023, Alder's headquarters moved to Springfield, Oregon, though the product still ships out of our warehouse in Stockton, California.

Today, Alder bottles and distributes only the Alder Market Dressing for Spinach Salad, however, the Alder Seasoning Salt will be coming soon. Moreover, Kitty hopes to bring to market other favorite dressings from their restaurant recipes including: Alder Cranberry, Alder Sesame, Alder Low Fat, Alder Low-Sugar Spinach (for diabetics).

Looking Forward

Kitty's focus now is simple: expand the product lines, attract distributors and wholesalers who appreciate our gourmet marketplace and will help to expand our retail presence to get these dressings back in front of people who love them.

Continue to follow along — we're glad you're part of the journey.