About Us
Our Story...
Dave Rodger and Gene LaCroix III
Years ago my travels frequently took me to Montreal. I found a basement cafe on lower St. James Street that served a fantastic crock of French Onion Soup. It became a regular stop for me whenever I visited that city.
I gave myself a challenge to duplicate that recipe. After a couple years and many failures, I felt that I had accomplished my goal. I told my family that I wanted to open a restaurant. They did not take me seriously.
A few months later I came home one day and said that I had signed an eight-year lease on a building. That was June of l974.
Our first restaurant opened in October of l974. The restaurant, named "The Onion Crock", was an instant success. Within a year there were two more restaurants locally. Our menu was six soups/three salads/three sandwiches, no fried foods. Over the next few years we opened more restaurants and became addicted to twelve to fourteen hour days. We had no personal life. So, as leases expired in the mid-80s, we did not renew. The last restaurant closed in l989. We were undercapitalized and worn out.
Our Business...
Public opinion, however, kept reminding us of how much they missed our soups. Consequently, in February, 1992, we opened our manufacturing facility. We serve three basic markets:
- Institutional
- Retail
- Fundraising
We do some private label, specialty items such as a low-sodium cheese sauce, a bourbon sauce, garlic butter, etc.
We offer consistency and quality. We offer services that the big guys can't or won't do. All our recipes are from scratch, with no added MSG. We are the closest thing possible to homemade. We currently offer twenty-six soups, and six salad dressings. We package our product frozen in food-safe boilable bags. To serve our various markets, we package in four sizes: gallons, half gallons, quarts, and pints.
One of these days the opportunity will present itself, and we will open a new full-service Onion Crock with our new, upscale design.
Eugene T LaCroix SR. - Founder
A letter from Gene LaCroix III
When I was a child I used to go to my Grandfather's restaurant and hang out. Even as a young child I always loved to eat my Grandfather's soups and there was always something to do and learn. We both have a very special relationship with one another. After he opened his USDA approved manufacturing facility during my high school years I worked at the plant to earn money for college and enjoyed this work. After college my father inlaw, Dave Rodger, gave me an opportunity to carry on the tradition of Onion Crock being a family own company. The business was set up so my Grandfather would continue to manager the business. He also worked at training and developing my management skills so in the future I would be prepared to take over the company.
For 33 years, the LaCroix family has been dedicated to providing our customer with the finest soups/sauces in the world... and it's been a family affair from the very beginning. I became President of the Onion Crock in 2004. With the support of my grandfather I was able to get our products into the VanEerdens distribution system. We have also teamed up with Lambs Progressive Brokers and both of these partnerships continue to strengthen our business. Food Service is our core business (FOOD SERVICE). We market a full line of soup and sauces and other food products to end user customer: restaurants, hotels, and institutional foodservice operation.
As the company looks into the future, our commitment to product excellent, serperb service and quality employees remains. Plans for growth continue as we continue to seek marketing and partnership opportunities. This is our business today. There is no end in sight.
A number of businessmen including my father frequently give Onion Crock Soups as gifts to others including business clients. "It's a vote of confidence when people view your product as something they invest their reputation in - in terms of giving gifts to other people - pervades our manufacturing process. We maintain testing frequency and standards demanded by the United States Department of Agriculture. We are proud of our heritage at The Onion Crock.