Family History

      Gary's grandfather started a tomato-processing factory in 1942 with his parents taking over in 1948. Fran and Ernie expanded the business then in 1970 bought the Red Gold brand. Today, under the leadership of the three Reichart children, Red Gold Inc has become the largest tomato processor east of California. Gary's brother Brian is President and CEO, his sister Tina is VP of Quality Assurance and Gary is VP of Agricultural Operations.

February 2005

G & E Farms, owned and operated by Gary Reichart, was chosen from the 12 Master Grower Award Winners and was presented this award in recognition of outstanding quality production, professionalism and industry leadership. Gary is the first two-time winner of this prestigious award since its inception in 1991.

How Gary got his Start in Farming....

     Gary Reichart worked in the plant until his love for the outdoors took him to the tomato fields to manage for the factory. After a four year tour at Purdue University and a B.S. in Food Business Management, Gary started his own farming operation becoming the largest processing tomato growing in the Midwest. With the rapid growth of Red Gold and increasing need for more tomatoes, it was apparent that other tomato growers were needed and a department to manage these new growers. Gary soon formed The Red Gold Agricultural Department where he and five others over saw tomato production on more than 12,000 acres in four states.  In 2004, Gary left the Red Gold Company to his full energy to G and G Peppers.

      To better utilize his farming operation, jalapeno peppers were grown on a small scale and sold to a northern processor. The continual development of new products at Red Gold led to the need for brined jalapeno peppers as an ingredient. A friend and fellow tomato grower, Greg Cox, soon joined Gary into forming a partnership to fill this need for Red Gold. Gary's wife Michelle joined the operation as plant manager thus keeping his belief in a family business. From this small beginning, new markets were found and G and G Peppers has grown into a large jalapeno pepper packer. "Not the largest", Gary comments, "just the best." 

     He and Greg raise over 150 acres of jalapenos using drip irrigation to insure a uniform and top quality pepper. The transplants are started in Greg's greenhouses and then transplanted in fields that are at the most only 20 miles from the processing plant. This insures the peppers are fresh when delivered and processed. Gary also has a tomato and pepper breeding operation that is continually searching for new and better raw product.