Great Product, Exceptional Team
The team I’ve worked with has been exceptionally helpful, personable, and passionate about the product and their jobs. Thank you for hiring great humans and making a great product.
Plant Operations Manager
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
FROM GROTE COMPANY
Food brands around the world tell us they choose Grote because:
Automated Production
Increase capacity and quality – allowing you to make more food and get additional orders – without worrying about unreliable manual labor.
Application Expertise
We have 50 years of experience designing and manufacturing for specific food applications. And demo facilities for testing whatever new you throw at us.
Durable, High-Quality Equipment
Our machines are built to last; you can trust they will work for years.
Partnership
We call it “enduring commitment,” which means we’re here to guide and support you through every step of a project.
FROM RESTAURANTS TO AUTOMATING LEADING FOOD PLANTS WORLDWIDE
Grote Company was founded by Jim Grote in 1972. His pizza restaurant, Donatos Pizza, needed a faster and more consistent way to apply 100 slices of pepperoni on every pizza. He invented the Peppamatic automatic pepperoni slicer, and a new equipment category and company was born.
Today, we apply the same principles of speed, throughput, efficiency, and labor mitigation to industrial food processing equipment, parts, and services. We design and manufacture best-in-class pizza topping equipment, full sandwich assembly lines, food slicers, and more flexible automation and robotics found in food production plants worldwide. Our teams support our customers at a moment’s notice and throughout the long life of our machines.
In the last 50 years since the Peppamatic, we’ve been known for exceptional customer service, unparalleled craftsmanship, dependability, and quality. That will never change.
What Food Processors Say About Us
Above & Beyond Service
We have a complex project that is not done, but I would consider it successful. Grote’s field service and customer service teams keep going above and beyond to understand and reach my goals. Each person I work with is pleasurable and excellent at what they do. I look forward to working with your company for many years to come.
Rodney Shultz – Facilities Director, Kunzler & Company
Phenomenal Service From Beginning to End
From my first interaction to our final installation and training, Grote Company was a pleasure to work with. The customer service I received was nothing short of phenomenal. And I have peace of mind going forward that they are only a phone call, text, or email away.
Kyrce Higa – Las Vegas Jerky’s
Insightful Training & Fantastic Hospitality
We had a great training experience with the Grote team. The care taken and detail provided will allow us to increase our capabilities with our Grote slicer. We truly appreciate the time and energy your team invested.
Mary Quinonez, Vice President
Our Leadership
Bob Grote
An engineer by schooling, a salesman by nature, and a businessman by practice, Bob joined Grote Company in 2000, became CEO in 2008, and now spends his time developing industry partnerships and seeking the latest food technologies for the Grote Company Family of Brands. He’s overseen the acquisition of industry pillars including PFI, ProFab, Vanmark, Advanced Food Technology, Pizzamatic. He sits on various industry and non-profit boards and recently became a grandfather.
Jack Grote
After 30+ years in engineering, sales and executive leadership roles, Jack joined his brother Bob at Grote Company in 2011. As COO, he drives strategic initiatives that impact customer experience and improve company performance. He has engineering degrees from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Purdue University, and a MBA from Ohio State University. Jack married his high school sweetheart Kelly in 1986, and together they are avid college football fans – especially of his hometown Buckeyes.
Ryan Croskey
Ryan joined the Grote Company Family of Brands in 2026, bringing more than 25 years of experience helping manufacturing and industrial organizations achieve sustainable growth and operational excellence. He works closely with leadership teams across the organization to support strategic initiatives, strengthen financial performance, and build for the future. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from The Ohio State University and his Master of Business Administration from Kent State University.
Paul Jones
Paul has been with Grote Company for over 18 years in various field service, sales and leadership positions. He’s led our UK-based International office since 2007.
Greg Gavlak
Greg is responsible for Manufacturing, Production Planning and Supply Chain at Grote Company. His mission is to find ways to relentlessly extract waste from processes and to provide customers their products better and faster. Greg has previously held several leadership positions, including Captain in the United States Army. He was born and raised outside of Cleveland, OH and attended John Carroll University, where he played football. Now he coaches sports for his three children, supporting them with his wife Katie.
Jack Grote
Jack drives business development across the Grote Company Family of Brands, bringing together suppliers and customers to find the best solution. He’s the third generation working in our family-owned and operated business. He graduated from The Ohio State University and previously worked as a tax accountant. He co-chairs the Open Circle Society at I Am Boundless, supporting individuals with disabilities to live fulfilling lives.
What We stand for
Our Vision
To feed our growing world — together
Our Promise
Enduring commitment
Our Values
- Integrity
- Committed
- Sense of Urgency
- Respect
- Adventurous
- Positive Mindset
- Excellence
- Driven
- Open Communication
Our Mission
- Advancing food processing
- Customer committed
- Passionate people
- Quality products
- Profitable
- Principle based
- Growing
- A great place to work
Our Team
We care deeply about serving our company and customers, as well as our families and communities. Our enduring commitment is obvious in the relationships we build. Many of our employees have been here for decades.
Global Reach
Our main manufacturing facility and headquarters is on the far east side of Columbus, Ohio, with international sales and service located in Deeside, UK, and a new parts warehouse in The Netherlands. Several remote employees throughout the U.S. and Europe support local customers, and we service our equipment footprint all over the world.
Watch our Full Catalog of Equipment Demo and Training Videos
COMBINED EXPERTISE
As the Grote Company family of brands, we can provide more complete solutions to our customers and capitalize on our shared expertise and history in the food processing industry.
