Our History
An American Success Story
The American Dream is a singular one: take a small family concern and turn it into a thriving, successful business. We're proud to be part of it, and pleased that we are able to continue operating in the same location where we started in 1914. Although the buildings are new and we have the most modern processing equipment, our dedication to making high quality products remains the same.
Thin 'n Trim Timeline
| 1893 | Grandfather Thomas Demakes' family arrives in U.S. from Greece, settling in Lowell. |
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| 1896 | Grandmother Jean Demakes' family arrives in U.S. from Greece. |
| 1900 | Thomas and Jean marry and move to Lynn, opening several small neighborhood grocery stores. |
| 1914 | The family opens a new neighborhood shop at 37 Waterhill Street in Lynn. In the back room, Jean makes the world's best homemade Greek Sausage called Locanico with the highest quality ingredients: fresh pork, red wine, natural spices, and orange peel. People couldn't get enough of it. It was soon marketed under the name Holiday Brand, because in the old country, you would likely only have meat on a holiday or a Sunday. |
| 1932 | The product line is expanded to include frankfurters and deli meats. |
| 1967 | Tom L. Demakes, grandson of the founder and current president, returns from Vietnam and begins working in sales, growing the company from approximately $1 million in sales to $100 million today. |
| 1969 | Holiday Brand frankfurters begin to be sold at Fenway Park. |
| 1970 | Tom begins to update processing from the 1950s era machinery, adding new equipment each year. |
| 1975 | An addition is built to accommodate new smokehouses. |
| 1978 | The original building is renovated and a second story is added. |
| 1980 | A new building and loading dock are added next to the original plant. |
| 1980s | thru present day — the company's fleet of refrigerated trucks is continually upgraded and increased. |
| 1985 | Holiday Brands name was changed to Old Neighborhood Foods, since we are still manufacturing in the same location where we started in 1914, to brand the company better and capitalize on marketing opportunities. |
| 1986 | We begin distribution to area supermarket chains. |
| 1987 | Old Neighborhood Foods launches Thin 'n Trim product line, responding to consumer demand for great-tasting lower fat and sodium products. First products: salami and bologna, followed by roast beef, turkey and ham. |
| 1990s | thru present day — Computerized processing equipment is introduced to take advantage of new technology and turn the company into a state of the art processor. The company can now make more pounds of product more precisely, with better shelf life, better color, and able to retain the flavors better. |
| 2006 | ONF begins using CDC Software's Ross ERP solution. It integrates systems company—wide and controls all aspects of manufacturing, improves seasonal scheduling and forecasting, and increases inventory visibility. |
| 2009 | New "Girls Inc." building in Lynn is named after the Demakes family, the project's largest donors. |
| 2010 | Currently the company employs 350 people, many who have been with the company for decades, and offers over 100 varieties of product while continuing to support our community through church programs, Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA, KIPP Academy and many other public service organizations. |
