You won’t see the company name on grocery shelves, but Silva International in Momence has cultivated a reputation for providing premium, all-natural, dried vegetables, herbs and select fruits to food industry manufacturers.
The Kankakee County company describes its reach: “Our good-for-you ingredients are used in a wide variety of applications, including seasoning blends, salad dressings and salad products, sauces, soups and stews, pasta products, hummus, rice products, chips and snacks, bakery items, cheese and dairy products, meats and sausages and ready meals.”
Its ingredients also turn up in pet food and in health and wellness products.
Silva’s Illinois roots go back to 1979, but it wasn’t until 1994 that it opened its first processing facility in Momence, now its headquarters.
The company has been on a growth trajectory at that site ever since. Employees number about 265 currently, said Mark Vanderzee, human resources manager.
“We’re actually in the process of adding more (production lines),” Vanderzee said.
The company sources raw material from more than 25 countries around the world, he said. Silva provides custom blending capabilities tailored for clients, offering about 70 products ranging from apples, asparagus, green beans, beets, blueberries, broccoli and Brussels sprouts to cabbage, carrots, corn, mushrooms, herbs and spices.
Their preparation varies from flakes and dices to granules and powders. Whether it’s creating a premix of vegetables, herbs or spices in specific ratios or producing ingredients at particular cut sizes for different applications, the business states its customized ingredient solutions give manufacturers flexibility.
The new Tech Center building, completed last year, includes a collaborative kitchen space for creating product concept ideas for customers. Silva processes foods and also procures dried items from carefully selected providers.
Its website states that as consumers demand more transparency in how food is sourced and made, assumed trust has given way to documented accountability. Silva notes its traceable dried ingredients help manufacturers maintain clarity from farm to finished product.
One focus is on ensuring clean labels and preserving nutritional value. The company writes about 2026 food trends, noting that consumers expect more interesting taste experiences from everyday products.
With Silva’s processing of ingredients designed to maintain their aromatic qualities and flavor intensity, the firm offers an array of wares that allow manufacturers to create layered flavor profiles without artificial compounds.
The trend report notes that finished products that include multiple vegetables, herbs and whole food ingredients align with a preference for dietary diversity. For example, combining dried carrots, beets, spinach and sweet potatoes in a single formulation creates products with diverse vitamin and mineral content alongside fiber, antioxidants and natural color.
And with a federal ban planned on numerous synthetic food dyes, Silva’s plant-based ingredients offer a clean alternative. It’s been five years since Universal Corp., an international agribusiness, announced its acquisition of the formerly privately held Silva International for $170 million in cash.
The Momence-based core team has been together for decades.
Last June, Silva International announced a major leadership transition, with longtime president Kent DeVries retiring after more than 30 years of service, succeeded by Jeff Weidenaar as president, with Darren Van Essen appointed vice president of sales.