From Hiking Trip to Business: The Pinnacle Foods Story

Brothers Ben and John Ritner loved hiking together — what they didn't love was the bland, salty freeze-dried meals that came with it. Sitting around a campfire one trip, they decided to do something about it.

Turning a Frustration Into a Business

John had gone to culinary school; Ben had studied web development and business. Between the two of them, they had exactly the skills needed to build something real: they purchased multiple Harvest Right freeze dryers and got to work developing freeze-dried meals that were high in protein, lightweight, and actually tasted good. That effort became Pinnacle Foods, a backpacking freeze-dried food company built on solving a problem they'd personally experienced on the trail.

(Source: US News)

Not the Only Ones

The Ritners are one example among many people who've built a business around Harvest Right freeze dryers. The range is wide — fruit, soups, and camping meals, but also pharmaceuticals, pet food, and specialty desserts. Freeze-drying scales into a real product line in a lot of different directions.

Why Businesses Choose Multiple Harvest Right Units

Harvest Right freeze dryers are straightforward to operate and produce a consistently high-quality result, which is part of why so many small businesses build around them. Running several standard units instead of one large industrial machine also has practical advantages: it typically costs a fraction of what an equivalent-capacity industrial freeze dryer would, and if one unit ever needs maintenance, production doesn't have to stop entirely — the rest of the units keep running.

Families Are Doing This Too

It's not just businesses. Some families have purchased multiple units together, splitting the cost and maintenance while building a much larger shared emergency food supply than a single machine could produce. If a multi-unit setup — for a business or a family — sounds like it could work for you, our commercial freeze dryer page is a good place to see current options, or reach out to our team directly for details on multi-unit purchasing.

More on Freeze-Drying for the Trail

Why every hiker needs a home freeze dryer covers the same frustration that started the Ritners' business — bad trail food — from the perspective of making your own.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you start a business using Harvest Right freeze dryers?
Yes — several real businesses, including Pinnacle Foods, were built around multiple Harvest Right units, covering products from trail meals to pet food and specialty desserts.

Why do some businesses buy multiple smaller freeze dryers instead of one industrial unit?
Running several standard units typically costs less than an equivalent-capacity industrial machine, and it means production doesn't have to fully stop if one unit needs maintenance.

Do families ever share multiple freeze dryers?
Yes — some families purchase multiple units together to split the cost and maintenance while building a larger shared food supply than one machine alone could produce.

What kinds of products can be made with a freeze-drying business?
Beyond meals and snacks, freeze-drying is used commercially for fruit, soups, pharmaceuticals, pet food, and specialty desserts, among other products.