Our Story: Three Generations Since 1982

Danny, Mike and Brandon, the third generation

The Family

Three generations.
One family.

Three generations of making food at scale. Larry pioneered frozen food after World War II. His son Donald founded Don Lee Farms in 1982 and built it from the factory floor up, alongside the team that powers it. The mission hasn’t changed: delicious, convenient food at a price that works for American families.

Giving back is at the core of how we’ve always run the business. Donald’s work has earned a Congressional Certificate of Special Recognition and LA Business Journal’s Philanthropist of the Year, and helped establish the UCLA Goodman–Luskin Microbiome Center. Partnering on annual events with the LA Rams, the City of Inglewood and the LA Regional Food Bank, we’ve donated millions of meals over more than 40 years. Here’s how it came together.

1940s · Larry's

Larry founded what would become Larry's after World War II, supplying local firefighters, military bases, markets, and schools with sandwiches and convenient meals.

Early 1970s · Flash-Frozen Innovation

Larry pioneered the flash-frozen, fully cooked burger, among the first to make ready-to-eat proteins at scale. He was also one of the first to use plant-based proteins commercially. His son Donald joined and learned the business from the production floor up.

The original Larry's

1982 · Don Lee Farms Founded

Donald started Don Lee Farms in a rented building in Marina del Rey, making convenient, ready-to-eat foods for local school districts and later Price Club (now Costco), building the company one product at a time.

1984 · Inglewood HQ

Opened the first company-owned campus in Inglewood, production, warehouse, and headquarters under one roof.

The Don Lee Farms plant in the 1980s and 1990s — The plant, '80s–'90s

Early 2000s · Third Generation Joins

Donald's sons Michael, Danny, and Brandon joined the company, expanding into new categories. Together they helped grow Don Lee Farms into a national brand and trusted private-label partner.

The Don Lee Farms family across generations — Danny, Brandon, Donald,
Mike & Larry

2012 · Texas Expansion

Opened the Mansfield, Texas campus and earned USDA Organic certification, nationwide reach with the same quality standards.

Don Lee Farms campus in Mansfield, Texas — Our Mansfield, Texas campus

2019 · Private-Label Leadership

Won Albertsons Companies' New Supplier of the Year, reflecting a core part of what we do: making private-label frozen convenience meals as a trusted partner to America's leading retailers.

Early 2020s · Community Impact

Recognized with a Congressional Certificate of Special Recognition and LA Business Journal's Philanthropist of the Year, and helped establish the UCLA Goodman–Luskin Microbiome Center. Millions of meals donated through annual events with the LA Rams, the City of Inglewood, and the LA Regional Food Bank.

Ribbon-cutting at the Donald Goodman Family Foundation Volunteer Center at the LA Regional Food Bank — The Donald Goodman Family
Foundation Volunteer Center

2023 · Urban School Food Alliance Award

Recognized for helping raise the bar on school meals, a top-3 commodity beef processor for America's schools, feeding millions of students every week.

Today · Three Generations Strong

Company-owned campuses in California and Texas with national reach, a club-store favorite across multiple categories, and still family-owned, helping shape the future of food.

Part of our Inglewood team — Part of our Inglewood Team

Don Lee Farms organic plant-based burger

Our Role in Plant-Based

Pioneering plant-based over Generations.

For generations, our family has worked to expand the protein options on America's tables while supporting the American farmer. Across three generations, we've broadened what protein can be, and kept it affordable.

In 1972, Larry's Food Products of Gardena, California, founded by Larry, was the first processor to build the new spun soy protein fiber into a line of pre-cooked meat products. The fiber was engineered to mimic the texture and appearance of animal protein, the same goal that drives plant-based food today.

The achievement was documented in Food Product Development in May 1972. That work built on the pioneering protein-spinning research of chemist Robert Boyer, whose 1954 patent helped start the modern meat-alternative field. Larry's son Donald carried the expertise forward later that decade as plant manager at the Gardena campus.

The family's third generation and Don Lee Farms carried it forward, helping shape the plant-based category with early veggie, soy, and pea-based burgers. In the early-to-mid 2010s, well before plant-based went mainstream, we developed and manufactured plant-based burgers for multinational brands and emerging companies, and helped build the category that became today's market.

We also developed one of the first organic plant-based burgers crafted to match the taste, texture, and appearance of beef.

We remain a leading maker of organic, vegetable-based options today, with the craft of three generations behind it.

Three generations, one consistent idea: expand America's protein options and support the American farmer.

Presenting Sponsor · Since 2017

Proud Sponsor of
Taste of the Rams.

Don Lee Farms is the annual presenting sponsor of Taste of the Rams, bringing together LA Rams players, acclaimed LA chefs, and a community dedicated to fighting hunger. Presented with Bank of America, all proceeds support the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

Since 2017, the event has helped power the Food Bank's mission to serve more than 900,000 people every month across LA County, distributing groceries, leading volunteer efforts, and delivering nutrition education toward a future where no one in Los Angeles goes hungry.

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Retail buyers and brand partners, Don Lee Farms is a trusted private-label supplier behind many of the products America already loves. Let's build the next one together.