By Marsha S. Ander
Clad in a hair-net that hides her dark locks, it's apparent that Melissa Gold has taken a hands-on approach to her roots.
Just as her great-grandmother had done 75 years prior from her kitchen, Melissa is helping to produce horseradish from the family's Hempstead plant. Products from their 75,000 sq. foot production site can be found all over the world, according to, her father, Steven Gold, President of Gold Pure Food Products Co.
Melissa, recently named production coordinator, began full-time work at the plant directly after graduation in 2002 from Syracuse University with a major in food service and hospitality management.
By that time she was no stranger to the business. "When I was younger I always came in on my days off from school," said Melissa, adding, "my dad really enjoyed what he did and I saw that." It's that inspiration that has motivated her to climb to new levels of management within the company.
Unlike her predecessors who pasted on their own labels with homemade paste made from flour and water, she is responsible for ordering the product's packaging, private label development, ordering of raw food product and to helping run the production line with the foreman. There is also a maintenance department on premise, as the innumerable working parts of the production line could break at any time.
It was her dad's grandparents, Tillie and Hyman Gold who in 1932 cultivated the recipe and method still used today. "My grandmother used to make horseradish with a hand grater and she would mix it with vinegar and put it in the bottles with a spoon or a funnel," he said.
Careful not to alter the unique recipe, his family kept everything exactly the same - except for technological advancements in production. Decades ago, the Gold's designed a way to mass produce the product with equipment that replicated his grandmother's process.
Horseradish, a bitter herb used for Passover Seders, is a 3,000-year-old root that has also been used as an aphrodisiac, a treatment for rheumatism and has emerged as a flavorful accompaniment to many dishes.
Commercial cultivation of horseradish in this country began in the mid-1800s, when immigrants started farms in the Midwest. A thriving agricultural business had developed growing the root in an area of fertile soil on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.
And that is precisely the area where the Gold family's raw product comes from. Steven said that they have been buying horseradish from the same family farm for 76 years.
In January, Melissa traveled to Illinois and finally met with the growers. "I introduced myself and they would say 'You are Morris' granddaughter.' It was cool to meet them. These are the people my grandpa dealt with," she said.
Steven said it's ironic that Melissa is dealing with the grandchildren of the growers. "You will find that her generation is doing the same thing on the farm - growing horseradish," he said. Like Melissa, many of the farmers are college graduates who opted to return to the family business.
The company utilizes about 40,000 pounds of horseradish root weekly to make their products, and that number increases during holidays. They stress that the taste and strength of horseradish is a highly perishable item. That is why the product is generally made to order.
Steven, who is co-owner of the company with his brother, Marc, and cousin's Howard and Neil, said that none of their other children have elected, at this time, to enter the family business with Melissa.
While many food companies are seeing a downturn in sales, Steven says that last year the Gold's product line increased about 7 percent. "We found sales on some of these very ethnic products have actually been climbing," said Steven from his behind his desk strewn with unlabeled, unveiled samples that have arrived straight from his test kitchen.
They continue to evaluate emerging food trends, but enjoy creating their own. The Gold's are currently experimenting with an Asian product line and potato-based soups.
Steven attributed increased condiment sales, in part, to working women who don't have time to cook. He said that many people will buy a prepared chicken and use his products for seasoning, while others purchase his Borscht [soup] and add meat for a fast meal.
Steven is unsure of his company's growth projections for 2008, as mustard seed has tripled in price over the last several months. "Prices of grains have skyrocketed. The farmers claim that they would rather grow corn for fuel," he said, adding that it's costing the company more than ever to purchase raw ingredients.
With ample stock of mustard seeds on hand to keep prices level for the short term, he projects that the price to the consumer will be increased. In addition, he said every load of packaging material arrives with a 10 percent fuel surcharge. Since prices are set at least six months in advance consumers have not experienced any price increases in Gold's products. Right now, Steven said, they are setting pricing for December.
Walking around thousands of boxes emblazoned with the Gold's name on them, Melissa explained that a woman running a factory breaks the mold. But, she is emerging as a fast study, according to her father, and has become well respected within the company.
"It would have been nice if I had some of my cousin's came into the business, but maybe one day I'll have kids that will want to come into the business," said Melissa, who at this time relishes her the time spent with her dad and uncles in their Brooklyn Avenue factory.
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