One visit to Galena, Illinois and you know you’ve arrived in a special place. Galena sets a dynamic table for everyone who visits by mixing a blend of rich history and idyllic charm with ample entertainment. Galena is home to the Galena Art Center and the Galena Arts and Recreation Center and was once home to Civil War general and President Ulysses S. Grant. Stroll down the town’s main street and amid all the visual stimulation, you are likely intrigued by the two red storefront awnings directly across the street from each other. Suddenly your lured in by the delicious smells of spices, sauces and jellies that take you straight to the Galena Canning Co.

“Our first ingredient is flavor,” said Jeff Holder, one of the owners of Galena Canning Co. “If you buy our products, you become an instant gourmet.”

That commitment to taste is evident with a wide variety of barbecue sauces, salsas, rubs, jams, jellies, preserves, and pickled items at the store. Interestingly, the name of the store may seem to be a bit of a misnomer.

“The Galena Canning Co. is not about cans. It’s about jars, which is historically correct. The mason jar or the ball jar is what grandma used to use to make the winter stock, if you will. So, we produce all of our products into these glass jars and then it gets vacuum sealed,” said Jeff with a smile.

The Galena Canning Co. is founded on the recipes and love of the company’s founder, Chef Ivo Puidak, a classically trained chef from Europe. Puidak’s homemade culinary creations became a star of Galena in the late 1990s. He founded the Galena Canning Co. in 1997.

“Chef developed all of these recipes, and we pay homage to him by never deviating from the original recipes,” said Jeff about his commitment to legacy of the man he lovingly calls ‘Chef Ivo’.

Puidak crafted delectable sauces, jams, and preserves delighting everyone. He soon found himself with a reputation for exceptional food that traveled beyond Galena. Puidak’s culinary skill caught the attention of the Food Network, which featured him on multiple shows and thrust him into the national spotlight.

This commitment to preserving Chef Puidak’s traditional flavors and methods has earned the Galena Canning Company a loyal following among foodies everywhere.

“When people walk into the Galena Canning Co., they’re almost overwhelmed by the selection that we have here,” said Jeff. “And it’s laid out such that it’s very easy to shop here, and people get excited about the variety.”

Jeff met Chef Ivo at the Galena River Wine and Cheese shop, where Ivo was selling his products. At the time, Jeff was a representative for Cisco Foods and helped Chef Ivo with his blossoming business by helping him to purchase all his raw ingredients.

“Chef Ivo was very big and gregarious and, personality bigger than life,” reminisced Jeff about the early days of their bond. “Chef Ivo and I developed a strong friendship, and I was part of his journey from the beginning.”

Jeff’s family also became involved in the business. Holder’s son was hired as Chef Ivo’s first employee. His daughter served as the company’s top olive oil salesperson.

Chef Ivo stayed with the Galena Canning Co. until March of 2020 when he died of cancer. Chef’s family reached out to Jeff and asked him to assist in running the company. After a year of doing that, Jeff said he told his wife, ”We need to buy this.”

With the support of friends, Holder bought the business, ensuring the culinary creations of Chef Ivo continue to make their way into kitchens far and wide.

“It was a natural progression of things. I thought, but I needed a little more capital. So, I reached out to my good friends, Pat and Rick Walsh, who were eager to come on board with me to launch this endeavor.”

A delicious business

The Galena Canning Co. has grown significantly since its modest beginnings in a 1,500-square-foot space, which also included a prep kitchen. Turned out that a larger property became available directly across the street from the original store, which enabled the company to expand its operations.

Today, the original location, which is known as the “hot shop,” features more 400 different hot sauces.

Meanwhile, the newer location across the street is dedicated to “sweet and savory” products including jams, jellies, and preserves. Jeff said the two storefronts work well for the company given Galena’s status as a popular tourist destination. “Our weekends become very busy,” explained Jeff. “Galena is a tourist location, dedicated mostly from people from Chicago.”

At the heart of the success of the Galena Canning Co. is its commitment to using simple, high-quality ingredients.

“What I love about the Galena Canning Co. and Chef Ivo’s recipes are that they’re very simple,” said Jeff with a smile. “You could read a label. You know exactly what’s in there. Most of our products have 5 or 6 ingredients.”

Taste is everything here. To showcase its wide array of products, the company offers daily samples to customers.

“A taste is worth a thousand words. We put out at least 20 samples daily for people to try our products.”

One of the company’s signature products is its raspberry jalapeno salsa, which Jeff affectionately calls a “super salsa” due to its versatility. “You can never have too many salsas. Nope,” added Jeff with a grin. “My favorite product is the raspberry jalapeno salsa. Not only can you eat it with chips, but you can marinade a chicken breast with it as well.”

The extraordinary recipes of Chef Ivo live on in almost everything customers see and taste inside the store.

“Chef had developed a series of rubs that were well known and award winning,” said Jeff. “In order to keep his legacy alive, we decided to put his image on the labels. Those are our very top sellers. Most people enjoy the fact that they are award winning. So, the all-purpose barbecue rub is just that. It’s bright, it’s vibrant. It works well on pork and chicken. It’s excellent.”

Beyond the sales floor, the company’s kitchen is a very busy place.

“We produce about 115 items out of our small kitchen across the street. We have one 40-gallon cooker, which produces approximately 27 cases of 16-ounce jars.” The company’s production team works tirelessly to create these products, with a focus on quality and attention to detail. “We put our heart and soul into each batch” added Jeff. “You can really feel the love that goes into the food.”

In addition to its in-house production, the Galena Canning Co. has strategic partners nationwide to source high-quality ingredients. Jeff also works with local farmers to source peppers and honey. That approach allows the company to offer a wide range of products while maintaining its commitment to top-tier quality and simplicity.

You can find the tasty sauces, spices, and spreads of the Galena Canning Co. not only in its stores, but also in other retail locations across Illinois.

“Selling wholesale gives us the ability to get our products out to our customers in other locations, where they don’t always carry the breadth of what we have here,” explained Jeff about the importance of making products available beyond his brick-and-mortar operation. “They typically have our best sellers. Most of our wholesale accounts are retail accounts. So, as you see our products on the shelves here, you’ll see them in their stores as well. We love the breadth that it gives us for coverage and for exposure.”

Not just a business

It is not lost on Jeff that running the Galena Canning Co. is not only hard work, but something much more to him.

“What I’d like the people of Illinois to know about retail is that although it may be a challenging industry to get involved with, it’s also very rewarding,” explained Jeff. “Working in retail has afforded me the opportunity to get to know many people, make many connections. It really is a way of life.

“I love being a retailer because you get instant gratification because you’re working with the customers. They taste the food and the products right away. They love it and then they buy it,” Jeff said talking about working with people. “Customers are the backbone of any operation, especially a tourist town. In Galena. I’ve been here for 34 years. I love the diversity and the variety of the customers that come to town. It’s just a wonderful way of life.”