What we stand for
A force for change
City Fresh has been a pioneer in the food service industry for the last 25 years constantly evolving and solving issues surrounding food equality and food insecurity.
It began when City Fresh co-founder, Glynn Lloyd, read a Boston Globe article about the overharvesting of global fish supplies which detailed the advances in technology allowing fishing vessels to extract more from the ocean than it could reproduce. The article made a huge impact on Glynn and ignited his quest to find a better way for us to produce and consume food. This combined with his time teaching at Teach for America in Baton Rouge, solidified his vision of using a food enterprise and business to address the growing racial economic inequality in his neighborhood and the growing unsustainable agricultural practices globally.
Timeline
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1992
Glynn Lloyd joins Fair Foods, distributing thousands of pounds of surplus goods in urban Boston to those in need.
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1994
City Fresh is founded! In 1994, Glynn moved back to Boston from Baton Rouge to teach G.E.D. at College Bound Dorchester. Alongside some of his students and local health care workers from the Bowdoin Health Center, City Fresh opens as a take-out lunch business in Dudley Square, offering fresh, home-style ethnic foods in a neighborhood with few options.
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1994
Not long after opening, Central Boston Elder Service asked City Fresh to deliver food to the growing yet underserved population of ethnic homebound seniors. To this day, we are still extremely proud to be the first in the country providing Latino Meals on Wheels to our community elders.
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1995
City Fresh deploys its first electric vehicle to deliver meals.
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1996
It’s a family affair! Glynn’s brother Sheldon Lloyd (current CEO) joins the ownership and leadership team.
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1998
City Fresh outgrows its retail kitchen space and acquires a 4,000 sq. ft. Dorchester restaurant converting the space into a commissary kitchen and office.
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1999 - 2006
City Fresh pioneers charter school dining programs as new Boston charter schools open and need food service solutions inside non-traditional school buildings. During this time, City Fresh develops a scan-based application providing schools access to real-time data tracking their meal program participation.
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2000 - 2006
City Fresh expands meal service to childcare and adult day health centers driving new unitized fresh salad meals programs and additional ethnic offerings. During this time, City Fresh launches a delivery ticket system with a 7-day pre-ordering option which becomes industry standard.
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2007
City Fresh is approached by Jack Connors, Connors Family Foundation and Suffolk Construction to participate in the 100-day construction of Camp Harbor View and to run the camp’s food operation.
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2008
City Fresh outgrows its Dorchester facility and moves into a state of the art 15,000 square building in Roxbury. The company enters into the on-site food service management business through a partnership with Unidine. City Fresh is contracted to manage Massport Corporate Headquarters, Logan Airport and Roxbury Community College Dining Services.
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2009
Glynn Lloyd co-founds City Growers, now Urban Farming Institute, which converts abandoned lots into economically viable urban farms.
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2010
City Fresh expands its Senior Dining Program to deliver Meals on Wheels service to all of Elder Service of Cape Cod clients.
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2013
City Fresh expands north of Boston to service Greater Lynn Senior Services. Through a partnership with Stewart Healthcare Insurance Company, City Fresh pilots a Food As Medicine program, providing majority plant-based meals for patients discharged from the hospital.
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2014
City Fresh introduces Lunch & Learn Training Program where students, parents and staff learn about nutrition and health through hands-on activities and curriculum to help them eat nutritious offerings at school and make smart food decisions at home.
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2016 - 2018
City Fresh grows its business with contracts with the Boys & Girls Club of Boston and the YMCA of Greater Boston. Expands facility another 4,000 square feet.
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2019
City Fresh certified as an Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and enters into partnership with Delaware North Company. City Fresh also adds new efficient, volume-based, batch cooking kitchen equipment with the technology to roast, steam and air-fry at large capacity.
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2020
At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, City Fresh pivoted with our partners working day and night to make and deliver 20k meals per day to food access sites around Metro Boston. Our team continues to go above and beyond on a daily basis securing food for our community members.
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2020
City Fresh establishes the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) allowing Employees buy City Fresh stock and become owners of City Fresh Foods
2020
Celebrating over 25 years of making over 20 million hot healthy homemade meals for our neighbors in need!