From Family Recipe to National Producer
The Cepero family started making Cuban-style croquettes and tamales in Tampa in 1974. The products were good, the demand grew, and over the next five decades the business grew with it: more products, more customers, more capacity, and eventually more brands.
In 1998, Saugatuck Kitchens was founded in Connecticut as a catering company by husband-and-wife chefs David and Sonia Wells. What began as 12 handcrafted appetizer recipes for local caterers expanded into a full premium frozen appetizer line serving national foodservice customers.
Today, Catalina Food Group unites Catalina, Saugatuck Kitchens, and Doña Laura under one company. Each brand has its own customers, its own product focus, and its own market position, but all three share the same production standards, quality systems, and commitment to showing up for the people who depend on us.
In 2022, CFG became part of the Promise Holdings family of companies, adding investment resources and strategic support to a business that was already doing what it does well. Promise Holdings’ backing allows CFG to invest in capacity, innovation, and growth while staying focused on the fundamentals of making and shipping frozen food.
Where the Products Are Made
CFG operates two SQF-certified, USDA-inspected production facilities on the East Coast, supported by a distribution center in Miami.
Tampa, Florida
Our original facility and the production home for Catalina products. This is where we make croquettes, tamales, empanadas, and stuffed specialties. Decades of experience producing these products at scale, combined with modern food safety systems and quality controls, make Tampa the foundation of our Latin specialty production.
Stratford, Connecticut
Home of Saugatuck Kitchens and our premium appetizer production. This facility produces the full Saugatuck portfolio and supports CFG innovation and new product development. Located in the Northeast, Stratford gives us shorter shipping times to customers from New York to Boston and provides a second production facility for operational continuity.
Miami, Florida
Our distribution center supports regional logistics across Florida, the Southeast, and export markets. Having inventory positioned in Miami means faster delivery and better service levels for customers in our most concentrated market.
What We Offer
Frozen Food Expertise
Croquettes, tamales, empanadas, stuffed specialties, premium appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, and specialty bites. We have deep category knowledge in the products we make and decades of experience making them at volume.
Certified Facilities
Croquettes, tamales, empanadas, stuffed specialties, premium appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, and specialty bites. We have deep category knowledge in the products we make and decades of experience making them at volume.
Retail and Foodservice Ready
Croquettes, tamales, empanadas, stuffed specialties, premium appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, and specialty bites. We have deep category knowledge in the products we make and decades of experience making them at volume.
Co-Packing and Private Label
Croquettes, tamales, empanadas, stuffed specialties, premium appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, and specialty bites. We have deep category knowledge in the products we make and decades of experience making them at volume.
Custom Product Development
Croquettes, tamales, empanadas, stuffed specialties, premium appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, and specialty bites. We have deep category knowledge in the products we make and decades of experience making them at volume.
Data and Systems Integration
Croquettes, tamales, empanadas, stuffed specialties, premium appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, and specialty bites. We have deep category knowledge in the products we make and decades of experience making them at volume.
The Standards Our Customers Require
Every CFG facility operates under food safety and quality management systems designed for the customers who cannot afford a failed audit, a quality hold, or a shorted order.
Our Standards
We are trusted by retailers and foodservice operators, large and small, to deliver products that meet spec and arrive on time. Our commitment is straightforward: products that perform consistently in the conditions our customers face every day, whether that is a restaurant kitchen, a supermarket freezer, or a prepared foods case.
National and Regional Distribution
Our products are carried by all major broadline and specialty foodservice distributors in the United States and sold at retail in over 2,000 chain and independent stores nationally. We maintain strong relationships with distribution partners across both channels, with particular depth in Florida, the Northeast, and the Southeast.
Meet the team
Our leadership team brings decades of combined experience in food production, distribution, foodservice operations, and sales. This is the team behind the products.
David Martinez
CEO
Rebecca Flores-Peña
VP Sales & Marketing
Benny Barrios-Menendez
Sr. Director, Plant Operations (Tampa)
Matt DeRose
Director of Operations, Stratford / Saugatuck Kitchens
Krystal Vigay
Director of Human Resources
Victor Arechavaleta
Senior Director, Marketing & Business Development
Kelbi Santana
Business Development Manager
Kimberly Chacon
Sales Support, Key Accounts
The CFG Promise
We make frozen food. We have been doing it for over 50 years, across multiple brands, for customers who depend on us to be consistent, reliable, and easy to work with.
OUR FOCUS HAS NOT CHANGED.
Products that perform on restaurant menus, in prepared foods programs, and inside retail freezers. Backed by experienced teams, certified facilities, and the kind of Attention to detail that only comes from decades of doing this work every day.