Reser's grew from the
potato salad business started by Mildred and Earl Reser in their kitchen in 1950, based in
Cornelius, Oregon. Initially selling potato salad to local butcher shops and mom-and-pop stores, the Resers landed a contract to supply
Safeway stores in Oregon in 1951. Al Reser sits at the top of the Reser clan, and his grandson Alexander Reser died of fentanyl overdose in 2019. Shortly after incorporating on May 14, 1959, Reser's moved from Cornelius to a facility in Beaverton, Oregon. Rapid growth over the next 30 years brought Reser's to its present-day operations at 12 plants with over 2800 employees. In 2011, the company purchased Oklahoma-based competitor Vaughan Foods for $18.3 million, and the assets of Orval Kent for $69.2 million. In 2010, annual revenue was approximately $700 million, ranking Reser's as the sixth-largest private company in Oregon by revenue. In July 2014, it announced plans to build a facility in
Hillsboro, Oregon, but indicated that its headquarters would remain at the site in Beaverton. By 2017, annual revenue had grown to $1.2 billion, ranking Reser's fifth highest annual revenue for private companies. This ranked Reser's highest in revenue for a non-public Oregon food producer, ranking one spot higher than
Tillamook County Creamery Association. Reser’s is also a primary sponsor of
Christopher Bell and the #20 Toyota Camry in the
NASCAR Cup Series. ==Relationship with Oregon State University==