Our History

Haehl Sales was founded in 1978 by Russ Haehl Sr, and his long history in the Food Industry involves many great stories.  He is the man who taught us what drives the company’s strong commitment to the importance of relationships, always being available and the value of prompt, clear and honest communication.  His passion for people and his unwavering desire to serve, formed a strong foundation.  He takes great pride in having his family follow in his footsteps and is grateful seeing the way we work together and love what we do.

Russ Sr, is renowned for his winning personality and contagious smile and coupled with his determination to meet the needs of his customers, proved to contain the vital ingredients of an award-winning formula.  He started building his credentials in the retail and foodservice parts of the business in San Francisco during the late 1940’s.   Upon arriving in the Pacific Northwest in 1958, he moved into the industrial arena and became actively involved in selling bulk ingredients to Bakeries, Confectioners, Dairies, Fruit Processors and Dry Mix manufacturers.

For the past 40 years, Haehl Sales has been a reputable supplier of the core items used in all aspects of food processing.  Sugar, Cocoa, Nuts, Raisins, Flavors, Fruits, Starches and Inclusions provided a strong base from which to grow.  Russ established himself from the beginning as an honest, knowledgeable and helpful businessman and the customers bought ingredients because they loved him, trusted him and knew they could always depend on him.

His sons Russ and David joined their dad in expanding the company and have carried on these traditions.  They further developed the business geographically and also into various functional food ingredients.  In 1984, Haehl Sales became one of the first local sales firms to join the Institute of Food Technologists. 12 years later, they deepened their commitment to the industry by hiring a Food Technologist to further enhance the sales team. Leanne Crosby, with her vast technical expertise, continues in that important role which now spans 22 years.

Russ, David and Leanne continue to be very active in both sales and management of the company and are also helping to guide and teach a vibrant and excited 3rd generation of Haehl’s (Seth, Caylan, Nolan and Carter) who have entered the business.  In early 2018, Haehl Sales, Inc. moved the headquarters to the picturesque city of East Wenatchee, Washington. The team is responsible for covering the States of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, Northern California and parts of British Columbia.

Recently, we celebrated Russ Sr’s 91st birthday and his expertise and wise mentoring are still the vital foundation of the business.  The same vigor and initiative that fueled him to build the business, will always drive our principles and actions as we grow in the future.  To this day, his famous words of wisdom grace our office walls.