D'Artagnan Milestones
rom the real to the ridiculous, here are a few snapshots of what D'Artagnan has been up to since our founding in 1985.
3000 BC -- Egyptians feed figs and grains to their geese to create foie gras.
476 AD -- Beginning of the Dark Ages.
1985 -- D’Artagnan is born in Jersey City, NJ with two employees: Ariane and George. They lease a second hand orange juice truck.
1989 -- Tired of clogging the kitchen sink with duck fat, D’Artagnan opens a USDA- inspected commercial kitchen. D’Artagnan now has 31 employees and its own truck. The famous Mousse of 100% Foie Gras is born.
April 1993 -- The first organic chicken in the USA is bred by Mennonite farmers in Pennsylvania, organized by D’Artagnan. The USDA refuses to allow the word “organic” on the label.
May 1994 -- Ariane & George are recognized by The James Beard Foundation with a Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America award.
June 1996 -- D’Artagnan opens first major supermarket chain account.
Sept. 1997 -- D’Artagnan moves from Jersey City to the Ironbound in Newark, NJ with 57 employees & 4 trucks.
Sept. 1999 -- D’Artagnan creates truffle and mushroom division, and gains vegetarian friends.
Dec. 1999 -- "D’Artagnan’s Glorious Game Cookbook" is released and people stop overcooking duck.
June 2000 -- 1st Prize NASFT – Mousse of Foie Gras D’Artagnan has 75 employees and 11 trucks.
Oct. 2000 -- D’Artagnan launches a website and starts selling direct to consumers.
Feb. 2002 -- Opening of D’Artagnan, The Rotisserie, which receives two stars from the New York Times. William Grimes writes: “D’Artagnan has the real thing. In fact it has so much personality it can sell it by the pound. The food is authentic, robust, earthy and powerfully flavored.”
Oct. 2002 -- The USDA finally allows D’Artagnan to label its chickens “Certified Organic.”
June 2003 -- D’Artagnan introduces duck bacon.
Feb. 2004 -- D’Artagnan introduces humanely-raised veal, and redefines politically correct meat.
June 2004 -- 1st Prize NASFT - Medallion of Foie Gras with Truffles
Dec. 2004 -- D’Artagnan has 115 employees and 23 trucks.
Feb. 2005 -- D’Artagnan celebrates its 20th birthday, hosts first Duckathlon.
Aug. 2005 -- Ariane becomes sole owner and CEO of D’Artagnan.
Oct. 2005 -- Ariane receives the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from Bon Appetit magazine.
Dec. 2005 -- First $5 million sales month
Jan. 2006 -- D’Artagnan introduces humanely-raised Berkshire pork – another symbol of the commitment to superior animal husbandry practices and sustainable farming.
April 2006 -- City of Chicago bans the sale of foie gras. Predictions of a return to the Dark Ages.
Sept. 2006 --Magnifique! Ariane is awarded the French Legion d'Honneur.
July 2006 -- NASFT Best Hors d’Oeuvre Award – French Kisses
Jan. 2007 -- D’Artagnan has 133 employees and 23 trucks.
May 2008 -- Chicago repeals foie gras ban! Foie gras for everyone!
July 2008 -- D’Artagnan hits $50 million in annual sales. Much champagne is consumed.
May 2009 -- D’Artagnan introduces the world’s first duck hot dog (plus they are nitrate free!).
Feb. 2010 -- D’Artagnan celebrates its 25th birthday with an epic party and a week of celebratory events in NYC.
June 2010 – D’Artagnan imports the first Spanish hams made from heritage-breed Mangalica hogs.
May 2012 – D’Artagnan establishes an office and warehouse in Chicago, and sells lots of foie gras.
July 2012 – California ban on selling foie gras goes into place. D’Artagnan sees an increase in foie gras shipments to that state.
Oct. 2012 – Things get fishy when D’Artagnan starts selling French Ossetra Caviar.
March 2013 – Actor Jean Reno produces a line of fine French olive oil, available exclusively at D’Artagnan.
Nov. 2014 – The vegetable-fed Green Circle Chicken is launched, and gets attention from The New York Times and CNN.
Dec. 2014 – First $1 million ship day!
Jan. 2015 – The California ban on selling foie gras is lifted! Within hours of the verdict, restaurants have it back on their menus.
Feb. 2015 – D’Artagnan cuts the ribbon on an office and warehouse in beef country: Houston, TX.
Feb. 2015 – 30 years old! The first of a series of 30th anniversary dinner parties kicks off in Houston. Parties in Washington, D.C., Boston and Philadelphia soon follow.
Mar. 2015 – D’Artagnan acquires its first semi-trailer truck for long hauls to the Chicago warehouse.
Aug. 2015 – D'Artagnan moves New Jersey headquarters to a spacious home in Union, a 90,000 square foot office and warehouse with state-of-the-art refrigeration and freezer space.