Our History
Shirley J is a cooking and baking solutions company based in Orem, Utah.
Our seeds are rooted by the marriage of two successful food product companies—Shirley J Foods and Dunford Bakery Products. Shirley J Foods was founded by food developer Don Smith, while Dunford Bakery Products had its founding in master baker, Doug Dunford. The two men worked side-by-side for years, servicing specialized segments of the commercial food industry. Their products have been used for more than 30 years by chefs and bakers in the most demanding commercial applications and have won the loyalty and praise of customers and professionals.
Our Best-Selling Product: Whisk Bliss
Whisk Bliss is a unique UNIVERSAL COOKING BASE that creates quick and delicious sauces, soups, mixes, and more that are healthy for you and your family. If you've been around the Shirley J brand for a while, you may know this product by its former names such as Universal Sauce or Cream Soup, Sauce and Gravy Base.
Early Years
For 27 years, Don Smith was a career food product developer for Safeway Foods-California. In 1978, he transferred his tricks of the trade to the development of a product for his wife Shirley, who continually sought to improve the texture and flavor of her own whole wheat bread. Don developed a dough conditioner to strengthen the gluten structure in the bread, and in turn, to deliver perfect, homemade results every time. For his efforts, Don was awarded a U.S. patent. News spread of his victory, and in the orders poured. Don retired from Safeway shortly thereafter and devoted himself to developing new products for the food industry.
Don named his business after the person who inspired his first product—his wife, Shirley J. In 1979, Don developed another product that was heralded as the most significant discovery in food preparation in a generation. His product—now called Whisk Bliss—was inherently laced with infinite application and incredible functionality in the kitchen, capturing the attention and loyalty of master chefs and food professionals.
Doug Dunford is a certified master baker with a dreamer’s vision and a baker's pedigree. He was educated at the American Institute of Baking in Chicago, Illinois.
Early in his career, Doug foresaw a dependence on pre-blended mixes to bake breads, cakes and cookies—on the professional front, trained and experienced bakers were on the decline, necessitating an alternative means to produce fresh bakery results; on the other hand, at-home demand for home-baked bread, muffins and cakes was dramatically increasing, meriting a bakery product that could be made by the masses. In an effort to satisfy both needs, Doug founded Dunford Products, Inc. and manufactured pre-blended baking mixes for the bakery trade and home consumer.
Today's Shirley J
In 2009, entrepreneurs Kelly Olsen, Mike Olsen and Shon Whitney came together with a vision to combine Shirley J and Dunford Products, Inc. and offer their products, under a single name, to home consumers. Their merge was the birth of today's Shirley J.
Over 30 years ago, Don Smith and Doug Dunford envisioned a time when their products could be in every home in America; after rigorous tests passed and quality proven, their anticipated day has arrived.
