Monterey Gourmet Foods products are now found in more than 65 grocery and club store chains with more than 6,600 locations. The company was launched as the Monterey Pasta Company in a 400-square-foot storefront in Monterey, Calif., in 1989. It produced small quantities of gourmet pastas and sauces using food processors and hand-operated pasta makers. It sold its hand-made products to local grocery stores and restaurants on the Monterey Peninsula. The founders started their small, fresh pasta company in response to the public s growing interest in healthy gourmet foods. Local customers often stopped by the storefront, delivering ingredients such as fresh crab, with requests for custom-made raviolis. In 1994, Monterey Gourmet Foods opened a 10,000-square-foot production facility in Salinas, Calif.