By Anna Hughes

Fresh, natural food: That’s what Andy Koziarski noticed was missing from American grocery shelves.

Easterseals has helped Amelia and the Koziarski family through constant support and education.

When he first immigrated to the United States from Poland in 1994, the Hinsdale resident was surprised to see that the ingredient lists on packaged foods were extensive—often, when they didn’t need to be. This was not the same food he was accustomed to in his home country.

With a noticeable gap in the market and a newfound desire to fill it, Koziarski started his own line of natural products with simple ingredients and called it Old World Quality Foods.

“The idea was to bring some good products to the American market. And, you know, have people try it and see if they like it,” Koziarski said. “And it turned out that they did like it. I started the business in 2011 and, you know, it’s been working out good so far.”

The inspiration was food he grew up eating at his grandmother’s house: beets, pickles, fresh jams and mustards. These were the all natural and nostalgic ingredients that transformed every meal both during his childhood and during his visits back home. Now, they’re some of the many products that round out the products that Old World Quality Foods provides.

“Our product is very clear and natural,” he said. “For example, our marinated beets. There’s, like, [four] ingredients in there. One of them is beets, the other one is water, salt and sugar. It’s the natural, healthy product that’s the difference between us and a lot of other people.”
The company has grown from one person with an idea to 30 hard-working employees that distribute their products from their Elk Grove Village warehouse to multiple accounts across the country. Although starting a company and leading a team of employees as the CEO comes with many challenges, Koziarski wouldn’t trade it for the world. It gives him a chance to build his own schedule and donate his extra time, energy, and money to causes about which he’s passionate.
“Having your own business [means] being able to help others on our own time as well,” Koziarski said.

The primary beneficiary of his charity is Easterseals DuPage and Fox Valley, an organization that supports developmentally disabled and delayed children in the community. Since 2017, Koziarski and his company have contributed to their Giving Tuesday campaign.

“He provides a challenge grant from Old World Quality Foods to match donations made on Giving Tuesday, and incentivizes donors by providing Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley with seasonal giveaways from his other company, Marketplace Brands,” Erin Skaggs with Easterseals said.

Using his resources to help benefit Easterseals was a no brainer; the organization has personally impacted his family in a positive and life changing way. His twin daughters, Ania and Amelia, started therapy with Easterseals when they were babies. Ania graduated from programming in elementary school; Amelia, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, still goes every week.

“She doesn’t really, you know, speak much…she’s very much dependent on somebody,” Koziarski explained. “But she’s loved going to Easterseals ever since she was a little girl.”

Koziarski joined the Easterseals board in 2018; his wife, Dominique Stepinska, and oldest daughter, Tosia, volunteer as well. They’re all passionate about supporting the hardworking team that’s given so much to their family.

“Easterseals is a really great institution for people like us who… wouldn’t know how to help those kids, or how to maneuver through a lot of different things in life with special needs kids,” Koziarski said. “Easterseals helped us tremendously to, you know, to maneuver through this and help Amelia get better.”

Although it’s fulfilling for Koziarski to give back, he feels like he’s donating his talents year-round by bringing quality products to shelves across the country.

“It’s nice to see that people are enjoying the product…The fact that I’m able to give something to people that they like and they enjoy, and they keep buying the product, that’s very rewarding,” Koziarski said. “The fact that it’s coming from my own country… It’s even better.”

For more information about Old World Quality Foods and the products they sell, visit OldWorldQualityFoods.com.

Koziarski, and his wife Dominique Stepinska, are longtime supporters of Easterseals DuPage and Fox Valley