During World War II, Robert E. Rich, Sr. worked for the War Food Administration in Washington. While with them, he learned about non-dairy whipping milk made from the soybean. He came back to his family dairy in Buffalo and began to manufacture the soybean toppings. The new product, immediately hailed as "the miracle cream from the soya bean", revolutionized food processing and opened up a new world of non-dairy products to the growing frozen food industry.

To a large degree, Rich's® Whip Topping® is responsible for building Rich Products into the frozen food giant it is today. From whipped topping, the company focused its attention on developing more new products and diverse ventures. Some highlights include:

• 1950's - Rich's® introduced the first commercial line of frozen éclairs.

• 1969 - Frozen baked goods were added to Rich's® product line-up.

• 1976 - Rich's® entered the world of seafood specialties with the acquisition of SeaPak Corporation.

• 1980 - Rich's® acquires a plant which makes frozen cream pies and cakes.

• 1980 - Rich's® announces Freeze Flo®, an all-natural process that allows foods to remain soft while frozen.

• 1982 - Rich's® acquires frozen Italian pasta and meat specialty producer Casa Di Bertacchi Corporation.

• 1988 - Rich's® purchases Byron's Inc. of Gallatin, Tennessee, adding popular barbecue and specialty meat products.

• 1980's - Rich's® purchases Triple A Buffalo Bisons Baseball Franchise and the Double A Wichita Wranglers.

• 1990's - Rich's® expands internationally.

• 1994 - Mexico Productos Rich S.A. de C.V. incorporated.

• 1998 - Rich's Do Brazil, Ltda.

• 2000's - International expansion continues.