SALINAS, CA--(MARKET WIRE)--Jul 17, 2008 -- Monterey Gourmet Foods (NasdaqGM:PSTA - News) announced today that it is partnering with Acosta Sales and Marketing Company to represent its flagship Monterey Pasta Company brand of premium refrigerated raviolis and pastas in the retail grocery channel. Acosta and Monterey Gourmet Foods will be collaborating in select markets with major grocery retailers to drive sales.

"We are very pleased to create this partnership with North America's leading sales and marketing agency to take our pasta business to the next level," stated Eric C. Eddings, president and CEO of Monterey Gourmet Foods. "The Monterey Pasta brand of refrigerated products is our restaurant heritage brand for Monterey Gourmet Foods which began nearly twenty years ago in a restaurant in Monterey, California in 1988."

Mike Schall, Monterey Gourmet Foods' senior vice President of sales, said, "We are confident that Monterey Pasta will benefit from the strategic and fact-based selling that the Acosta team provides. More effective spending and marketing initiatives based on the technology offered by Acosta will enable our sales team to better focus on current and new distribution opportunities. Acosta adds a new dimension of fact-based selling that further enables use of syndicated data, category management tools and consumer insights to help grow our business."

"Monterey Gourmet Foods is led by a team of exceptional industry professionals," said Acosta President and COO Robert Hill. "We believe this company is well positioned for growth in the refrigerated gourmet food products category, and we look forward to producing results for this exciting brand. We are very proud to have been appointed to represent Monterey Gourmet."

Monterey Pasta products are found in over 10,000 supermarkets and grocery stores nationally and offer consumers a variety of premium quality ravioli and cut pastas.

Acosta Sales and Marketing Company

Acosta Sales and Marketing Company is a leading full-service sales and marketing agency in North America, providing outsourced sales, merchandising, marketing and promotional services to manufacturers in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Acosta has operations throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information visit www.acosta.com.

About Monterey Gourmet Foods (NasdaqGM:PSTA - News)

Monterey Gourmet Foods manufactures USDA inspected, fresh gourmet refrigerated food products at its integrated 133,000 square foot corporate headquarters, distribution, and manufacturing facilities in Salinas (Monterey County), CA; Seattle, WA; and Eugene, OR. Monterey Gourmet Foods has national distribution of its products, which are sold under the brands Monterey Pasta, CIBO Naturals, Emerald Valley Kitchen, Sonoma Cheese and Casual Gourmet in more than 10,000 retail and club stores throughout the United States and selected regions of Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. For more information about Monterey Gourmet Foods, visit www.MontereyGourmetFoods.com.

     Company Contacts:
     Monterey Gourmet Foods
     Eric Eddings
     Chief Executive Officer
     Email Contact
     Scott Wheeler
     Chief Financial Officer
     Email Contact
     (206) 622-1016
      
     Investor Relations Contacts:
     Lippert / Heilshorn & Associates
     Kirsten Chapman
     Email Contact
     Christiane Pelz
     Email Contact
     (415) 433-3777