Sebastiani’s first century in Sonoma winemaking began when Samuele (pictured right) emigrated from the Tuscany region of Italy in 1895 and started Sebastiani nine years later. A stonemason by trade, he quarry-mined the Sonoma hills for cobblestones that were used to build the streets of San Francisco. He worked long hours and saved carefully to buy land in Sonoma County, from which he would make wine for the Sonoma community and San Francisco’s restaurants.The winery was the only one in Sonoma County to continue operations through Prohibition, making a small amount of sacramental and medicinal wines. It has been joked, and perhaps with some grain of truth, that during this time there was a resurgence of people becoming very religious.

Florida Crystals Corporation unit of Flo-Sun, grows sugar cane and rice on its 180,000 acres. It operates two sugar mills, a rice mill, a refinery, a packaging and distribution center, and a renewable energy facility. Florida Crystals company's sugar products include granulated, baking, powdered, and large- and fine-grain, organic, and regular sugars under the C&H, Florida Crystals, Redpath, and Jack Frost brand names. With the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida (SCGC), Florida Crystals jointly owns American Sugar Refining, the owner and producer of the Domino brand sugar.

Thompson Hospitality, formed in 1992, is the largest minority-owned food service company and one of the largest minority-owned businesses in the United States. Thompson Hospitality currently employ over 2,500 food service professionals and provide meals at businesses and institutions in 40 states and four foreign countries. The restaurant and retail division operates four different concepts with 22 unique locations in the Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. area, serving over 1.9 million guests each year.Thompson Hospitality, the largest minority-owned foodservice company in the United States, formed a strategic alliance with the Compass Group, the world’s largest food service company, in 1997. This partnership continues to provide synergy and value to clients of this partnership. By choosing the Thompson/Compass partnership as your food service provider, your business will be assured of working with an organization with a solid track record, successful operating history, and the ability to handle all of your food service needs.

Benziger Family Winery produces a wide variety of Bordeaux wines from its 168-acre, family-owned and -operated vineyards and winery, which is located in Glen Ellen, California. In addition to using its own fruit, Benziger also makes wines from grapes grown by a network of 50 other area vineyards. The company is dedicated to certified-sustainable, organic farming practices. It operates a research and education center to further these practices, which it shares with its longtime Sonoma County grower/partners. Benziger Family wines are distributed to retailers and restaurants throughout the US, as well as through its wine club and the company's Web site. Benzinger's first wines were produced in 1981.

You might say a steady diet of red meat has made this company big and strong. OSI Industries (doing business as OSI Group) is one of the largest suppliers of meat products to foodservice operators. Through its operating companies, OSI provides a variety of beef, pork, and poultry products, including beef patties, hot dogs, sausages, bacon, and chicken nuggets. It has long been a supplier of beef to fast-food chain McDonald's. In addition, OSI offers contract manufacturing and packaging services for other food processors; it has more than 40 manufacturing facilities around the world. The company traces its roots to a family meat market started by Otto Kolschowsky.

Depending on what stage of life you're currently inhabiting, you're likely to associate Pepperidge Farm with either "all grown up now" Milan cookies or "yippee" Goldfish crackers -- a staple of most preschoolers' diets -- and, truth be told, lots of adults' workplace desk drawers as well. A subsidiary of the Campbell Soup Company, Pepperidge Farm is part of the company's Baking and Snacking segment, which accounts for about a quarter of Campbell's total sales. Products in the Pepperidge Farm line include fresh bread and rolls, cookies, crackers, stuffing mixes, and ready-made croutons, as well as frozen puff pastry.

Par-Way Group manufactures edible oils in aerosol cans and spray bottles. Par-Way Group company, which operates as the Par-Way Tryson Company, serves the bakery and foodservice industries. Its products include pan and grill release (Vegalene), bakery release (Bak-klene), flavor, and specialty sprays, as well as Saragosa brand oils in bulk. Par-Way, whose other aerosol brands include Buttery Delite, Garlic Mist, Olive Mist, and Waffle Off, also provides research and development, custom blending, and private-labeling services. Par-Way Group company's products are available worldwide.

Columbia Grain markets the harvest. It processes, stores, and ships the pulses and grains grown by farmers in the Western US. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the company has grain elevators with a total storage capacity of more than 1 million tons in Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Washington. Columbia Grain ships its bulk and bagged products worldwide from its Portland Terminal 5, located near the joining of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. In addition to grain handling, it provides customers with crop seed for wheat, barley, pulses, and canola and works with researchers to develop new varieties. The company is a subsidiary of Japan's Marubeni Corporation.

Bar-S Foods Co. began operations in 1981 following the acquisition of facilities, brand names, and other assets of the Cudahy Company.Today, Bar-S is recognized as one of the ten largest privately held companies in Arizona, and ranks among the top 40 largest meat processing companies in the United States.

As France's largest dairy producer, Lactalis sells milk, cheese, butter, and cream. Its flagship brand is Pr�sident; its other top brands include Bridel, Locatelli, Soci�t�, Sorrento, and Valmont. Distributing its foods in some 150 countries worldwide, Lactalis owns and operates about 127 industrial sites. While the company is France's largest dairy exporter, about 60% of its sales are domestic. Lactalis was founded in 1933 by Andr� Besnier; his descendants still own and oversee the company.

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