Chef Paul Prudhomme has propelled the distinctive cuisine of his native Louisiana into the international spotlight and continues to push the limits by creating exciting and new American and international dishes. Chef Paul learned the importance of using the freshest ingredients while cooking at his mother’s side and continues to use only earth’s finest harvests. As the youngest of 13 children, Chef Paul was always adventurous. His strong curiosity of life and cultural customs motivated him to leave Louisiana in his early 20’s and travel across the United States to experience every culinary environment possible. From an Indian reservation all the way to the finest, five-star restaurant, Chef Paul learned to love, appreciate and blend the flavors of his younger years with those of many other cultures.

Daffin's Candies has gained a national name for its delectable milk and semi-sweet chocolate candy. In addition to offering its regular line of yummy chocolates Daffin's provides gourmet chocolates through its Jean Marie Collection. This scrumptious collection offers unique hand-molded chocolates with extra special insides containing such things as whole nuts, truffles and their famous Opera Cream. Chocolate has an interesting history, as it didn’t catch on with the public until the 192Os. This wasn't a matter of people not enjoying the delicious taste of chocolate. Rather, it was the debut of air conditioning - which helped prevent chocolate from melting - that pushed chocolate sales through the roof. Prior to that it was uncommon for stores to carry chocolate past April because of the warm temperatures.

They pack it away at Rose. The suburban Chicago meat-packing business processes fresh, frozen, and smoked pork, beef, and turkey products retail food outlets and foodservice suppliers. The Rose Packing Company's meat products include Canadian bacon, sausage (turkey, pork, bratwurst, Polish, Italian, chorizo), ham, pizza toppings, meatballs, various pork cuts, and boneless turkey breasts, all of which are sold under the Rose brand name. The Barrington, Illinois-based company, founded by Louis Rose in 1924, is owned and operated by the fourth and fifth generations of the Rose family.

Total Produce probably wouldn't let you get up from the conference table until you'd purchased some of its vegetables. One of the UK's largest fresh produce producers, Total Produce grows, imports, distributes, and markets more than 200 fruit and vegetable products, including bananas, tomatoes, peaches, lettuce, potatoes, oranges, onions, and cabbage. Total Produce company, which operates 90 facilities in 19 countries, targets its products to retailers, wholesalers, and food service companies around Europe. Its brand portfolio includes its core product line Top, as well as Peviani, Haluco, and several others. Total Produce was formed in 2007 after it was spun off from fruit producer Fyffes.

The folks at Sunrise Growers are up long before the sun rises, hand-picking fresh strawberries from the fields. The company, which also raises, processes, and supplies fresh red bell peppers, markets and ships its produce throughout the US, as well as to Pacific Rim countries. Sunrise serves customers in the retail food, food manufacturing, and foodservice industries. The company's sister business, Frozsun Foods, processes part of Sunrise's crop, some of which it combines with other fruits, into frozen packs, toppings, purees, juicestock, and other beverage bases.

Kelley Foods of Alabama is a leading meat processor and distributor serving foodservice customers, convenience stores, and retail locations in parts of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi. The company makes a variety of pork and beef products, including bacon, ham, sausage, and beef patties, as well as processed products made from turkey. In addition to food products, Kelley Foods distributes such items as paper packaging and kitchen supplies. It also sells gift and holiday food packages to consumers through its Web site. Lester Kelley started the family-owned business in 1957.

Big Rock Brewery Income Trust owns Canada's Big Rock Brewery, a leading regional beer maker that produces unpasteurized premium craft beers in accordance with the 1516 Bavarian Law of Purity. Its brands include Grassh�pper, Jack Rabbit Lager, McNally's Extra, and XO Lager. Big Rock Brewery also produces seasonal beers and Rock Creek dry apple cider. The brewery's products are sold in all the Canadian provinces except Quebec and New Brunswick. In addition to its own beers, Big Rock Brewery bottles and packages beverages for third-party customers.

Frank P. O’Connor began a small, Toronto-based candy business selling hand-made chocolates. He adopted the name Laura Secord, after the Canadian heroine because she was an icon of courage, devotion and loyalty. Laura Secord started as a single shop on Yonge Street in Toronto. O’Connor turned the flat above the shop into a kitchen and prepared his own products. Success prompted the company’s expansion across Ontario and Quebec and in the 1930’s an office was opened in Winnipeg and drugstore agencies were appointed as Laura Secord outlets, or service shops.

Exelixis Plant Sciences operates millions of small solar-powered factories -- i.e., plants. A subsidiary of cancer-drug-development company, Exelixis, Inc., it focuses on plant genomics (identifying plant DNA sequences and identifying specific genes and their functions) in order to produce natural flavors and colorants for food, health and wellness, and cosmetics manufacturers. In addition, the company's gene technology provides improvement in areas such as plant-disease resistance and improved crop yield. Since 2007 it has partnered with Dow AgroSciences to do research focused on the development of new tools for gene discovery and the validation of novel crop traits.

Marich Confectionery Co. product development team is responsible for some of the industry's most innovative new products. Marich Confectionery Co. combine the art and science of candy making, developing products through ardent experimentation. We passionately explore the taste, texture, and appearance until we find the perfect balance. Customers know they can turn to us to develop new and exciting products, while maintaining a consistent level of excellence throughout the product line. Marich Confectionery Co. dedicate ourselves to finding the best ingredients and treating them with careful attention. Each of our ingredients comes to us from people who believe in their products--the coffee roaster who takes painstaking care with his beans, the fourth-generation chocolate making family, the dedicated growers of our nuts and fruits. Through the years, we have cultivated relationships with these preferred suppliers who are as careful with what they bring to us as we are with what we deliver to customers.

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