For over 70 years, Grady Auvil led Auvil Fruit Company to be one of the pioneers in the growing and merchandising of apples in the Pacific Northwest. Best known among growers for his innovative production practices, much of Grady's success rested on a shrewd sense of market opportunities.For instance, noting the vast amount of red apples on the market, Grady introduced the Granny Smith to Washington State. The result was history. In all of Grady's ventures the company was guided by a basic policy: to deliver superior dessert quality fruit to consumers. With boundless enthusiasm, Grady encouraged his fellow growers to adopt this policy. What distinguished Grady was that he saw this goal in terms of the whole process of production and marketing, from selecting varieties to the check-out counter. In doing so he moved the entire Washington apple industry one step closer to perfection.

Bavaria is SABMiller's industrial operation in Colombia and the most important industrial beverage conglomerate in the country.It is comprised of seven breweries located in Barranquilla, Bogotá, Duitama, Bucaramanga, Cali, Medellín and Tocancipá; and two malting plants, one in Tibitó and the other in Cartagena, which manufacture, distribute and sell beer, malts and water. It also owns the company Impresora del Sur. SABMiller is one of the largest brewing companies worldwide, with the highest volume, operations in four continents and a production that exceeds 216 million hectoliters of beer, and offers more than 170 brands.

Begun in 1914 when seven Missouri farmers got together to buy binder twine, the agricultural cooperative MFA today ties together 45,000 farmers in Missouri and adjacent states. It is one of the US's oldest regional co-ops, supplying its member/owners with agronomy, distribution, financing, and purchasing services. It runs some 100 retail farm supply centers and works with independent dealers. MFA supplies animal feeds, seed, fertilizer, and crop protection products. In addition to feed, fertilizer, and seed, the co-op also provides its members with agronomy services, animal-health products, and farm supplies. It also offers marketing services, and is the publisher of Today's Farmer.

For 55 years, Rudolph Foods’ commitment to excellence has been passed from generation to generation, just like their love for flavorful, traditional pork rinds snacks. In 1955, John Rudolph learned of an untapped market for pork rinds and the Ohio entrepreneur quickly launched his own company producing pork rinds from smoked bacon rinds. Two years later the company would face its first big challenge, the meat industry no longer smoked the rind on the bacon. Under pressure to save their fledgling business, John’s wife, Mary, put her home economics background to work and invented a revolutionary process the company still uses today.With Mary’s surefire recipe and John’s leadership, Rudolph Foods became a snack industry success story. Since then, John and his sons have continued to dramatically expand their business and the family tradition. Today, the company has six facilities in the United States and three International ventures. With over 350 employees, Rudolph Foods has launched into new areas of the snack food industry while maintaining its presence as the nation’s leading producer of pork rinds and cracklin snacks.

The Hirzel Canning Company is a can-do kind of business. Located in Toledo, Ohio, the firm packs and distributes canned tomato and sauerkraut products under the brand names Dei Fratelli (tomatoes, salsas, pasta, pizza, and sloppy Joe sauces, and tomato soup and juice). To top your brats, Hirzel also makes Silver Fleece brand sauerkraut. Its products are sold through grocery retailers and foodservice operators in the Midwestern, Central, and Southeastern US states. The family-owned business was founded in 1923 by Carl R. Hirzel, who started out selling sauerkraut from wooden barrels. Today Hirzel's food products are sold in cans, glass, and flexible packaging.

Barilla is Italy's and the world's #1 dry pasta maker. It is also a leader in the pasta sauce business in continental Europe, in the bakery products business in Italy, and in the crispbread business in Scandinavia. Barilla Holding sells its 1,500 products in more than 125 countries. The business encompasses Barilla (pasta, sauces), along with additional pasta and baked goods operations. Along with Barilla, the company's brands include Mulino Bianco and Pavesi (breads, cookies, cakes, crackers), Voiello (pasta), and Wasa (crackers). It also sells readymade pasta and frozen meals.

Hickman's Family Farms has been family-owned and operated in Arizona since 1944. In its early days, Hickman's entered the Arizona food service market by providing fresh, locally produced eggs direct to small independent restaurants, and directly to consumers. Every afternoon, one little refrigerated panel truck was sufficient to deliver the day's production to coffee shops in Glendale and to Carnation Restaurant in the big city of Phoenix. Bill and Gertie Hickman displayed the entrepreneurial insight that has kept Hickman's competitive for decades. By 1993, Hickman's was left standing as the only Arizona egg producer with chickens and a USDA-inspected processing plant. Despite the challenges of the egg industry, the Glendale operation continued to expand. In the late 1990s a new operation opened in Buckeye with laying houses that are each called home by 130,000 hens.

C.J. Vitner company, a producer of "Chicago style" potato chips, corn chips, tortilla chips, popcorn, corn curls, and other snack foods, has felt the industry-wide impact of giant snack makers, such as Frito-Lay and Kraft Foods. Despite the perennial fight for shelf space in national supermarket chains, Vitner's products sell in supermarkets, as well as in convenience stores, and other food retailers in some 20 US states. C.J. Vitner company also manufactures private-label products for regional customers. The family-run company was founded by Charles J. Vitner and his lone popcorn machine in 1926. CEO William A. Vitner continues to run the company.

Seatrade International was founded in 1981 by Stephen Barndollar as an export marketing and trading company. In 1988, Seatrade moved into primary fish processing and opened its first production facility in Portland, Maine. Following a relocation to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the early Nineties, further plants were opened in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and the company now has a work force of 150 people. The company headquarters remain in Portsmouth where our plate freezers (daily capacity 20 mt) and our holding freezer are located.In 1997, Seatrade began producing fresh scallops and is today one of the largest packers of fresh and frozen scallops in the United States. The company not only sources scallops all over the world but also exports fresh and frozen product into European and Asian markets. With over two decades of experience in the seafood business, Seatrade has earned a reputation for quality and customer service. As members of the American Scallop Association and the National Fisheries Institute, Seatrade is committed to economic integrity in the industry. Seatrade is also a proud supporter of Ocean Trust, a foundation dedicated to ocean conservation and sustainable fisheries.

Glenn Foods was founded by company president Glenn Schacher in 1979. Under the Glenny's brand name, the company makes about 20 different varieties of low-fat and low-sodium snack foods, including soy chips, as well as baked potato chips, veggie chips, and American fries. It also offers nutrition bars, cookies, marshmallow treats, 100-calorie brownies, and healthy candies, all of which are distributed to retail food and drugstore outlets throughout the US.

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