A. Smith Bowman's distilling roots date back to the years before Prohibition. In 1935, after the Repeal of Prohibition, Abram Smith Bowman and his sons relocated to Virginia continuing the family tradition with the distillation of bourbon. The original distillery was located on the Bowman family homestead in Fairfax County, Virginia called Sunset Hills Farm. In response to the rapid growth of Northern Virginia, the distillery was moved in 1988 and is now nestled in Spotsylvania County near the city of Fredericksburg, 60 miles away from the original location.As a small and privately owned company, A. Smith Bowman Distillery continues the time-honored traditions on which it was founded. Considered a micro-distillery by today's standards, A. Smith Bowman produces an assortment of hand-crafted spirits distilled from only the finest natural ingredients and using the latest technology. This micro-distillery focuses on the production of premium spirits honoring the legacy of Virginia's first settlers.

"Truly fine chocolates have several characteristics in common: they are always fresh, contain high quality ingredients like premium cocoa beans and dairy butter, are usually less sweet and feature unusual textures and natural flavors. Consequently, their taste differs greatly from less expensive chocolates, which tend to use artificial flavors and preservatives to achieve a longer shelf-life." Godiva's chocolate products are available worldwide at its 450 boutique stores, in department and specialty stores, through mail order, and from its Web site. Godiva Chocolatier, Inc. began operations in North America in 1966 as an importer and distributor of Godiva chocolates from Belgium. Godiva is owned by Turkish confectioner Ülker Bisküvi Sanayi, which acquired it from Campbell Soup in 2008.

Southern FS has been cultivating farmers since 1931. That's when the predecessor companies to this locally-owned agricultural co-op began sowing the seeds of support for Illinois producers. It has operations in Alexander, Franklin, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union, and Williamson counties in Illinois. Southern FS offers farmers a wide variety of products and services, from landscape planning to livestock feed and tractor fuel.

Cranberries Limited rode a different wave to get its fruit to market. Started by former Ocean Spray members, the company made a splash with its 100% fruit juice blends (versus Ocean Spray's sweetened cranberry cocktails). In 2005 it sold its juice division to independent juice company Apple & Eve for sbout $11 million. The purchase included the company's Northland, TreeSweet, and Awake brands, as well as its Seneca brand license. Cranberries Limited continues to manage its 17 Wisconsin cranberry growing operations. It supplies cranberry concentrate to Apple & Eve and Ocean Spray.

The family-owned and -operated Baumer Foods, Inc. was founded in 1923 by Alvin and Mildred Baumer. Baumer Foods company produces a variety of sauces and condiments, including hot, steak, wing, teriyaki, soy, and Worcestershire sauces, spicy mustards, and jams and jellies, all under the Crystal brand name. It also sells Figaro brand Hickory Liquid Smoke and Mesquite Liquid Smoke. Manufacturing 3 million gallons of its Crystal hot sauce yearly, Baumer Foods distributes its foods to some 75 countries worldwide.

Paragon Vineyards owns a winery and vineyard in the San Luis Obispo area between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The company makes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Port, and Syrah wines under the Baileyana label. The Paragon vineyards operate under the Firepeak name, which also is the namesake for a second line of Baileyana wines. Other labels include CADRE, tangent, and trenza. Bottles can be ordered online from those states that allow such shipments to be made directly to consumers. Baileyana wines are also available through distributors in about 35 states and for export to Europe, Canada, and Asia. Part of the Niven Family Wine Estates, Paragon was founded by Catharine and Jack Niven in the 1970s.

Premium Brands is an important link in the food-industry chain. Its deli meat, sausage, and convenience foods are sold in Canada under the brands Grimm's, Bread Garden, Harvest, Hygaard, McSweeney's, and Quality Fast Foods. Premium Brands company supplies its products to major food retailers through traditional grocery distributors. However, its Direct Plus Food Group is one of the largest direct-to-store distribution networks in western Canada and delivers to smaller grocery retailers, convenience stores, and gas stations. Premium Brands company boasts some 25,000 customers and has operations in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as well as the state of Washington in the US.

Donegal Creameries is one of Ireland's biggest food and agriculture businesses. The company is involved in the production of milk and milk products. In the ag sector, it grows mushrooms and provides animal foods, sells seed potatoes and mushroom compost. The company and its subsidiaries have operations in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, and Scotland. It also owns 76% interest in Irish candy company, Oatfield Confectionery, as well as properties, including The Grianan Estate, one of the largest farms in Ireland.

Producers Rice Mill dries, mills, and markets more than 50 million bushels rice each year, which it sells both domestically and overseas. The growers' cooperative is one of the largest private-label producers of rice in the US, packaging more than 100 brands for the retail food, foodservice, private-label, and food-manufacturing industries. Its brands include ParExcellence, LeGourment, Golden Harvest, Classic Grains, Granada, Mandalay, Bamboo 103, Calrose, and Thai Orchard. It also processes rice for animal feeds such as Buck Grub deer feed and Equi-Jewel horse feed.

The Cambria Winery grows chardonnay, pinot noir, and syrah grape varietals on its 1,400-acre vineyard located 17 miles from the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Maria Valley just north of Santa Barbara, California. All of its wines are made from these estate-grown grapes, which are hand picked from the vine. Cambria proprietor, Barbara Banke, is also vice chairman of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, which she co-founded with her husband, Jess Jackson. Cambria's wines can be purchased at beverage retailers in the US and from the company's Web site, but all online purchases are subject to state restrictions.

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