Domingo Ghirardelli immigrates to the United States from his homeland of Italy, he has dreams of striking it rich in the California Gold Rush. After trying his hand and failing at mining, he settles on opening a tent-store in nearby Stockton, CA, selling various supplies and confections to fellow miners. With his new business proving successful, Domingo decides to open a store and hotel in San Francisco. After a major fire in 1851 destroys his businesses, he begins to rebuild. In 1852, he forms a new confectionary company that is to become the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. Today, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company has built on its signature taste and time-honored manufacturing processes to become America’s premium chocolate company.

Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd. is a Japan-based company engaged in five business segments. The Marine Products segment is engaged in fishing, cultivation, processing and sale of seafood products. The Food segment manufactures and sells processed food products such as frozen food products and common temperature food products, among others. The Logistics segment is engaged in the refrigeration storage of marine products, as well as the transportation of frozen and chilled products. The Fine Chemical segment manufactures and sells pharmaceuticals, health food and pharmaceutical materials. The Others segment is engaged in the construction and repair of ships, as well as the marine transportation and engineering business. As of March 31, 2010, the Company had 73 subsidiaries and 35 associated companies.

Farmland Dairies™ was founded in 1914 in Fairlawn, New Jersey. With 10 cows and a wagon, a young farmer and his family sold fresh milk by the ladle, house to house, in Fairlawn. By the 1930's, the family had built their first milk plant. In the 1970's, they built a state-of-the-art facility in Wallington, NJ and attained wider acclaim in 1986 by becoming the first outside dairy granted a license to sell milk in New York City in 70 years. "Big Apple" consumers immediately embraced Farmland and enjoy quality milk at lower prices to this day. With the creation of Special Request™ milk in the 1990's, Farmland gained national recognition for quality, fat-free milk with great taste. Special Request™ was one of the first milk products with a "no added rBST hormone" pledge. It also provided nutritional benefits superior to regular or lower fat milks. Consumers once again recognized Farmland's leadership, making Special Request™ the top selling milk in the NYC metro area. Proud of the traditions of our first 90 years, we continue to build upon the legacies of quality and innovation with new and improved products.

Coffee Holding Co., Inc. (CHC) is a family operated business for over 30 years. The management and operating team at CHC represents three generations of committed, knowledgeable professionals.Coffee Holding Co. brewed up the idea of selling a wide spectrum of raw and roasted Arabica coffee beans to coffee purveyors such as Green Mountain Roasters, as well as private-label coffees to foodservice suppliers. Coffee Holding imports its green coffee beans from Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Kenya, and Uganda. In addition to producing private-label coffees for stores, the company also sells name brands including IL CLASSICO and S&W. Its Cafe Caribe espresso coffee targets the Hispanic market. The company has expanded its offerings through partnerships. The founding Gordon family, including CEO Andrew Gordon, owns about 60% of the company.

Vienna Beef was founded in 1893 when Austria-Hungarian immigrants Emil Reichel and Sam Ladany introduced their family frankfurter recipe to their fellow Chicagoans at the legendary Columbian Exposition. The hot dog was a hit, and Vienna Beef was born. More than 100 years later, we’re still making our sausages the old-fashioned way, with premium domestic beef and our original recipe, made to the highest of quality standards and hickory-smoked for authentic flavor.Today, Vienna Beef today is a whole lot more than hot dogs. Still headquartered in Chicago, we manufacture and distribute a wide variety of foods, from our flagship sausages and deli meats to soups, chilis, entrees, condiments, desserts and Kosher specialties. Yet no matter what we’re cooking up, we adhere to the same standards that have made us the favorite of hot dog afficionados from Chicago to Europe and beyond. We choose natural ingredients because we believe they really matter when it comes to taste-real cream for our soups, our own meats for our chilis, harvest-fresh vegetables in our entrees and condiments. And we pay just as much attention to the preparation. Most of our products are cooked in small batches, and our food safety process is state-of-the-art.You'll find our products at supermarkets, quick-serve restaurants, hot dog stands, sports arenas and entertainment venues across the United States and around the world. We even ship our gifts directly to dog devotees and other food fans wherever they may live. Vienna Beef. It’s the taste of Chicago that knows no bounds.

That sweet smell of success might be coming from the ovens at Bahlsen. One of Germany's leading manufacturers of biscuits (or as Americans call them, cookies), the company makes Leibniz butter biscuits, a favorite among consumers since it was introduced in 1891. Bahlsen also makes upscale products such as chocolate-dipped Pick Up! snack bars. With five production facilities in Europe, the company exports products to about 80 countries and offers private-label production services. The family of founder Hermann Bahlsen, led by his grandson Werner Bahlsen, continues to control the company.

The Ashers really love to smother things in chocolate. Asher's Chocolates manufactures chocolate and confections, including chocolate-covered pretzels potato chips, and graham crackers. Asher's Chocolates, Inc. also produces boxed assortments (including truffles, chews, nuts, cordials, and creams) and gift baskets, fudge, pecan-caramel patties, almond bark, and sugar-free assortments. Asher's Chocolates sells its products through its own retail store (in Souderton, Pennsylvania -- near Philadelphia), by mail- order, and online on its Web site. The family-owned company was founded in 1892.

Davis Bynum is distinguished as the first winery to produce a single vineyard pinot noir from the Russian River Valley. The vintage was 1973 and the grapes were from Joe Rochioli's now prized vineyard. Today, more than thirty years later, the heritage of Davis Bynum lives on through the hand crafted creation of pinot noir and chardonnay grown exclusively in Russian River Valley.

Dios mio! M. Dias Branco is Brazil's top manufacturer of crackers, cookies, and pasta. The company is also one of the country's largest producers of wheat flour and whole grain wheat; other products include margarine and vegetable shortening. M. Dias Branco operates 11 factories and markets its products across Brazil under hundreds of brands including Adria, Fortaleza, Richester, and Vitarella. Its products are sold to 56,000 retailers, including Carrefour and Wal-Mart. In addition to selling raw ingredients to other food manufacturers, M. Dias Branco relies largely on its own supply of wheat and oil-based ingredients for its food production. The company was founded in the 1940s by baker Manuel Dios Branco.

Nutreco tames the hunger of both man and beast. Its agriculture division breeds and processes poultry in Spain though its Sada operations, where it is the #1 poultry producer. The company's Trouw Nutrition International division is one of Europe's largest animal-feed makers and also sells feed in Asia and North America. Its Skretting fish feed business offers feed for some 50 species of farmed fish. Founded in 1994, the Netherlands-based company has grown on a steady diet of acquisitions in Europe and abroad. Its focus is on animal-nutrition products, offering premixes and compound and specialty feeds.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.