Kraft Foods

Mathias Gedney founded M.A. Gedney Company in 1881 when he began his own pickle company. The company makes its original fermented dills just as Mathias Anderson Gedney did back in 1881. It insists that Gedney cucumbers be hand picked at the perfect size and time of ripeness. From the beginning, the Gedney family has preferred real onions and peppers and real sprigs of fresh dill over flavoring oils or chemicals. Its patented pickle-finisher gently pushes even tiny cukes below the jar lip so Gedney Pickles are never smashed. The company designed its own pickle pasteurizer which precisely heats and cools each jar after filling with brine made of its Gedney vinegar. In addition to pickles, it also offers condiments, dips and sauces. M.A. Gedney Company is located in Chaska, Minn.

All American Foods offers its Pro Mix product line of dairy and nondairy ingredients, along with standard commodities. Its ingredients are used in a variety of applications, which include baked goods, confectionery items, salad dressings and dips, processed meats and cheeses, desserts, soups, sauces and egg products. The company has grown to encompass four manufacturing facilities and a technical center, all centrally located in southern Minnesota cities. All American Foods is headquartered in Mankato, Minn.

Fairmont Foods of MN is a privately-held manufacturer of frozen prepared foods. The company was founded in 1987, at which time it was purchased from ConAgra. Prior to the purchase, the company functioned as an Armour Frozen Food Plant. Its portfolio has included such names as Weight Watcher s, Pillsbury, Marie Callender Retail Foods, Redi-Serve, Jones Dairy Farm, Ore-Ida, Schwan s, Jimmy Dean Foods, Fazoli s and Luigino s. Fairmont Foods original plant covers 170,000 square feet and is a USDA facility. It was the first plant in the upper Midwest to function under a TQC format. As a co-packer, it is audited by as many as six different services per year and have maintained an excellent rating over the past fiver years