Transnational corporate Goliaths dominate the world, yet the Davids are fighting back. Steve Akley’s book Small Brand America looks at 25 of those Davids in the food and beverage industry.
One of them, Anderson’s Maple Syrup, is from Cumberland, Wis. Another, Great Lakes Distillery, is from Milwaukee. For Great Lakes’ owner Guy Rehorst, home brewing and winemaking was a hobby he wanted to transform into a job he loved. But with the glut of craft beer and wine, he turned to distilled spirits and opened Wisconsin’s first distillery. Great Lakes vodka gains its distinct sweetness from Wisconsin red wheat. The little company in Walker’s Point also makes Kinnickinnic Whiskey along with fruit brandy, absinthe and pumpkin spice whiskey.
Many of the other companies highlighted in Small Brand America are in the Midwest. Alas, the sole cheese maker represented is from Massachusetts.
