Knouse Foods

Is there a Knouse in the house? Might be. With retail brand names such as Apple Time, Lucky Leaf, Musselman's, Lincoln, and Speas Farm, Knouse Foods Cooperative's apple products are in many a pantry. The company is a growers' co-op made up of some 150 Appalachian Mountain and Midwestern grower/members. It processes its members' apples for sale as canned and bottled applesauce, juice, cider, vinegar, apple butter, pie fillings, and snack packs, all of which are available nationwide. In addition to stocking supermarket shelves, Knouse, founded in 1949, supplies foodservice operators and industrial-ingredient companies with bulk apple and other fruit products. It also offers private-label and co-packing services.

Knouse gets an A for all things Apple but also makes the grade with foodservice cheese sauces, dessert toppings and fillings, and puddings. And along with apple, its pie fillings include apricot, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, lemon, peach, pineapple, raisin, raspberry, strawberry.

The company operates six processing plants in two states -- Michigan and Pensylvannia.