FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 7, 2002

Media Contact: Melanie Wilt, ODA Communications, 614-752-9817

Holiday Gift Baskets: Ohio Ag Director Says

“Give Them a Taste of Ohio This Year”

REYNOLDSBURG – Stumped about what to buy the person with everything? This year, make holiday gift-buying simple by purchasing a gift basket filled with OHIO PROUD products at www.OHIOPROUD.org, and support Ohio farmers, food processors, and your community at the same time.

“Every dollar spent on OHIO PROUD products reinvests in the state’s economy and allows Ohio consumers to find locally grown products, and these gift baskets are a great way to share Ohio’s wealth of homegrown products,” Ohio Agriculture Director Fred L. Dailey said. “Consumers prefer to buy Ohio food and agricultural goods because they get a superior product while supporting local farmers and helping the state’s economy.”

More than 50 OHIO PROUD companies offer gift baskets (ranging in price from $10 to $100) to please even the pickiest of palates. You can search for baskets online in a number of categories: Meat and Cheese Lover, Snack Food Lover, Sweet Treats Lover, Ethnic Basket, Spreads and Toppings Lover, Wine and Grape Juice Lover, Hot and Spicy Lover, Health Foods Lover, and Breakfast Basket. The OHIO PROUD site offers links to Ohio companies and products ranging from jams and jellies to salsas and snack foods to candies and confections. Also, the site makes it easy to locate all of the products you need to create your own personalized gift basket.

The OHIO PROUD logo identifies food and agricultural products that are at least 50 percent raised, grown, or processed in Ohio.

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Note to Editor: Please see Page 2, OHIO PROUD Gift Ideas.

Give Them a Taste of Ohio This Year

11/7/03

Page 2 of 2

OHIO PROUD Gift Ideas

Order gift baskets on-line at www.ohioproud.org from the following OHIO PROUD companies for that special someone on your list.

Meat and Cheese Lover

· Brewster Dairy, Inc.

· Caprine Estates

· Double E Ostrich Farm

· Freshmark/Sugardale/Superior

· Freshwater Farms of Ohio

· Keystone Brand Meats, Inc.

· Montgomery Inn, Inc.

· The Bratworks

Snack Food Lover

· Ballreich’s Potato Chips

· Conn’s Potato Chips

· Dayton Nut Specialties

· Humphrey Company

· JM Golden Gourmet

· Jones Potato Chip Company

· Metzger Popcorn

· Peterson Nut Company

· Popcorn Gallery

· Shearer’s Foods, Inc.

· Wildcat Creek Farms

· Wolfies Roasted Nuts

Sweet Treats Lover

· Cookie Bouquets

· Dayton Nut Specialties

· Light Vision Confections

· Fantasy Candies

· It’s Beautiful

· PC Treats

· Sassy Sweets

· Tastee Apple

· Almondina Biscuits

Ethnic Basket

· Almondina

· CaSalle & DiSalvo' Italian Foods

· Jose' Madrid Company

· Kahiki Foods

· Milo's Whole World Gourmet

· Orlando Baking Company

· Pat Tung's International Gourmet

· Tia Rosa Bakery of Ohio

Spreads and Toppings Lover

· Boswell’s Beanery & Blends

· Cooper’s Mill

· Fitch Pharm Farm Maple Syrup

· Garlic Expressions

· Golden Heritage Foods, LLC

· J.M. Smucker Company

· Richards Maple Products

Wine and Grape Juice Lover

· Breitenbach Wine Cellars, Inc.

· Firelands Winery

· Heineman Winery

· J.W. Dover, Inc. & Heartland Vineyards

· J.C. Meier’s Wine Cellars

· Klingshirn Winery

· Mon Ami Restaurant & Winery

· Paramount Distillers

Hot and Spicy Lover

· Bubba’s Q Quality Sauces

· CaJohns Fiery Foods

· Chili Bob Products

· Frog Ranch Foods

· Jose Madrid Salsa

· The Bratworks

Health Food Lover

· E.A.T. Food for Life Farm

· Garlic Expressions

· Pappy’s Sassafras & Green Tea Concentrates

· Schlabach Amish Bakery, Co.

Breakfast Basket

· Almondina

· Bob Evans

· Circle S Farms

· Coopers Mill

· CrimsonCup

· Fitch Farm Pharm Maple Syrup

· Fresh Mark/Sugardale/Superior