What do (1) Jacques Pépin’s groundbreaking book on cooking fundamentals, La Technique, (2) the movies, Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and (3) Jimmy Buffet’s chart-climbing single on the Billboard Hot 100, “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” enjoy in distinction with InHarvest?

Each premiered in 1978.

Forty years ago, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s fame opened their first ice-cream-scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vt. President Jimmy Carter signed a bill legalizing home brewing. And Michael and Ariane Batterberry founded The International Review of Food and Wine, which became shortly after, simply, Food & Wine.

Likewise, InHarvest was born in the pastoral northern Minnesota town of Bemidji in October that year. A local couple launched the company as Consolidated Wild Rice amid pristine lakes and pine forests. The company later changed its name to Indian Harvest to signify the spirit and heritage of harvesting wild rice, which was the company’s primary focus.

Over the decades, as wild rice steadily increased in popularity in the United States and abroad, the company grew along with it. Recognizing the potential of the product and quality of the organization, a portion of Indian Harvest was purchased in the 1980s by Duininck Companies, a then-second-generation-owned company (today third generation owned) based in the Dutch farming community of Prinsburg, Minn., which quickly expanded the focus to include a broad variety of whole grains and legumes.

Indian Harvest brought innovation to the front end of operations, as well, by pioneering the commercial use of heirloom seeds. The company began working with seed banks in the 1980s to find varieties of time-honored grains with the flavor and nutrition absent in many of the contemporary modified versions. Careful research, experimentation and cooperation with growers and growing communities resulted in success with such rice varieties as Colusari Red Rice grown in the Sacramento Valley.

In 2013, following several years of rapid growth and expansion, the company shortened its name to InHarvest to better reflect its evolving product line and capabilities in the food industry’s foodservice, retail and industrial sectors.

InHarvest continues to pursue its commitment to agrodiversity by seeking heritage items that offer superior nutrition and flavor. Today, the company’s efforts focus primarily on sourcing and processing the highest-quality whole grains and developing unique grain blends. As part of its mission to provide innovative products, InHarvest searches the globe for new and ancient rices, grains and legumes to introduce to customers.

“InHarvest’s personal investments in each grain it offers, its relationships with growers locally and worldwide, and its commitment to every individual in the production channel makes the journey of each of our products to our customers something of which we are very proud,” says the company’s CEO, Gene Addink. “As InHarvest’s products evolve and expand, quality, customer service and dedication to the planet remain our top priority. With this in mind, InHarvest will endeavor to remain the premium supplier of signature blended rice, whole-grain and legume products for the next 40 years and beyond.”

To commemorate its Ruby (40^th) Anniversary this year and into 2019, planned activities embrace a variety of customer and media promotions across all company divisions via InHarvest’s digital platforms. Of particular focus will be the company’s aptly named Ruby Wild Blend featuring two of the company’s exclusive grains—Colusari Red Rice and Sprouted Sienna Red Rice—as well as wild rice, sprouted brown rice and long-grain brown rice, all combined to create a blend that is 100% whole grain and completely gluten free.

Learn more about the InHarvest story since 1978 at www.InHarvest.com/about-us.