Marin Gourmet

PEOPLE: Hadi Shirazi, Sadegh Panahi, and Roya Panahi along with 10 full-time employees

ABOUT: Marin Gourmet began as a Café Affi, run by Affi Panahi, a native of Iran who learned to cook from her grandmother. Affi's customers encouraged her to make prepared foods that people could take home, and she eventually decided to sell the café after her prepared foods business took off. Affi passed away, but her original recipes are still used. All Marin Gourmet products are made by hand.

SOURCING: Marin Gourmet has a partnership with a farm near Fresno that grows their garlic, eggplant, peppers, fresh herbs, and some of the wheat that goes into their crackers. Other items, such as garbanzo beans and olive oil, come from distributors that sell products grown in the United States and abroad.