Ruiz Poultry Service, 523 W Race St, Portland, IN 47371, US

Times were hard in 1938 when Virgil Cooper set out to raise some of the finest, healthiest turkeys in rural Ohio. Cooper Farms has since become a pioneering wholesale producer of quality turkey products. While the first 12 years or so were tough, the company became a fast-growing producer of turkeys as the United States entered the 1950s. It started operating its own feed mills in the 1960s and opened its first processing plant in 1965 to meet the growing demand for its products on the East Coast. The company is divided into four divisions that include a hatchery, feed and animal production, processing and cooked meats. Its turkey products include oven roasted meat, smoked meat, sliced meat, portioned meat and heat-and-eat turkey. Its animal feeds include swine, diary, beef and a variety of specialty feeds that include horse, boar, sow and booster packs. Cooper Farms maintains headquarters in St. Henry, Ohio.