Companiesfor Covington / Consumer Products

When she was a child, Melinda Kirk was bitten by a dog. As a young adult, however, she was bitten figuratively when she and her partner obtained two Weimaraners. Her passion for pups pushed her to build a unique, specialty pet food business that sources organic ingredients and uses local producers.

As a cash-strapped graduate student at UC, entrepreneur Marie McCabe's reputation among friends for her delectable homemade granola became the essential ingredient in her own survival, which she cleverly bartered for goods and services such as a new bike and the occasional computer repair. Three years and three kitchens later, McCabe's is a "growing, thriving granola machine" with national distribution.