Paul and Sharon Hsu have been selling ginseng for nearly 40 years. What started as a mail-order ginseng business back in 1974 has grown to become the largest ginseng grower in the United States. Not long after that, they became the first Taiwanese ginseng growers in the United States.

It started with a bar of beer soap. Jim Olen was used to getting beer-related gifts at Christmas from his wife, Krista, but he thought the beer soap was a gimmick. Turns out it was a great product. Jim liked it so much that he decided to start making his own beer soap.

In 1997, Joshua Kaiser realized that the traditional, handcrafted teas he grew so fond of while traveling through Asia were rarely available elsewhere. Joshua believed North American consumers would embrace artisan tea as they did single origin coffee and fine varietal wine, if they could get it at reasonable prices.

Glenn and Sonia Culbertson always figured they’d be in business for themselves. They just weren’t sure what they’d do. In 1999, the couple started Sunrise Showers Soaps. Glenn and Sonia now offer 55 different varieties of soap, made with 100 percent food-grade vegetable oils.

Whey has come a long … way, since that spider came along and scared poor Miss Moffett. Most Wisconsinites know curds, but they might not be as familiar with their overlooked cousin, whey. Well, it’s a byproduct that, in the hands of someone like Tera Johnson, becomes a valuable nutritional supplement.