Ed Hawkins invented a blue cheese buttermilk salad dressing that he served in his steakhouse. When customers asked if they could buy a bottle to take home, he knew it was a hit. Ed’s sons started a business to make and bottle the dressing. Later, they decided they also needed to make the blue cheese itself, rather than buying it from a supplier.

That, in a nutshell, is the story of Litehouse Inc., an award-winning maker of blue-veined cheeses and a leader in the refrigerated salad dressings category. Based in Sandpoint, Idaho, where it has three manufacturing facilities, Litehouse also has plants in Hurricane, Utah, and Lowell, Mich.