We started in 1980, as a small family owned importing company in Minnesota under the name of Allied Trading Company. After trying a few different product lines, we chose the confectionary business. In 1985, we incorporated as Allied International Corporation/ European Chocolate Shop, with our main focus being the high-end luxury import chocolates and candies which were a big trend in the early 1980's. We later expanded our line to include every-day foods and sweets. As our sales volumes increased, in 1987, we moved our operations from Minnesota to Virginia in order to be close to the ports of Baltimore and Norfolk. In the early 1990's, we grew our product line into diverse categories which also included non-food items. We were one of the pioneers in developing a brand of high quality food