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The Brown-Forman Corporation is one of the largest American-owned companies in the spirits and wine business. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, it manufactures some well known brands throughout the world, including Jack Daniel's, Chambord, Early Times, Finlandia, Herradura, Canadian Mist, Korbel, Old Forester, Southern Comfort, Tuaca, and Woodford Reserve. As of fiscal 2012 the company had sales of $3.6 billion.〔 The Brown family controls more than 70% of the voting shares. == History == The company was founded in 1870 by George Garvin Brown, a young pharmaceuticals salesman in Louisville, who had the then-novel idea of selling top-grade whiskey in sealed glass bottles. In 2005, the company sold its Lenox division (one of the oldest and most famous manufacturers of fine china in the United States), which had been acquired in 1983, to Department 56 for $USD 160 million. The income generated by the sale was distributed to the shareholders in the form of a one time special dividend. In 2006, the company acquired the Chambord liqueur brand (a super-premium black raspberry liqueur produced in France) for $US 255 million.〔(Brown-Forman Adds Chambord to Liquor Cabinet ), ''New York Times Dealbook'', March 16, 2006.〕〔(Brown-Forman Completes Chambord Acquisition ), press release, June 1, 2006.〕 In 2007, the company acquired Tequila Herradura, a Mexican company that produces the Casa Herradura tequila brand (a super-premium tequila produced in Mexico) for $US 776 million, while it also sold its Hartman Luggage division (one of the leaders in the travel goods industry and originally a subdivision of Lenox), to Clarion Capitol Partners. One year later, it sold the Bolla and Fontana Candida Italian wine brands to Gruppo Italiano Vini (GIV). The terms of neither sale were disclosed. In 2011, the company sold Fetzer Vineyards and associated brands to the Chilean wine producer Viña Concha y Toro S.A. for $US 238 million.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Wine Spectator )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Brown-Forman」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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