Clorox (CLX) started in 1913 when five businessmen invested $100 each to start manufacturing and selling one product, Clorox bleach. Impressively, the company remained a one-product business for its first 56 years. Today, Clorox boasts a portfolio of well-known brands spanning categories including home care, laundry, charcoal, food, water filtration, cat litter, and more.

Pepsi (PEP) traces its roots back to 1898 when its original formulation was created by North Carolina pharmacist Caleb Bradham. PepsiCo was formed by the 1965 merger of Pepsi-Cola and snack food giant Frito-Lay (founded in 1932). Today, Pepsi boasts 22 iconic brands with more than $1 billion in annual sales, including Lay’s, Pepsi, Tropicana, Quaker Oats, Gatorade, Naked Juice, Aquafina, Lipton, Doritos, Tostitos, Mountain Dew, Ruffles, Cheetos, and Sierra Mist.

Founded in 1919, Altria (MO) is America’s largest tobacco company. The business split into three separate firms in 2007 and 2008 (Altria, Phillip Morris International, and Kraft), with Altria retaining all domestic tobacco operations. Altria has exclusive U.S. rights to sell cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro, Parliament, Virginia Slims, and Benson & Hedges brands.  The company also markets cigars, chewing tobacco, and table wines and owns a 10% stake (valued at about $15 billion) in Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), the world’s largest beer company.

Founded in 1969, Sysco (SYY) is the largest global distributor of food, essentially acting as a middleman between food producers and retail consumers.  The company provides a full line of food products and non-food items to more than 650,000 customer locations, including restaurants (62% of sales), schools and governments (9%), hotels and travel companies (9%), healthcare facilities (8%), and other foodservice customers (12%). Sysco sells fresh and frozen meats (19% of revenue), canned and dry products (17%), frozen fruits, vegetables, and bakery items (15%), poultry (10%), dairy products (10%), fresh produce (8%), paper products (7%), seafood (6%), beverages (4%), janitorial products (2%), equipment (1%), and medical supplies (1%).

Founded in 1899, V.F. Corp (VFC) is a global lifestyle apparel maker in the outerwear, footwear, backpack, luggage, accessory, sportswear, occupational, and performance apparel categories. The company owns about 20 well-known brands, including Vans (34% of sales), The North Face (24%), Timberland (17%), and Dickies (7%). Activewear generates 42% of V.F. Corp's revenue, outdoor apparel contributes another 42%, and workwear generates the remaining 16%.

General Motors (GM) was founded in 1897 in Detroit, Michigan, and is one of the largest carmakers in the world. Most of the company's sales are pickup trucks and crossovers, which carry higher margins than passenger cars.  The company markets its cars and trucks under the following brands: ChevroletBuickGMCCadillacWuling (China)Baojun (China)Jiefang (China)Holden (Australia)

Philip Morris International (PM) was spun off from Altria (MO) in 2008, with Altria serving the U.S. and Philip Morris owning the international rights to all of Altria’s most famous brands, including the industry's best-selling brand, Marlboro.Philip Morris sells its cigarette brands, which mostly target the higher end of the market, to more than 150 million customers in over 180 countries and has close to 30% international market share (excluding China and the U.S.).While traditional tobacco products still generate the vast majority of the company's profits, reduced-risk products, or RRPs, account for about 15% of the firm's sales and are growing rapidly as smokers seek cigarette alternatives.

Founded in 1928, Genuine Parts Company (GPC) is one of the largest replacement part makers in the automotive, industrial, and office equipment industries. The company markets its products through a global network of distribution centers and retail outlets, including thousands of NAPA and Alliance Automotive Group auto parts stores. The firm's most important business segments are its automotive (56% of sales) and industrial units (34%), which combine to account for 90% of company-wide sales and profits. Business products generate the other 10%.

Kimberly-Clark (KMB) was founded in 1872 and has grown into one of the largest manufacturers of tissue and hygiene products. The company's products have such a wide reach that they are used by one-quarter of the world's population. Kimberly-Clark's products are sold under a number of well-known brands, including five billion-dollar brands: Huggies, Kleenex, Cottonelle, Scott, and Kotex. Products are primarily sold to supermarkets, mass merchandisers, drugstores, and other retail outlets.

Hormel Foods (HRL) was founded in 1891 and has proven to be one of the most resilient food providers in the world. The company’s brands include Skippy peanut butter, SPAM meat, Dinty Moore stew, Wholly Guacamole dips, Jennie-O turkey, and numerous Hormel-branded meat products. Perishable products (fresh meats, frozen items, refrigerated meals) account for 56% of Hormel's revenue, followed by poultry (19% – turkey), shelf-stable goods (19% – canned meats, peanut butter, hash, stews, chips, etc), and miscellaneous products (6% – nutritional food products, dessert and drink mixes, etc).