Inc. 500 Countdown: Vosges Haut-Chocolat

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Inc.com is counting down to the unveiling of Inc. magazine's Inc. 500 list with a profile a day of one of this year's honorees. Check back Monday through Friday until Oct. 19, when we reveal this year's number one company.

Vosges Haut-Chocolat
Location: Chicago
Three-Year Growth: 391.7%
2004 Revenue: $4.3 million
Employees: 50
Founded: 1998
What it does: Makes avant-garde chocolates with ingredients like Indian curry, Hawaiian white honey, Mexican chilies, wasabi, and chicory. It sells them primarily through its website, print catalogs, and at its five retail boutiques. Why it's growing: CEO Katrina Markoff, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu culinary school, says diversifying revenue sources is as important as mixing up new, intriguing recipes. Adding a wholesale business has helped build revenue in recent years. Vosges has also partnered with a Japanese firm to build and operate two retail stores in Tokyo and Osaka by 2006.