Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. H.E. Butt Grocery Company (H-E-B) is a privately held San Antonio, Texas-based supermarket chain with 310 stores throughout Texas and northern Mexico. The company also operates Central Market, an upscale organic and fine foods retailer. H-E-B ranked No. 11 on Forbes'' 2006 list of "America''s Largest Private Companies" based on 2005 revenue of $12.4 billion. Supermarket News ranked H-E-B No. 13 in the 2008 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on 2006 fiscal year estimated sales of $12.4 billion. Based on 2005 revenues, H-E-B is the twenty-seventh largest retailer in the United States. The company operated 304 stores and employed 70,000 workers with $13.5 billion in sales in 2008. It donates 5% of pretax profits to charity. H-E-B is known for its in house product development. Among other products, it is the only company to successfully patent their Elite Icing for cakes.