supplier. On his death in 1890, McIlhenny was succeeded by his eldest son, John Avery McIlhenny, who expanded and modernized the business, but resigned after only a few years in order to join Theodore Roosevelt's 1st US Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, the Rough Riders. On John's departure, brother Edward Avery McIlhenny, a self-taught naturalist fresh from an Arctic adventure, assumed control of the company and also focused on expansion and modernization, running the business from 1898 until his death in 1949. Walter S. McIlhenny in turn succeeded his uncle Edward Avery McIlhenny, serving as president of McIlhenny Company from 1949 until his death in 1985. Edward McIlhenny Simmons then ran the company as president and CEO for several years, remaining as board chairman until his death in 2012. Paul McIlhenny became company president in 1998 and was chairman until his death in 2013. In 2012 McIlhenny cousin Tony Simmons assumed the company's presidency and in June 2019 his cousin Harold Osborn was chosen as the next president and CEO. McIlhenny was one of just a few U.S. companies to have received a royal warrant of appointment that certified the company as a supplier to Queen Elizabeth II. McIlhenny was one of the 850 companies around the world that have been officially designated as suppliers to the queen by such warrants. The warrant held was "Supplier of Tabasco HM The Queen — Master of the Household — Granted in 2009". In 2005, Avery Island was hit hard by Hurricane Rita, and the family constructed a -high levee around the low side of the factory and invested in back-up generators. Production Originally all peppers used in Tabasco sauce were grown on Avery Island. Over time growers were selected throughout Louisiana to accommodate demand and during the 1960's the company established farms in various Latin American countries. peppers grown on the Island are used to produce seed stock, which is then shipped to foreign growers. More predictable weather and readily available farmland in these locales allow a constant year-round supply. This ensures the availability of peppers should severe weather or other problems occur at a particular growing location. Following company tradition, peppers are picked by hand. To ensure ripeness, pickers compare peppers to a little red stick (le petit bâton rouge); peppers that match the color of the stick are then introduced into the sauce production process. Peppers are ground into a mash on