As more beverage companies pop up on the radar, it can be fun and interesting to see where they are located. Having emerging and established companies in your backyard can allow for a sense of pride and connection with those brands.

During Mintel’s “2012 North American Consumer Product Goods (CPG) Trends” webinar, Lynn Dornblaser, director of CPG Trend Insight for Chicago-based Mintel Group Ltd., noted one trend going into 2012 will be the “Authenticity of Where.” One of the aspects of this includes where your food and beverages are coming from and how that authenticity can have a positive impact on brands. One example Dornblaser noted was the success craft beers have had in the last year.

A recent trip to the greater Rochester, N.Y., area enlightened me to how important a region can be for a company and how important a company can be for a region.

Oakville, Ontario-based Tim Hortons operates a coffee roasting plant in Rochester, N.Y., for its hundreds of fast-casual restaurants. In Rochester alone, Tim Hortons has 50 locations and nearly 300 in New York state. As of July 3, the company had 620 locations in the United States and has plans to open 300 new restaurants by 2013.

Nearby Rochester lies Victor, N.Y., headquarters for one of the beverage industry’s largest companies, Constellation Brands. In addition to the beverages it provides, Constellation is recognized through its donations and association with establishments such as the Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center and the New York Wine and Culinary Center, both in Canandaigua, N.Y.

It was easy to see during my trip how much the local consumers identified with these beverage symbols of the region and made me curious about what gems might be in my own backyard.