So many of my beloved items have been swallowed up over the years by big (or bigger) conglomerates. ConAgra, Kraft, etc.

So, I relish the fact that there are some still independent items that I can pick up. Since I am in the northeast, I get stuff from around here mostly but, sometimes from further regions. One item that I can obtain are cookies from York, PA, the Stauffer cookie company. I like their ginger snaps.

Care to name an item from an "indie" company that sells their products to supermarkets alongside the corporate behemoth brands? (not your local bakery, but an actual factory production.)

edit: not just sweet stuff, I am always interested in local condiments, like mustards and pickles. and hot dogs, although I eat them hardly at all now

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Hurts like a bastid...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2023 08:11PM by mrbigstuff.

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Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd.

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“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in."

Upstate NY, Stewart's.

[www.stewartsshops.com]

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August West

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Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd.

noooooooooo....

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Hurts like a bastid...

Real Good Foods: [realgoodfoods.com]. Absolutely awesome for low carb or gluten free.

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C(-)ris
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The only name I know in this area, "Matt's Cookies" I think was bought by an investment firm, so I have no idea where that falls in your book.

There are likely lots of cheeses and mustards... the next time I go by Mars Cheese Castle in Wisconsin I'll let you know what I find.

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g=

The Leavitt Corporation, makers of Teddie natural peanut butter. Based in Everett, MA. They used to just sell in the Northeast, but I understand they have widened their distribution in recent decades.

Up until about a decade ago there was Cains mayo, made in Eastern MA. Then they were acquired by TreeHouse Foods. A fw years later they closed the MA plant and moved production to another of their plants in th Midwest.

Would Annie’s cut it?

Annie’s, Cascadian Farm, and Muir Glen joined together as a new Operating Unit within General Mills.

[www.annies.com]

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JoeH
The Leavitt Corporation, makers of Teddie natural peanut butter. Based in Everett, MA. They used to just sell in the Northeast, but I understand they have widened their distribution in recent decades.

Up until about a decade ago there was Cains mayo, made in Eastern MA. Then they were acquired by TreeHouse Foods. A fw years later they closed the MA plant and moved production to another of their plants in th Midwest.

Cain's was one of the products i had in mind when I wrote the post. I drove by the former plant on Sunday while coming back from Deerfield. Sad.

Teddies is the only peanut butter I buy and now Costco sells it (they are quite literally across from the Costco in Everett).

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Hurts like a bastid...

Warren Baking Co. Italian bread. Since 1923. The best. Great video shows their oven that hasn't been shut off in 100 years.

[www.youtube.com]

Sugardale hot dogs, Canton, OH. Grew up eating them and still around. They are perfect for chili dogs.

[www.sugardale.com]

Chieffo's pasta, Niles, OH. I remember when they started when I was in high school. A couple of old Italian ladies and their son rolling gnocchi by hand.

[www.chieffopasta.com]

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Athens, OH

I just posted a quick couple of brands from the region last night, here are a few more independents still around. You may detect a theme.

Kayem is a family owned maker of hot-dogs, sausages, and other meat products in eastern MA. About 15 years ago they also bought some regional brands from Tyson Foods such as Deutschmacher and Essem and several others, and keep those in production still.

Chicopee Provisions, maker of Blue Seal sausage products and current owner of Domins horseradish. I came across mention that they had purchased another family owned brand from the area a few years ago, but can't find that info now.

Wohrle's Foods from Pittsfield MA, family owned still. Specialize in franks and sausage products, but also are a full service distributor of other meats and produce through their retail outlet and selling to food service companies. Locally when a McDonalds franchise opened up in town about 60 years ago, I understand they provided the burger patties to the specifications made by McDonalds. That ended when McDonalds required franchisees to buy all food supplies direct from them.

Another family owned company, Janik Sausage from Enfield CT. Opened for business in 1899, just make kielbasa products, regular sausage link, "dogs" , and patties.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2023 10:11AM by JoeH.

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mrbigstuff

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August West

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Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd.

noooooooooo....

I remember Stauffer's, haven't had their cookies in a while. Just for the heck of it I looked up Meiji, a Japanese snack food and pharmaceutical company. Now that is an interesting combination of products.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2023 12:52PM by JoeH.

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mrbigstuff

Quote
JoeH
The Leavitt Corporation, makers of Teddie natural peanut butter. Based in Everett, MA. They used to just sell in the Northeast, but I understand they have widened their distribution in recent decades.

Up until about a decade ago there was Cains mayo, made in Eastern MA. Then they were acquired by TreeHouse Foods. A fw years later they closed the MA plant and moved production to another of their plants in th Midwest.

Cain's was one of the products i had in mind when I wrote the post. I drove by the former plant on Sunday while coming back from Deerfield. Sad.

Teddies is the only peanut butter I buy and now Costco sells it (they are quite literally across from the Costco in Everett).

You mentioned coming back from Deerfield and passing the former Cains plant in Ayer. That reminded me of a now defunct operation in South Deerfield, Oxford Pickles. That was owned by Cains from th 1950s until the 1990s. It was sold to another company which operated it for a few more years, then bought by a consortium of several local growers when that company planned to close it and move operations. That only lasted a few more years, then the remaining assets were sold to TreeHouse Foods in 2006. So with the purchase of Cains mayo and dressings products in 2013, TreeHouse now owns both former operations of Cains and has ended manufacturing in MA. Looking up th pickle plant's history is when I turned up that link.