Guest Post by Jana Keightley
In Tennessee, home to southern hospitality and sweet tea, we are no stranger to inventive thinking and ingenuity. From Graceland to the Bristol Motor Speedway and every stop in between, you can find someone making their footprint on the American Dream. Just have a seat and let us serve you a generous plate of Memphis BBQ or have a taste of our Smoky Mountain Moonshine while we name just a few of our made in Tennessee favorites…
Made in Tennessee
Allegro Marinade
Back in 1955, Betsy and Dave Wilcox were looking for a way to make their inexpensive meat dinners more edible. They experimented with different ideas for tenderizing and marinating until they came up with the original Allegro formula. The Wilcox’s opened Pagliacci Restaurant in Paris (Tennessee) in 1972. Premarinated meats were served at Pagliacci and were so well liked that, at the customers’ insistence, the Wilcox family began bottling and selling their special marinade. In 1979, they closed the restaurant and concentrated on producing the Allegro marinade (and sauces too) where it is still made in Paris, Tennessee today. Shop the Allegro Amazon store.
Bush's Baked Beans
In 1904, founder A.J. Bush partnered with the Stokely Brothers to open a tomato cannery in Chestnut Hill, Tennessee. He bought out his partners in 1908 and Bush Brothers & Company was born. Bush Brothers was successful through the Great Depression and World War II which lead the company to expand throughout the US. Today, Bush’s Baked Beans is a ready-made staple for your family dinner table. If you don’t believe Bush’s has the best baked beans, just ask Duke. He has the family secret recipe.
Christie Cookie Company
If you wanted to know what heaven tastes like, well then all you need is a Christie Cookie. Christie Hauck quit his corporate job, determined to master the “perfect cookie.” Here's a hint…….they seek the finest ingredients, French chocolate, fresh nuts, real butter, tender raisins, then measure these ingredients by hand so that nothing is left to chance.
The Christie Cookie Company is known for elegant gift packages and unique corporate gifts and continues to thrive in the retail, mail order, and wholesale markets. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Shop Christie Cookie Company at Goldbelly.
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey
In the 1870s, Jack Daniel had lots of competitors around Lynchburg, Tenn., in distilling whiskey filtered through charcoal. He wanted his whiskey to represent something special. So he used only the iron-free cave spring water on his property and the finest grains, mellowed his whiskey by filtering it through ten feet of sugar maple charcoal, and changed the charcoal out more often to produce a more consistent and better whiskey.
The Jack Daniel Distillery is established and registered with the federal government at its present location in Lynchburg. Now, it's the oldest registered distillery in the United States. It’s not scotch. It’s not whiskey. It’s Jack.
Jiffy Steamer
Even though Jiffy® Steamer's products can be found around the world, the company stands firm in its promise to remain American-made. Each of the company's steamers is handcrafted in Union City, Tennessee and assembled with the finest, American-made components. The company makes no compromise in the engineering and construction of its products. After the intricate 52 step process to build the unit, every unit is steam tested before leaving the factory. Family values ring true with the Jiffy® Steamer brand, and the company is actively managed and operated by family members. These guys know steam and continue to produce the finest steamers on the planet.
Jiffy Steamer is featured in our list of American Made Appliances: A Made in USA Source List of Kitchen Appliances & Household Appliances.
Lodge Cast Iron
Made some cornbread or fried some chicken in your cast iron skillet lately? If so, you very well could have done it in a Lodge Cast Iron skillet. Founded in 1896 by Joseph Lodge, Lodge Manufacturing is one of America's oldest cookware companies in continuous operation. It is still owned and managed by the descendants of the Lodge family.
Most cast iron sold by Lodge is produced in its foundry in South Pittsburg, which has been in operation since the company was founded. Shop the Lodge Cast Iron Amazon store.
Don't miss our list of American Made Cast Iron Skillet Recipes We Love.
MasterCraft Boats
MasterCraft was founded in 1968 when it built its first ski boat in a two-stall horse barn on a farm in Maryville, Tennessee. Dissatisfied with the large wakes and pull of other ski boats, MasterCraft builders designed a hull that had the smallest wake in the industry; smooth and low at slalom and jump speeds; well defined at trick speeds.
Today, MasterCraft is by far the largest producer of inboard ski, wakeboard and luxury performance powerboats in the world. It sells boats in over 30 different countries and has over 130 domestic and international dealers. Every MasterCraft comes from Vonore, TN and hundreds of owners, skiers and boarders visit the company's headquarters every year to see the birthplace of their most prized possession.
Mo's Bows Bow Ties
Moziah Bridges, founder, president and creative director of Mo’s Bows, started his company in 2011 when he was only 9 years old! Mo couldn't find any bow tie styles that suited his own personality, so with the help of his grandmother, he started sewing his own. Today, Mo's Bows is still going strong in Memphis, Tennessee and the product selection has grown to include neckties and pocket squares as well.
Mo's Bows is featured in our list of American Made Neckties and Bow Ties: An Ultimate Source List.
Moon Pie
A classic part of the working man’s lunch was born in 1917 when a bakery salesman, Earl Mitchell Sr., visited a company store that catered to coal miners. The miners said they wanted something solid and filling because they often get time to break for lunch. “About how big?” Mr. Mitchell asked. A miner held out his hands framing the moon and said: “About that big!” Find out more of this classic story on the website.
Today, Moon Pies come in a variety of flavors and are still made in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Waymatic Concession Trailers
Waymatic welding and fabricating was founded in the early 1950s by T.J. Easterwood of South Fulton, TN. The name “Waymatic” was coined from a machine T.J. invented and manufactured. The machine was a combination filler and automatic weight regulator for bagging of free-flowing dry materials such as popcorn, grain, seed or feed. This machine could be used in conjunction with any existing platform scale, making it an automatic weighing scale.
In the late 50s, T.J. built a small special events trailer for a local Pepsi-Cola bottler. As a result, Waymatic concession trailers have been sold world-wide to corporations and individuals. They are the leading concession trailer industry in craftsmanship and customer service and continue to strive to build the “Best Built Trailer in the Business.”
Jana Keightley is Social Media & Special Projects Coordinator at Jiffy Steamer Company. She is a mother to two little boys and is a Tennessee Volunteer fan!
If we missed something you love in our list of “10 Things We Love – Made in Tennessee” be sure to tell us about it in the comments!
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Shame on Tennessee. Boycotting everything associated with that nazi state. Tourism etc. Can’t believe the blatant racism. Take your state and leave the U.S.
You’re so misinformed, I don’t even know where to start. Don’t believe all that you hear from news, media, Hollywood produced entertainment, politicians or those with an agenda. I was born and raised in CA, a state that claims to be tolerant and accepting. In reality, nothing could be farther from the truth. CA politicians, newspapers and celebrities called Larry Elder the face of white supre**** the day after he was egged by a white liberal woman. At best, that was a horrible way to treat anyone. Even worse, it demonstrates that maintaining one party political power in CA is far more important than treating a person fairly and kindly. People from TN don’t care what you do or who you are. They mind their own business until you try to dictate how they should live.
Mayfield ice cream and milk plant is a great tour with a scoop of ice cream at the end.
I would love to visit Christie Cookie Co. – Nashville, TN. The cookies seem fabulous!
I would love to visit Tennessee sometime and these all look like wonderful products!
American Eyewear makes sunglasses and ophthalmic glasses in Nashville.
A percentage of sales goes to American Heroes Charity plus the company gives jobs to individuals deserving a second chance . American Eyewear works with drug. Alcohol rehabs and shelters for abused to help get people back in work force. Giving Americans jobs is important.
Living next door, in KY, I’ve spent considerable vacation time in TN. I always enjoyed it. And nothing beats the taste of Moon Pies!!
Most of these I knew were made there. We toured the Jim Beam plant, it was a whole lot of fun – that was years ago. I love that state!
Patricia Nash handbags and leather goods are manufactured in Knoxville, Tn. Goo Goo clusters are made in Nashville, Tn
I do believe that Five Star Ranges are made in Cleveland, TN.
Needing some ideas for products made in TN that we can take to a softball tournament to give girls from other states. Can not be food items. Need 16 of 1 item.
Living in KY & visiting TN many times, I think I’ve tried most of these! Oh, Moon Pies…how I love them, lol.
The MasterCraft Boat is amazing!
Very interesting! I didn’t know some of these were made there. Some tasty items too!
Although not my personal favorite form of music, Country Music had its genesis in Bristol, TN. Look up “The Bristol Sessions” and WOPI Radio.
Speaking of Bristol TN, Bristol Motor Speedway hosts a couple of NASCAR events.
Don’t forget Buried Treasure Liquid Nutrients! Products are found in stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts and numerous stores through the US!
Made in Collegedale, Tennessee everyone’s favorite Little Debbie Snacks.
Hi i love learning about tennessee
well my dad is the manager at the jim bean plant just a fun fact for you
i live in tennessee and it is a wonderful state
Why isn’t Pepsi, and Mountain Dew in this category? They are Tennessee originals.
Pepsi was invented and produced the first part of its history in New Burn, NC before they moved to NY. don’t know about Mt. Dew but the original pharmacy is now a museum which still sells fountain Pepsi’s in old downtown New Burn.
I was hoping to see the soda Dr. Enuf on this list..
Pointer brand workwear made in Bristol. L C King manufacturing just celebrated its 100 year anniversary There’s an awesome New York Times article about this exceptional company. Worth checking out.
Woohoo Baked beans and Jack Daniels, sounds like my kind of night! lol 😀
I did not know that Monnpies were from Tenessee. YUM!
They are yum!
Christie Cookies are yum too!
I’ll have to try them, Jana!
Post link: http://americanmadeguidetolife.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-stendig.html
One thing I love that’s made in Tennessee is my Stendig calendar. Made by the Cromwell Company in Nashville.