Tour of Georgia Stop #2: Middle Georgia

From whitewater rafting in Columbus to game days in Athens, Middle Georgia has an Explore Georgia adventure for everyone.

Our Middle Georgia gift box features products from all over this area of the Peach State including Southern Straws Original Cheese Straws (Columbus), Watanut Georgia Pecan Shortbread Cookies (Augusta), Phickles Pickles Carrot Stix (Athens), Biron Herbal Teas Peach Honeybush Tea (Macon), Corks Kettle Corn Kettle Popcorn (Statesboro) and Rinse Bath & Body Oats & Honey Soap (Monroe).

Meet the Artisans

Southern Straws Cheese Straws

Columbus, bordered by the Chattahoochee River, is home to the longest urban whitewater rafting in the world! One artisan duo who calls Columbus home is Margaret and Neal Amos, the mother-and-son team behind Southern Straws. Growing up, Neal and his younger brothers would watch their mother make thousands of cheese straws for friends during the holidays. In 2014, they turned their hobby into a business when they launched Southern Straws. The foundation for their delicious cheese straws is an old recipe Margaret got from her mother. Their unique bite-size shape makes them perfect for salads, soups, chili, even grits! Southern Straws offers three flavors of cheese straws including: Original, their most popular flavor with a nice kick of spice featured in our Middle Georgia gift box; Spicy, for those who like a little more heat; and Mild, no heat but focused on the rich cheddar flavor.

Biron Teas

Biron Teas is owned and operated by Andi Biron. Andi has a Master of Science in Homeopathy. Biron Teas initial herbal blends were made for friends and family to help them overcome the stage of life they were going through. Love & Laughter was made for a friend going through a bad break-up. Memory Magic was made for a single mom trying to finish her degree. Worryease was made for Andi who loves to sip it when she feels overwhelmed. Each Biron Teas blend has a unique story and purpose. Continuing their commitment to sustainability, Biron Teas teabags and overwraps are biodegradable so you can feel good about what you're sipping. Their Peach Honeybush Tea is featured in our Middle Georgia gift box.  

Rinse Bath & Body

In 2002, Heather Swanepoel took up soap-making as hobby after figuring out she was horrible at knitting. To justify making pounds of soap at a time to her husband, she would give away her soap to anyone who would take it. As she experimented with ingredients, she found herself perfecting products and people wanted to buy her products. With that, Rinse Bath & Body was born. With 20 product categories, they offer divine smelling products from soaps to shower bombs to lip balms and beyond. You can find Rinse Bath & Body at over 1500 retail partners (including Georgia Crafted, of course!) as well as Disneyland and Disney World. The Georgia Crafted Peaches carry multiple varieties of their products and are excited to feature their Oats & Honey soap in our Middle Georgia gift box.

Corks Kettle Corn

Another great college town, Statesboro is not only home to Georgia Southern but also some of the best kettle corn you'll ever taste from Corks Kettle Corn. On a whim, David Cork bought a kettle corn cooker in the early 2000’s and started popping at the local farmers market. From that simple beginning, Corks Kettle Corn has grown their wholesale distribution and ships popcorn all over the country. They offer multiple varieties of kettle corn including their famous Original Kettle Corn, Old Fashioned Caramel Corn, and their Simply Salted Corn. To ensure their customers get the highest-quality product, they use mushroom style popcorn that pops up to HUGE fluffy pieces, and  take extra time to sift out any un-popped or broken pieces. Their Original Kettle Corn is featured in our Middle Georgia gift box and you can shop all of their products in our Middle Georgia collection. 

Phickles Pickles

Athens is not only home to the University of Georgia and the Dawgs but also Phickles Pickles. In 2008, Angie Tillman began selling pickled veggies off her front porch and then in stores all over Georgia. With that, Phickles Pickles was born. A definite foodie and talented cook, Angie  has shared recipes on her social media platforms over the years - many of which have now become products she's added to the Phickles brand!  In her words, "Pretty much... if it's something I like to eat, I'm packaging it for resell!" At this time, Phickles offers seven different pickled veggies, two cheese spreads, three bbq sauces, two pepper jellies and a salsa.... all are gluten-free and low sugar. Her top-selling Phickles Carrot Stix are featured in our Middle Georgia gift box.

Watanut

You may know Augusta for the legendary Masters golf tournament but this charming town also features lovely small businesses like Watanut. Augusta, Georgia natives and Watanut founders, Brian and Kam Kyzer, are adventurous, creative, and love to take the road less traveled. Their gourmet nut mixes and shortbread cookies are made from scratch from the finest ingredients, baked fresh daily, and packed by hand. They source local growers and shellers for Georgia’s best pecans for their gourmet pecan gifts.The name Watanut comes from their enthusiasm and passion for what they do. Their delicious Georgia Pecan Shortbread cookies are featured in our Middle Georgia gift box.

We had such a great time (virtually) visiting Middle Georgia. If you want to explore this piece of the Peach State from the comfort of your couch, shop our Middle Georgia gift box here. 

Tour of Georgia Stop #1: South Georgia

Known for rolling fields of farmland, dirt roads, and some of the best eats you can find, South Georgia is the perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of the big city to just take it slow and relax.

During our Tour of Georgia South Georgia stop, we visited the town of each artisan featured in our South Georgia gift box including Goodson Pecans Cinnamon Sugar pecans (Leesburg), Oliver Farm Infused Sunflower Oil (Pitts), Grassroots Coffee “Bean Me Up, Scotty” Coffee (Thomasville), Wisham Jellies Peachy Peach Pepper jelly (Tifton), and Stripling's General Store Beef Jerky (Cordele).

Meet the Artisans

Goodson Pecans

Leesburg is not only the hometown of country music singer and songwriter, Luke Bryan, American Idol winner, Phillip Phillips, and MLB player, Buster Posey, but also home to Goodson Pecans. With four generations of pecan farmers in the family, the Goodsons know pecans but welcome all pronunciations of the tree nut's name. They have been producing gourmet pecan flavors for over 11 years. Featured in our South Georgia gift box, their Cinnamon Sugar Pecans were the first gourmet variety sold when they began their business and to this day are still the most popular seller. They have multiple award-winning & finalist products including their Honey Cinnamon Pecan Butter, Toasted Sriracha Pecans, and Vanilla Espresso Pecans. 

Oliver Farm

Oliver Farm is located in rural Wilcox County near Pitts, Georgia. With only 3 total stop lights in the entire county, you could say that this area of the Peach State is certified small town USA. Oliver Farm is owned and operated by the Oliver family and manufactures cold-pressed, gourmet sunflower, pecan, and peanut oils. With multiple awards behind their products including a 2017 Good Food Award & the 2015 Garden & Gun Made in the South award, their various pure oils are cooking companions for chefs, foodies, and home cooks alike. Their infused Sunflower Oil featured in our South Georgia gift box is their best-selling oil and can be used for dipping bread, sauteing vegetables, or enhancing grilled or baked meats. 

Wisham Jellies

Located in Tifton, Wisham Jellies produces some of the best pepper jelly varieties you can find. With the help of a throwback recipe, peppers from his garden, and a passion for grilling, Eric Wisham began getting creative with his pepper jelly batches during the summer of 2012. After a busy summer spent at his local farmers market in Downtown Tifton, he began his peppery journey to making and creating Wisham Jellies for store shelves in October 2013. Wisham Jellies Pepper Jellies are handmade with whole peppers and fruits which keeps their ingredients list short and sweet. Their Peachy Peach Pepper Jelly can be used in a variety of ways and is featured in our South Georgia gift box. 

Grassroots Coffee

Thomasville is known for the Rose Show, Victorian Christmas, and great quail hunting, but one gem located in historic Downtown is Grassroots Coffee. Roasting coffee since 2009, Grassroots Coffee is loved by visitors and locals alike. They responsibly source their beans from all over the world by working closely with importers, exporters, and farms to get the best beans possible. In 2019 alone, Grassroots Coffee roasted 45,000 lbs. of coffee. Featured in our South Georgia gift box, their top-selling "Bean Me Up, Scotty" blend was named in a customer contest and is the smoothest cup of coffee you will ever enjoy.

Stripling's General Store

With a history dating back to 1964, Stripling's General Store has been a staple for travelers and locals alike throughout South Georgia. With a process that uses the whole hog and a perfected blend of signature seasonings, Stripling's is best known for their sausage and produces 300,000 lbs. of their small-batch sausage each year. While still being a full-line grocery store filled with locally-made Georgia Grown products, Stripling's has branched beyond their first location in Warwick and now has locations throughout the state. Our South Georgia gift box features Stripling's General Store Beef Jerky which they make about 35,000 lbs. of each year. 

We had such a great time on our Tour of Georgia stop in South Georgia. To have your own journey from the comfort of your home, shop our South Georgia gift box here.