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.