Made in the USA Artisan Food: Ten Independent Makers

This guide collects artisan food made by ten independent US producers, each one a maker whose location we can confirm. It spans the country, from a dairy farm in Massachusetts and a creamery in Wisconsin to honey farms in Georgia and Alabama, a hot sauce maker in North Carolina, a ghee producer in New Jersey, and a tea blender in Washington. Every item below is in stock at Madeline's right now and links straight to its product page. It is built for anyone who wants to shop US-made and know where their food comes from.

We limited this list to makers whose US production can be verified, and we note each maker's home base alongside the product.

The picks

Gouda With Bacon Spread from Smith's Country Cheese (Winchendon, Massachusetts)

A spreadable gouda blended with bacon, made on Smith's working dairy farm in Massachusetts. Serve it on crackers as an easy appetizer.

Colby Jack Longhorn from Mousehouse Cheesehaus (Windsor, Wisconsin)

A classic colby jack from a family-run Wisconsin cheese shop open since 1988. Mild and meltable, it is a dependable snacking and sandwich cheese.

Juniper Salami (8 Pack) from Vermont Salumi (Barre, Vermont)

A small-batch salami seasoned with juniper, made in Barre, Vermont from locally sourced pork. Slice it for a board or sandwich.

Georgia Wildflower Honey from Weeks Honey Farm (Omega, Georgia)

Raw, unfiltered wildflower honey from a family farm in Omega, Georgia. A versatile, all-purpose honey for tea, toast, and baking.

Raw Honey from Tuscaloosa, Alabama from Foxhound Bee Company (Birmingham, Alabama)

A single-source raw honey from hives near Tuscaloosa, sold by an Alabama beekeeping company that labels honey by the area its bees forage. A way to taste a specific place.

Georgia Peach Salsa from Savannah Sauce Company (Savannah, Georgia)

A sweet, fruit-forward peach salsa from a veteran-owned maker in Savannah, Georgia. Good as a chip dip or spooned over cream cheese.

Roasted Cayenne and Jalapeno Pepper Sauce from Elijah's Xtreme (Charlotte, North Carolina)

A roasted cayenne and jalapeno sauce from a father-and-son maker in Charlotte, North Carolina. A flavorful, everyday heat for eggs, tacos, and sandwiches.

Original Ghee, Grassfed and Certified Organic from Pure Indian Foods (Princeton Junction, New Jersey)

Grass-fed, certified organic ghee made at a USDA-certified facility in New Jersey by a family business founded in 2008. A high-heat cooking fat for everyday use.

Esmeraldas from Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury, Massachusetts)

A single-origin dark chocolate bar made from Ecuadorian cacao, crafted bean-to-bar at Goodnow Farms in Sudbury, Massachusetts. A bar for tasting origin character.

Beach House Black from Beach House Teas (Long Beach, Washington)

A black tea blended on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington. A straightforward daily black tea from a Pacific Northwest tea maker.

How to choose

For a US-made sampler, pick one from each category: a cheese, a salami, a honey, a sauce, and a chocolate or tea. If you are buying a gift, the honeys, hot sauce, ghee, chocolate, and tea are shelf-stable and ship easily, while the cheese and salami are perishable and need to stay cool. To support the smallest makers, the two honeys and the hot sauce come from family-run operations you can trace to a single town.

Frequently asked questions

What does "made in the USA" mean on this list?

Each product is produced by a maker based in the United States, and we note the city and state for every one. We limited the list to producers whose US manufacturing location can be verified.

Where is each maker based?

Smith's Country Cheese is in Winchendon, Massachusetts; Mousehouse Cheesehaus in Windsor, Wisconsin; Vermont Salumi in Barre, Vermont; Weeks Honey Farm in Omega, Georgia; Foxhound Bee Company in Birmingham, Alabama; Savannah Sauce Company in Savannah, Georgia; Elijah's Xtreme in Charlotte, North Carolina; Pure Indian Foods in Princeton Junction, New Jersey; Goodnow Farms Chocolate in Sudbury, Massachusetts; and Beach House Teas in Long Beach, Washington.

Is food still made in the USA if some ingredients are imported?

The products are made in the United States even when a raw ingredient is sourced abroad. The chocolate is produced in Massachusetts from imported cacao, and the tea is blended in Washington from tea grown overseas, since tea and cacao do not grow in the continental US. The honey, cheese, salami, ghee, salsa, and hot sauce are made domestically with largely domestic ingredients.

Which of these are shelf-stable for shipping?

The two honeys, the peach salsa, the hot sauce, the ghee, the chocolate bar, and the tea are all shelf-stable and travel well. The gouda spread, colby jack, and salami are perishable and should be kept cool in transit.

Are these from small independent makers?

Yes. Every maker on this list is an independent producer rather than a national brand, and several are family-run businesses you can trace to a specific town.

Keep browsing

For more, see our Cheese, Honey, and Hot Sauce collections. You may also like our guides to the best artisan food marketplaces for small-batch US makers and the best independent hot sauce makers in the US.