African print aprons, jumbo candy canes and more Southern-made products to try

From vegan pancake mix to umami seasoning, here are 12 Southern-made products to try out in your kitchen this December.

Handmade candy canes from Lofty Pursuits. (Courtesy of Lofty Pursuits)

Handmade candy canes from Lofty Pursuits

Greg Cohen and his team at Tallahassee’s Lofty Pursuits candy shop enjoy the process of traditional candy making. A seasonal favorite is the shop’s peppermint candy cane with the traditional wide and thin red stripes, each more than 1/2 inch thick and 6 inches high. You’ll need a sturdy Christmas tree if you’re going to hang these from its branches.

$7.99 per package of 2. Available at www.pd.net.

House seasoning from Jacobsen Salt Co. (Courtesy of Jacobsen Salt Co./Nolan Calisch)

Umami in a jar from Jacobsen Salt Co.

The house special seasoning from Jacobsen Salt Co. is made of black garlic mixed with salt harvested off the Oregon coast, honey powder, sun-dried tomatoes, chiles, cacao nibs and mushrooms. It’s a blend that hits all the savory notes with a little underlying sweetness and heat. We liked it with salmon and loved it on roasted sweet potatoes.

$12 per 2.2-ounce jar. Available at jacobsensalt.com.

Punjaban party tea from The Chai Box. (Courtesy of The Chai Box)

Punjaban party tea from the Chai Box

Monica Sunny of Marietta-based the Chai Box was born in the Punjab region of India and, inspired by a recipe from her mother, created this blend of black tea, candied ginger, cardamom and fennel seeds. It reminded us of the bowls of mukhwas, the spice and seed mix offered as a digestif after Indian meals. The loose tea is just right for enjoying after a meal or as a pick-me-up during the day.

$15 per 2.5-ounce packet. Available at 810 Livingston Court, Marietta or at thechaibox.com.

Koji-based tamari and pastes from Tasty Koji. (Courtesy of Tasty Koji/Amanda Gaenssley Photography)

Koji-based tamari and pastes

Koji is a traditional Japanese ingredient that serves as an all-purpose seasoning (reputed to make food taste like the best version of itself) and boosts digestion, among other uses. In 2024, Suzuko Hisata founded Atlanta-based Tasty Koji to share five koji-based products. Stir them in ramen or vinaigrettes, spoon them on roasted vegetables, use them as a marinade or stir into hot water for a flavorful broth.

$20 to $30 per 6-ounce jar. Available at the Morningside and Grant Park farmers markets or order at tastykoji.com for pickup at Leaven Kitchen in Decatur.

Gift bags of Dottie’s Toffee make a sweet holiday treat. (Courtesy of Logen Belmont)

Holiday gift bag of Dottie’s toffee

Dot Smith was known for her toffee-making. In Spartanburg, South Carolina, her grandson, Nick Belmont, keeps the tradition alive, using a recipe that hasn’t changed in over 50 years. It’s toffee for purists, made with only five ingredients: milk or dark chocolate from Belgium, unsalted butter, cane sugar, salt and almonds. Dottie’s Toffee also offers peppermint bark, turtles and praline pecans, and gift boxes that include Dee Dee’s cheese straws.

$15 per 8-ounce gift bag. Available at dottiestoffee.com.

Use the vegan pancake mix from Nikki’s Fat Ass Cakes to make delicious pancakes at home. (Courtesy of Nikki’s Fat Ass Cakes/PBD Grey)

Vegan pancake mix

Chef Nikki Hicks serves fluffy pancakes at Vegan House of Pancakes in East Point and now you can make those pancakes at home. Her Nikki’s Fat Ass Cakes pancake mix has just four ingredients: unbleached flour, malted barley flour, aluminum-free baking powder and baking soda. You add nondairy milk or water, apple cider vinegar and vanilla. Each package makes a dozen pancakes (or waffles) to enjoy with fresh fruit, vegan butter and lots of maple syrup.

$12.99 per 15-ounce package, making 12 pancakes. Available at Candler Park Market, Vegan House of Pancakes and chefnikkiinthemix.com.

Reversible African print aprons from Amani Women Center. (Courtesy of Johari Africa)

Reversible African print aprons from Amani Women Center

Your new year will have a colorful start with a reversible African print apron, made by the women of Amani Sewing Academy in Clarkston. This nonprofit teaches professional-level sewing skills to refugee women from more than 15 countries. The aprons are double-sided with pockets on both sides, an adjustable neck strap and wrap-around ties. Visit the shop where you’ll find more items made in Clarkston, such as throw pillows, wine totes and wrap skirts, as well as items made in Africa.

$45. Available at Amani Women Center, 3777 Church Street, Clarkston and johariafrica.com.

Pump’n Iron tea from Self Assured Lifestyle. (Courtesy of Self Assured Lifestyle/UGO POV)

Pump’n Iron tea

J’karlon Harrison founded Self Assured Lifestyle to offer organic skincare and herbal teas. Start off the new year with her Pump’n Iron tea blend created to help combat fatigue, strengthen red blood cells and boost immunity. The combination of red raspberry leaf, sarsaparilla, stinging nettle, hibiscus, dandelion root, burdock and calendula is not only a good way to start 2026, it’s also delicious. Harrison recommends drinking the tea on an empty stomach so all the nutrients are quickly absorbed.

$12 per 4-ounce jar. Available at selfassuredlifestyle.com.

Cheese dip from Arbo’s Cheese Dip. (Courtesy of Arbo’s Cheese Dip)

Cheese dip

Give your game day snacking a big jump in flavor with Arbo’s Cheese Dip, created by Andrew “Arbo” Arbogast, a former U.S. Army Apache helicopter pilot from Memphis. It comes in three varieties: original, queso blanco and spicy. All are made with cheese, tomatoes, spices and garlic, as well as chopped green chile peppers or jalapenos, depending on the flavor. It’s a dip that can be enjoyed right from the refrigerator or warmed and drizzled over a plate of tortilla chips.

$9.98 per 12-ounce container. Available at Walmart and arboscheesedip.com.

Cheesecake dip mixes from Carmie’s Kitchen. (Courtesy of Laine Randack)

Cheesecake dip mixes

We were so intrigued with the idea of cheesecake dips that we had to reach out to Laine Randack of Carmie’s Kitchen in Wylie, Texas. Randack and her team make more than 60 flavors of mixes (not all of which are sweet). You add the mix to cream cheese and nondairy whipped topping for dip, or just cream cheese if you want to make a cheesecake, and refrigerate. Pecan pie mix seems just right for December, but there are also pumpkin spice, cinnamon apple and chocolate chip cookie dough among many other flavors.

$5 per 1- to 3-ounce bag. Available at carmieskitchen.com.

Ranch salt from Summa Salts. (Courtesy of Summa Salts/Amanda Rosenblatt)

Ranch salt

Sarah McElrea’s Jacksonville-based Summa Salts makes herb- and pepper-infused salts and cocktail salts. We are enjoying her ranch salt, a mix of coarse sea salt with dried basil, dill, parsley, garlic and chives, all grown in McElrea’s garden. It’s all the flavors you expect in ranch dressing but in salt form. Don’t restrict it to salads. It’s great on all vegetables, grilled proteins and popcorn. And we love their grinders: substantial glass cylinders that dispense salt that’s just coarse enough to notice, but still fine enough to dissolve easily.

$12 per 3-ounce grinder. Available at summasalts.com.

Ginger beer from Devil’s Foot Beverage. (Courtesy of Devil’s Foot Beverage/Katie Smith)

Ginger beer with an extra kick