Your spring shopping guide: 15 must-have spring foodie items made in Georgia

This shopping guide features our 15 top picks for spring outdoor living and entertaining, from backyard barbecue must-haves to garden party decor, all made in Georgia.

Get ready to entertain outside

Lightweight cooler from Rugged Road. (Courtesy of Rugged Road Partners)

An ultralight cooler made in Atlanta, giving back globally

Spencer Sutlive founded Rugged Road, based in Peachtree Corners, to bring us tough yet shockingly lightweight coolers. The smallest cooler holds 16 quarts, more than two dozen 12-ounce cans plus ice, and weighs only 5 pounds empty. The largest can hold up to 115 cans and weighs only 22 pounds. If your excursion will take you further than the nearest park, this cooler really does keep ice frozen and everything inside cool for days. Ten percent of the company’s profits go to Rugged Road Foundation, which provides wells and clean drinking water around the world.

$249.99 — $494.99 per cooler. Available at REI, High Country Outfitters and ruggedroadoutdoors.com.

Meyer lemon tree from Via Citrus. (Courtesy of Via Citrus)

A citrus tree to decorate your small space

Danny Trejo operates Via Citrus out of Avondale Estates, delivering citrus trees from his family’s Florida farm to your door. This spring, brighten your patio or balcony with a fragrant, fruitful citrus tree. One of the easiest to grow at home is the very popular Meyer lemon, first identified in China and brought to the United States just over 100 years ago. The season starts with long-lasting fragrant white flowers that turn into the sweeter, more floral lemons we love.

$70 per tree in 1-gallon pot. Available on Amazon and at viacitrus.com.

A spray that repels bugs naturally

Jennifer Heusing of Sweet Southern Elderberry in Cumming has expanded her elderberry syrup business to include plant-based home products, like Bug Off bug spray. It’s made from distilled water, witch hazel, American beautyberry extract and a blend of essential oils. We found it did a great job repelling those annoying clouds of no-see-ums without harsh chemicals. Applying the agreeable fragrance every two hours or so is a pleasant task.

$12 per 4-ounce bottle. Available at sweetsouthernelderberry.com.

Gourmet treats for dogs and their humans

Canine treats from Woofy Bits Barkery. (Courtesy of Woofy Bits Barkery)

Freshly baked dog treats for your best friend

At Woofy Bits Barkery in Kennesaw, they believe dogs deserve to celebrate spring with freshly baked treats, too. Every day, Alessandra Pasquini bakes cookies, dognuts, birthday cakes and other treats using human-grade ingredients. Our pups loved the mini cakes in their flower and paw shapes, available in five flavors, including strawberry-banana and blueberry-chia.

$4 per mini cake or dognut. Available at woofybitsbarkery.com.

Spring cookie assortment from Sugar Daddy Cookies. (Courtesy of Meijah Lewis)

Cookies baked to order

Instead of heating up your kitchen, order your spring cookies from William and Meijah Lewis of Sugar Daddy Cookies. Their flavors are personalized with names that honor important men in their lives. The Mr. Steve, for example, is a strawberry cookie made with bits of cheesecake in the dough. Our favorites were the Mr. Keith, with key lime beachy vibes, and the Mr. George, a peach cobbler cookie that’s got us ready for summer. Cookies are baked to order in Sandy Springs and shipped within 24 hours, with same-day delivery also available.

$25 per dozen. Available at sugardaddycookiesatl.com.

Georgia Pecan Rolls from Dillon Candy Co.(Courtesy of Dillon Candy Co.)

Traditional handmade Georgia pecan rolls

In 1921, George Dillon placed an ad in his local newspaper promoting Dillon’s Pecan Rolls, sold at Brunswick Candy Kitchen and made fresh daily. More than 100 years later, the Dillon Candy Company is based in Boston, Georgia, and the pecan rolls are still made by hand. The nougat centers are dipped in caramel and hand-rolled in a bed of pecan pieces. The contrast of the soft center, the rich caramel wrap and the crunch of fresh pecans has kept these in the hearts of Georgians for more than a century.

$54 per box of 10 2.75-ounce pecan rolls. Available at dilloncandy.com.

3 flavorful ways to stay hydrated

Freeze-dried citrus slices and wedges from Freeze Dried Grocery Store. (Courtesy of Freeze Dried Grocery Store)

A quick and easy way to flavor a glass of water

A pantry stocked with freeze-dried citrus from Greg Willis of Freeze-Dried Grocery Store in Cumming means citrus-flavored water is always within reach. Drop a slice or a wedge into your glass of water and let it sit for a few minutes. The citrus rehydrates, releasing flavor and natural sweetness into the water. The freeze-dried citrus slices can stay flavorful for years in your pantry. Really.

$6 per 3/4-ounce bag. $8 per pint jar. $12 per quart jar. Available at freezedriedgrocerystore.com.

Sparkling spring water from Montane. (Courtesy of Montane Sparkling Spring Water)

Sparkling water from a Georgia spring

Montane Sparkling Spring Water is sourced from Blue Springs, part of a 1,000-acre protected habitat between Columbus and LaGrange that the Callaway family (of Callaway Garden fame) placed under a conservation easement. The spring produces 500 gallons of crisp, refreshing mineral-laden water per minute. The water is carbonated and packaged in four flavors: original, cucumber lime, grapefruit peach and ginger. We found grapefruit peach to be the just-right spring crossover between the citrus of winter and the peaches of summer.

$5.99 per box of 8 (12-ounce) cans. Available at Fresh Harvest and Whole Foods. Information: montanespring.com.

Caribbean-flavored cold brew tea from Mabi. (Courtesy of Mabi Artisanal Tea)

Cold-brewed tea with Caribbean flavors

Mabi Artisanal Tea may be made in Kennesaw, but it has roots in mauby, a tree bark-based drink of the Caribbean. Mauby (also known as mabi and mavi) is made by boiling the bark of the snakewood tree and has been enjoyed for centuries as a functional beverage supporting gut and heart health. At Mabi Artisanal Tea, they import the bark collected by a woman-owned cooperative in Haiti, then cold brew it with herbs and spices like cinnamon, ginger and bay leaves. The resulting tea is blended with fruit purees and lightly sweetened with vegan cane sugar. This refreshing herbal tea is caffeine-free and comes in two flavors: apricot passion and strawberry breeze. For spring, we’re loving the strawberry with its hint of lemongrass, mint, basil and eucalyptus.

$48.25 per pack of 12-ounce cans. Available on Amazon and at mabitea.com.

3 ways to upgrade your grilling game

Hardwood charcoal from Meat Head Charcoal. (Courtesy of Meat Head Charcoal/Happy Everything Co.)

The hardwood charcoal that lights fast and burns hot with minimal ash

The hardwood chunk charcoal from Meat Head Charcoal in Gainesville is made from quebracho, a South American hardwood that lights fast and burns hot. When it burns, there’s almost no ash, so cleanup is easy. Those big chunks take a long time to burn down, so your cooking time is increased, and you don’t have to replenish the charcoal as often. Add some of the company’s hickory wood chunks when you want a smoky, slightly sweet finish.

$34.99 per 22-pound bag of hardwood charcoal. Available at meatheadcharcoal.com.

Twisted Teriyaki Sauce from Bell’s Master Blend Sauces. (Courtesy of Bell’s Master Blend Sauces)

The versatile teriyaki that’s a glaze, marinade and stir-fry sauce

Monique and Kevin Bell of Bell’s Master Blend in Stockbridge make wing sauces, hot sauces and barbecue sauces. The one we’re crazy about for spring is their twisted teriyaki sauce. This is a sauce that can do triple duty, working as a marinade or stir-fry sauce, as well as a glaze for grilled proteins and vegetables. It’s both sweet and savory, and gives a glossy finish to everything it’s served on.

$13.99 per 12-ounce bottle. Available at West Paces Ace Hardware, Intown Ace Hardware, Johns Creek Ace Hardware and bellsmasterblendsauces.com.

Hot Honey from Hex Co. Honey Boutique. (Courtesy of Hex Co. Honey Boutique)

The honey to drizzle on everything you grill

Hex Co. makes the sweet, spicy hot honey you need in your kitchen and next to the grill. Owner Lauren DeYoung grew up with a beekeeper dad and started her company in 2023, producing a line of honeys infused with flavors like cinnamon and lavender. Her hot honey has become so popular that she now sells it in a large squeeze bottle, making it easy to drizzle it on everything. Trying out a new pizza oven for spring? Putting salmon on the grill for a healthy dinner? This is the honey that will add a little kick to your meals.

$22 per 12.5-ounce bottle. Available at hexcohoney.com.

Fermented vegetables, pickles and a mood-boosting tincture

Garlic ginger carrots (left) and green beans and carrots (right) from Cultured Traditions. (Courtesy of Cultured Traditions)

Seasonal fermented veggies

Tanya Batskikh missed the fermented foods of her native Russia, so she began making her own and launched Cultured Traditions from a commercial kitchen in Suwanee. For your spring diet of renewal, we recommend two of her seasonal ferments: garlic ginger carrots and green beans and carrots. These are pickles fermented in a salt brine without sugar or vinegar. The result is pint jars bursting with personality, ready to wake up your plates and breathe new energy with the return of the first flowers.

$10.40 per 16-ounce jar. Available at culturedtraditions.com.

Cukelear Weapons from Point Blank Pepper Company. (Courtesy of Point Blank Pepper Company)

Pickled food with a kick

Is a spring meal complete without the award-winning pickles from Rich Newton’s Point Blank Pepper Co. in Woodstock? His newest offering is Cukelear Weapons, a crisp cucumber pickle in sweet-and-sour brine with a bit of ghost pepper. The company’s website includes a downloadable cookbook with more than 160 recipes for cocktails, salads, breads and three different cheesecakes flavored with, yes, pickles.

$12 per 16-ounce jar. Available at the Marietta Square and Cartersville farmers markets, Y Not Georgia BBQ at The Dallas Markets and pointblankpeppercompany.com.

Wild Bloom from Woodland Wellness. (Courtesy of Woodland Wellness)