Winston-Salem, NC
Dewey's Bakery
Founded in downtown Winston-Salem during the Great Depression, Dewey's Bakery is famous for their thin, crisp Moravian Cookies, a recipe brought to North Carolina by European immigrants in the 1700s. Still baking at their original Thruway Shopping Center location, they are the only original business there today. Their community fundraising programs have put more than $4 million back into NC communities.
Raleigh, NC
Carolina Kettle by 1 in 6 Snacks
Carolina Kettle is made by 1 in 6 Snacks, named for the 1 in 6 Americans who don't know where their next meal is coming from. A portion of every bag sold goes directly to the food bank. Made in Raleigh, these are kettle chips with a real mission behind every crunch.
Chapel Hill, NC
Chapel Hill Toffee
Karen Graves started making toffee from a secret family recipe in her Chapel Hill home. Her son Mark joined in 2008, followed by wife Christy and brother Scott, making it a true family business still handcrafted in Chapel Hill today. Griff's Toffee was launched to honor Karen's husband Griff, the brand's first and biggest fan, and every box sold includes a donation to Dina's Dynasty Ovarian Cancer Fund.
Charlotte, NC
Bruce Julian Heritage Foods
Bruce Julian is a native son of Chapel Hill and a second-generation haberdasher who owns Bruce Julian Clothier in Charlotte, where friends stop by for cocktails, conversation, and southern classics. His Heritage Foods line celebrates food, family, and friends with all-natural southern favorites. Couch Mix is the one people keep coming back for.
Charlotte, NC
Enderly Coffee
Enderly Coffee was founded in 2012 by former teachers Becky and Tony Santoro, who built the whole thing on a simple belief: great coffee brings people together. Becky and Tony literally fell in love over coffee, and they have been sharing that warmth with Charlotte ever since. Their State Street Blend is a staple in Handpicked gift sets.
Charlotte, NC
Piedmont Pennies
Based on her grandmother's recipe, Piedmont Pennies are bite-sized cheesy biscuit bites named for the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Woman-owned and launched as an MBA class project in 2020, Pennies are now baked and shipped from a commercial kitchen in Charlotte with five flavors, six employees, and a lot of care in every batch.
Charlotte, NC
Queen City Crunch
Katie Cooper turned her mom Judy's famous pretzel recipe into Queen City Crunch, a small-batch pretzel company made in Charlotte with real ingredients and bold flavors. A percentage of every sale supports Families Forward Charlotte, partnering directly with local families working their way out of poverty. Great snack, great mission.
Asheville, NC
18 Chestnuts Soup
Female-founded and based in Asheville, 18 Chestnuts makes premium shelf-stable vegan soups that are plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, and free of added sugars and seed oils. Packaged in sustainable glass jars that won both a SHELFIE Award and an Addy Award, they are as beautiful on a shelf as they are good in a bowl.
Asheville, NC
Legally Addictive
After being laid off and bound by a non-compete, Laura Shafferman baked a batch of her favorite childhood cracker cookies for a party and sold out at a holiday market in hours. That was the beginning. Legally Addictive is now carried in over 2,000 retailers across North America, has been featured on Good Morning America, and bakes every cookie out of their own production kitchen in Asheville.
Asheville, NC
Asheville Tea Company
Asheville Tea Company crafts farm-to-teacup blends using herbs and botanicals sourced from small regional farmers across the Southeast. No additives, no artificial flavoring, just real ingredients in 100% compostable packaging, including plant-based tea bags. Zero plastics, ever.
Asheville, NC
French Broad Chocolate
Dan Rattigan and Jael Skeffington left graduate school, converted a school bus to run on vegetable oil, and drove to Costa Rica, where their obsession with cacao began. They landed in Asheville and built French Broad Chocolate into one of the Southeast's most celebrated bean-to-bar makers, producing nearly 50 tons of chocolate each year from farmer-sourced cacao. Every bar starts at the source.
Asheville, NC
Poppy Popcorn
Ginger Frank founded Poppy Popcorn in Asheville in 2014 with one rule: real ingredients only. No shortcuts, no artificial flavoring, no compromises. Made in small batches with bold flavors like Jalapeño Cheddar, Pimento Cheese, and Salted Caramel, Poppy is the kind of snack people ask about by name after they receive it.
Lincolnton, NC
Whispering Willow
Founded by Julia and Wayne, Whispering Willow handcrafts certified cruelty-free apothecary products using natural and organic ingredients with eco-conscious packaging. They donate 1% of sales to environmental charities every year. Their invitation is simple: slow down, take a breath, and remember that caring for others starts with caring for yourself.
Florence, SC
Young's Pecans
Young's Premium Foods traces its roots to the 1920s, when Young's pecans were coveted throughout the Carolinas' Pee Dee region for their quality. Today, with over 100 varieties of pecan products and gourmet snacks, they represent an unparalleled taste of the Carolina South. Praline Pecans and their 5 O'Clock Snack Mix are customer favorites in Handpicked gift sets.