Author: usmadewholesale

Once a year this newsletter celebrates vendors who make their products in the USA. Here are some familiar brands and some newcomers.

Pennsylvania

Channel Craft began as a one-man operation back in 1983 from the back of a step van / traveling wood shop. President and founder, Dean Helfer, drove from craft shows to folk festivals peddling his hand-crafted wooden Boomerangs. He would arrive at a craft show the evening before and set up his wood shop for the next morning ready to sand and sell his Boomerangs that were finished right before the customer’s very eyes.

As the years went on and sales grew, Dean and his crafters sought out a larger manufacturing facility than a step van to continue to produce the American Pastimes that had brought them this far. In 1991, Channel Craft settled into an old Army Corps of Engineers building south of Pittsburgh on the banks of the Monongahela River in Charleroi, PA.

A worker runs a machine in the process of making Channel Craft’s train whistle, while others work on the company’s trademark boomerang.

Workers imprint toys in the printing room at Channel Craft’s factory

Channel Craft founder Dean Helfer with the van in which he began making American Pasttimes toys.

40 years later, Channel Craft is still “Quality Crafting” Toys, Games, Puzzles & Edu-Tainment for thousands of specialty toy and gift shops right here in the USA. And, believe it or not, the returning Wooden Boomerang is still Dean’s best seller!

Georgia

A Grandparent Gift Company employee assembles a “heart” sentiment gift.

The Grandparent Gift Co. started with a single sentiment and has grown to hundreds of gift items for all family members and all occasions. Owned by Teri Harrison, the Alpharetta, Georgia, has been in the gift industry for nearly 30 years. The company started selling USA-made greeting cards, framed prints and other sentiment gifts in the mid 1990’s. The company still depends on local printers and suppliers for components in over half their total gift assortment from US vendors. The company’s popular stained glass hearts are handmade in Heartland of the United States and assembled with the companies original sentiments in their Alpharetta, Georgia warehouse. The stained glass hearts join the company’s assortment of other popular handmade glass items made by small USA crafters. Each cross and heart offering stores a one-of-a-kind gift at great wholesale prices. The company is constantly innovating gift ideas and creating new American made gifts for the whole family and for all occasions.

Minnesota

Dutch House Confections is a small business in rural, central Minnesota. They specialize in homemade-style caramel candy. Their beginning goes back to 1997 when the goal was simply to make a little extra money. Today they operate in a 10,000 square foot facility and employ 10 people.

Butter from Minnesota and Wisconsin dairy farms is added by a Dutch House Confections worker to her batch of caramel.

A Dutch House employee runs the cooled caramel through a machine that cuts it in strips.

While expanding their operation they continued to focus on quality products and quality customer service. At tradeshows, you often hear buyers commenting that it is the best caramel they ever tasted. This comes through careful selection of ingredients and continued hands-on approach to production. Their current cooking equipment is capable of completing a batch in half the time used by Dutch House employees, but they learned that patience produces a tastier end-result.

Texas

Cin Chili boxes ready for shipping.

Are you tired of bland and boring meals? Look no further than Cin Chili Company, a family-owned business with 19 years of experience in the industry. Our high-quality dry seasoning mixes, hot sauces, and unique pickle products including Passion Pickles habanero and ghost flavor and Pickle Sips in dill and sweet heat flavors are sure to add a kick to any dish. But don’t just take our word for it – we’ve won the CASI International Chili Cook-Off two years in a row and have been featured on The Food Network’s Throwdown With Bobby Flay: The Chili Challenge. Our commitment to quality means we will never sacrifice flavor for price. So why settle for boring food when you can spice up your life with Cin Chili Company?

…and more!

Below is a list of other US-made manufacturers who either entirely make their products in the USA or may assemble products in the US. Links to these can be found at GiftsWholesale.com, USMadeWholesale.com or in the CAMEOEZ.com directory.

Soaring shipping costs from the Far East, combined with supply chain disruption and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have accelerated efforts by U.S. and European manufacturers to bring manufacturing closer to home. This continues a trend that has been ongoing for a couple of decades. In this special, annual “Made in USA” issue, we again examine the status of making things in America.

Holiday Fried Pecans makes its products in Louisiana.
At right, Keith Baum showcases the product line.

During his first week in office, President Biden signed Executive Order 14005, “Ensuring the Future is Made in America by All of America’s Workers,” which launched an initiative to strengthen the use of federal procurement to support American Manufacturing.

A January, 2022 survey by UBS found that more than 90% of executives said they were either in the process of moving production out of China or planned to do so. About 80% were looking at sites in the U.S. or Mexico.

A few years ago, this trend was accelerated by concern over toxic materials in products coming from China. Companies like GE Appliance began moving water-heater production to Louisville, KY and other lines followed suit. GE found that savings on shipping offset higher U.S. labor costs.

Novellis similarly moved an aluminum can plant to Bay Minette, AL to address concerns about sustainable packaging. US Steel built a plant in Osceola, AR and Intel moved two chip factories to Phoenix.

A Tangico worker organizes products for shipment.
Inset: Products in the laser engraver.

Walmart is in the ninth year of a two-decade plan to onshore production of its products. Walmart has been the largest retail importer of hard goods in the U.S. (information above comes from this article)

Here are a few manufacturers who continue to make things in the USA.

Holiday Fried Pecans products are 100% Southern, made in Alexandria, Louisiana, by the Baum family. The product is based on an old family recipe that they have enjoyed for generations. They have a simply delicious flavor, setting it above all other snacks. The fried pecans are vegan, gluten free, with no GMOs and all natural. The product has the same amount of fat and calories as a raw pecan.

Sue Kinch, owner of Tangico in Pontiac, Michigan says, “Made in the USA products combined with quick turnaround allows retailers to minimize inventory carrying costs.” Tangico hires individual overcoming addiction, abuse, and homelessness for 7-10 shipping. Engraving, barcoding, and shipping orders restores self-esteem so employees can get back on their feet.

Top, a Grandparent Gift Company worker inserts sentiment cards in a frame.
Below, stacks of are frames ready for shipping.

The Grandparent Gift Co. of Alpharetta, Georgia, has been in the gift industry for 28 years. The company’s roots started with a single sentiment and has grown to hundreds of gift items for all family members and all occasions.

Above, Betsy Drake works on an original painting. Inset, a Hibiscus floral design, applied to a
corded pillow.

Owned by Teri Harrison, the company started selling USA-made greeting cards, framed prints and other sentiment gifts in the mid 1990’s. The company still depends on local printers and suppliers for components in over half their total gift assortment from US vendors. The company’s popular, best-selling handmade glass crosses are made in Texas and assembled in the Alpharetta warehouse.

In late 2022, the company will relaunch the sentiment that started the company, Grandma’s Heart; available to retailers in Fall, 2022.

Betsy Drake is the name of an artist in North Carolina who, after 30 years in retail sales and management, took up painting and launched a wholesale business featuring prints of her artwork and also that of her husband, Dick Hamilton. Investing in a cut and sew manufacturing facility just north of Atlanta, GA, Betsy and Dick now feature hundreds of unique designs on decorative pillows, towels, coasters, doormats, placemats, shower curtains and more.

Below is a list of other US-made manufacturers who either entirely make their products in the USA or may assemble products in the US. Links to these can be found at GiftsWholesale.com, USMadeWholesale.com or in the CAMEOEZ.com directory.

Hot Ruby (opens in a new tab) has opened its CAMEO EZ^© B2B website. Hot Ruby is the perfect addition to your mug on a cozy evening. Unlike typical cider, Hot Ruby’s family recipe marries cranberry and citrus juices with an exquisite blend of spices. Add your favorite spirits for a special treat! Hot Ruby is certain you will find comfort in every heated or iced cup of Hot Ruby, time and time again.

(Feature article from Made In USA Annual Special Issue)

(opens in a new tab)Newly printed “The She Collection” books sit in displays at Gently Spoken’s Minnesota warehouse.

Since 2007, each October, this newsletter has featured made-in-USA wholesalers. This year, it may be more important than ever for retailers in the USA to support domestic manufacturers, what with international shipping costs skyrocketing, as we saw in our last newsletter (opens in a new tab). Once again we focus on USA-made products.

We begin in the midwest of the country, in Oak Grove, Minnesota, where Gently Spoken (opens in a new tab) prints its “Eat Your Peas” Collection of inspirational books. The company also has a “Sweet Sayings” Notepad Collection. Empowering and inspiring, the new “She Collection” has been a retail sensation. Pair with jewelry, lotions, candles and more to add sentiment to any gift. The She Collection will jazz up a Christmas stocking or Secret Santa gift. Each booklet features 12 tear-out affirmations to spread encouragement all around. New 2021 designs just launched are only $2.50 each and Quick Ship Complete.

A Tangico worker inspects newly engraved products. Inset: close up of wine stoppers in engraver.

Next, going East near the Canadian border, Tangico (opens in a new tab) makes its products in its facility in Pontiac, Michigan. The company specializes in Michigan-themed engraved products such as wine stoppers, coasters, wood stickers, ornaments, magnets, bottle openers, cutting boards, wall décor, signs and much more. Tangico offers individualized engraving of custom designs and wording.

Continuing East to Pennsylvania, Channel Craft (opens in a new tab) has been manufacturing Authentic American Toys, Games, Puzzles & Edu-Tainment Designs that are “Quality Crafted” here in the USA for over 38 years. These traditional American Pastimes are produced by skilled craftsmen and women to ensure aesthetic beauty, durability and great play value. Channel Craft has become the preeminent purveyor of historically significant Toys, Games and Puzzles to complement museums, parks and attractions. The company has a broad selection of educational and entertaining Nautical, Historical, Nature and Science related products – it’s what they call “Edu-Tainment.”

A worker enters settings into a machine which makes wooden train whistles at Channel Craft’s Pennsylvania plant.

Now we head South to just outside Atlanta, Georgia. Evolve Botanica (opens in a new tab) is bringing Modern Skincare with Herbal Roots. “Skincare With a Twist” is the company’s tagline. Combining the highest-quality ingredients with ethical production and its ongoing local ingredient sourcing choices, EvolveBotanica leads the industry by example toward sustainable skincare. Products include Bath Bombs, Bath & Shower, Lip Balm, Soaps and Skin Care. “We want our customers to learn about not just our products,” the company says, “but our ingredients and our local community partners, and what makes them different from the big brand names.”

EvolveBotanica prides itself on locally sourced ingredients like these in their soaps. EvolveBotanica products are 100% cruelty free.

Sarasota, Florida, based Freeheart features insulated drinkware in thousands of designs. The company recently unveiled licened designs of Joel Sartore Photography, best known for creating the PhotoArk and documenting images of over 11,683 endangered species in zoos and in the wild around the world. Freeheart collections include Area Codes, Astrology, Camo Colors, City Scapes, Collegiate, Faith, Floral and many, many more, plus licensed art from a number of artists. Tumblers come in 16-oz, 18-oz and 24-oz and lids are available.

Freeheart drinkware is made in Florida. Here an employee welds the insulation to the outer cup.

These are just highlights of those we could have mentioned. Though some tend to think nothing is made in USA anymore, that is not the case, as these examples show. You can see more made-in-USA vendors at USMadeWholesale.com (opens in a new tab), one of OmegaNet’s portals.

Finally, below is a list of OmegaNet Inc./CAMEO EZ© vendors besides those above who are all or partially Made in USA. You will find more information at GiftsWholesale.Com or CAMEOEZ.com. Some vendors may use components that are not Made in USA but designed and assembled in this country. Further in “Featured Vendors” you will find Made-In-USA vendors indicated by the red, white and blue backgrounds.

Channel Craft’s Pennsylvania factory houses 70 employees making traditional American toys

According to the advocacy group Reshoring Initiative, the number of jobs being brought back to the USA by U.S. companies (“reshoring”) has increased by ten times the number in 2010. Several major companies and some less well-known were featured by USA Today as bringing back thousands of jobs that had been previously been outsourced, such as Harley-Davidson, which announced plans in July to reshore several hundred jobs to avoid tarrifs imposed by the EU.

This newsletter features “Made in USA” product lines every October, believing that it is important for the economic health of the country to continue making things in the USA. Below is a sampling of CAMEO EZ^© clients with product lines Made in USA*.

Golden Hill Studios founder Bette Hestle (right) and Sarah Hurst discuss a new design in their upstate New York facility.

Located south of Pittsburgh on the banks of the Monongahela River in Charleroi, PA, Channel Craft has been manufacturing Authentic American Toys, Games and Puzzles that are “Quality Crafted” right here in the U.S.A. for over 35 years now! You’ll find American Pastimes that are produced by skilled craftsmen and women to ensure aesthetic beauty, durability and great play value. All Channel Crafted Boomerangs are handcrafted and guaranteed to return if thrown properly. No two models have the same flight pattern and will possess flight qualities of distance, elevation, and hoverability unique to that distinct model.

Bette Hestle’s grandmother started collecting hand painted glassware as a young mother and passed her love of the art on to her granddaughter. In 1999 by Bette founded Golden Hill Studio. Bette has lived and painted on Golden Hill in Western New York for 38 years. She has a background in art from Stephens College and the University of Tennessee. All of the design work is done by Bette and Sarah Hurst. Now there are many local artists who do the painting on the glass. GHS artists take great pride in each crafted piece and are a valued part of why Bette’s business is so successful. As painters, they are able to work in their homes while raising their families. The younger artists are helping to finance their own educations. This system of doing business, supports GHS philosophy of family and home as a first priority.

All natural Soy Candles from The SOi Company in Modesto California are ready for packaging.

The SOi Company is a Northern-California-based company that offers an array of richly scented candles to enhance your overall wellness.
SOi candles are produced in Modesto, California using domestically sourced products. All SOi candles are hand-poured in the company’s factory using 100% all natural soy oil that is grown and produced in the USA.
Soy oil burns cleaner and up to 40% longer than paraffin-based, wax, or soy-blend candles. The SOi Company’s wide variety of scented soy candles are good for aromatherapy or to enhance any space.

KAM Manufacturing’s production floor, where the award-winning Stephanie Dawn cotton handbags are made. Inset: the finished product.

Recently awarded the title “Best Cotton Bags” by All American Reviews.com, Stephanie Dawn also earned the rank of second place (out of ten) for “Top Recommended Bags” made in the USA! For a lightweight style and long-term storage durability, Stephanie Dawn cotton handbags make beautiful accessories for any occasion! The bags come in a wide range of shapes, styles and colors giving you plenty of options to choose from. The lineup of bags are produced exclusively in America and that the founding company, KAM Manufacturing Inc., has more than 27 years of manufacturing experience with quilted cotton bags. “We choose to make our products here in the USA because we provide jobs to our local community in the Van Wert, OH area,” says the team at Stephanie Dawn. “Our customers love the high-quality of our products, the fact that they are made in the USA and they help support not only our business, but jobs to our wonderful team of employees!”

Twelve-year-old Elena Barrett is the inventor/founder of HuggyBox. Her “HuggyBox” note cards are produced in Rochester, NY.

HuggyBox is unusual in that the company was started by an 11-year-old adopted child. When she was five, Elena Barrett’s father left a note under her pillow when he went on a business trip. The note wished her a good night’s sleep and included the word “Huggy”. It told her if she squeezed the note really tight and she would feel his hug come through the paper.

From this experience HuggyBox was born. The note cards are for sending “virtual hugs”, allowing people to stay connected. HuggyBox makes it’s products in Rochester, New York with soy-based inks on 100% recycled mixed source materials. HuggyBox is also a Proud Partner of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. A portion of each HuggyBox sold goes to the foundation to find families for children in foster care.

Dreams After All now supplements its greeting card line with textiles and jewelry made on the east coast

Agoura Hills, California is home to Dreams After All, which for 14 years has designed and produced greeting cards, but has now added jewelry and textiles. Manufactured on the east coast of the USA, The jewelry line features pieces first cast in brass and plated in either sterling silver or 18-karat gold. They are then hand-finished. North Carolina is where the new textile products are produced. “We are very pleased to work with them to produce our new lines of home decor and wearable art with the utmost quality and craftsmanship,” says Renée Rubach, founder.

Gigi Butler has launched a line of printed textiles with Mariasch Studios of Long Island, New York.

Mariasch Studios of Long Island, New York, is launching Gigi Butler’s line of printed textiles. Gigi’s American Dream began when she was down to her last $33 starting a cupcake shop in Nashville, TN, in 2008. That first shop grew include franchise locations with sales of $43 million in 2013. Gigi’s line includes quotes such as “bake the world a better place,” “bake your own American dream,” and “the secret ingredient is love.”