From O’Neill surfboards in California to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Vermont, and Ford trucks out of Michigan, some products are stitched so tightly into their home state’s identity that they’re practically part of the local flag. But which North Carolina-made goods inspire the most pride today?
That’s the question MarketBeat.com, a leading financial media company, set out to answer. Surveying 3,015 respondents, they asked North Carolinians to name the products that make them beam with state pride. The results were as follows:
#1 Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (Winston-Salem)
Iconic glazed doughnuts with a “Hot Now” sign that draws crowds. North Carolinians beam with pride knowing their hometown treat still makes people pull U-turns for a warm dozen.
#2 Burt’s Bees (Durham)
Natural personal care products with global reach. Ask any North Carolinian, and they’ll smile knowing a little beekeeper’s hobby from their state became a worldwide brand.
#3 Mt. Olive Pickles (Mount Olive)
The largest privately held pickle company in the U.S., rooted in Eastern North Carolina. Locals love that their jars add the crunch to sandwiches from coast to coast.
#4 Biltmore Wines (Asheville)
Wines produced from grapes grown on the famous Biltmore Estate. For locals, it’s proof that North Carolina doesn’t just have mountains to admire – it has vintages worth toasting, too.
#5 Texas Pete Hot Sauce (Winston-Salem)
Despite the name, this hot sauce has been made in NC since the 1920s. North Carolinians get a kick out of the name confusion – and an even bigger kick out of putting it on everything.
Some highlights from other parts of the country include:
In Arizona, locals take pride in something a bit more enduring than a souvenir treat: PING golf clubs. Founded in Phoenix in the late 1950s, the brand grew from a garage workshop into a global name, yet it remains distinctly Arizonan.
Californians, unsurprisingly, crowned In-N-Out Burger. For them, the burger joint is more than fast food; it’s a rite of passage, complete with whispered tips about the not-so-secret menu.
Coloradans kept things sweet with Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, the Durango-born brand that turned handmade fudge and caramel apples into a nationwide favorite.
Kentuckians, meanwhile, took a swing with the Louisville Slugger, a bat that’s powered generations of baseball dreams and still stands as a symbol of America’s pastime.
Marylanders weren’t about to let food pride pass them by. Their pick? Old Bay Seasoning – that famous red-and-yellow tin that locals sprinkle on everything from crabs to popcorn, insisting life simply tastes better with it.
New Jerseyans looked to comfort food too, with Campbell’s Soup emerging as their pride and joy. Since 1869, the iconic red-and-white cans have been a kitchen staple, warming families for over a century.
Perhaps less surprising, New Yorkers opted for luxury: Tiffany & Co. For locals, it’s more than jewelry – it’s a blue box that helped define Fifth Avenue as a global symbol of glamor.
And in Ohio, the choice was all about rubber hitting the road: Goodyear Tires, a nod to Akron’s heritage as the “Rubber Capital of the World.”
Together, these choices tell a story of not only the products themselves, but also reveal how people view their states. Some are proud of food, others of fashion or industry – but all see these items as proof that American ingenuity, craftsmanship, and taste never really go out of style.
Matt Paulson, founder of MarketBeat.com says: “American-made goods represent more than the things you buy – they’re part of people’s identity. When someone in New Jersey talks about Campbell’s Soup or a Californian raves about In-N-Out, it goes beyond the product. It’s about pride in where they’re from and the stories those brands carry with them.”
