It’s in the Beehive State’s nature to be industrious, and the wide array of manufacturers and artisans here hammer that point home. For local gifts, look no further than these standout products, all made in Utah.
Food & Drink
Van Kwartel Flavor Science Sauces, Tonics, and Mixers (Salt Lake City): Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of African, European, East Indian, and other culinary traditions. AS its name suggests, Van Kwartel Flavor Science experiments with the flavors from all over the globe to come up with recipes like the one for its Sunrise Orange Pepper Sauce, with habaneros, honey, garlic, and oranges. Its tonics and mixers, designed for water, tea, lemonade, or perhaps something a bit stronger, are likewise flavor-packed: A 17-ounce bottle of Mint Tonic as a half-pound of mint. $10 to $17. van-kwartel-flavor-science.square.site.
Utah craft chocolate box by Caputo’s (Salt Lake City): Known as “The Craft Chocolate Capital,” Utah is a paradise for those with a sweet tooth or two. Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli in Salt Lake has put together a gift box that features four bars from some of the Beehive State’s top purveyors (including Ritual, Amano, and The Chocolate Conspiracy); some are single-origin bars, others are blends, and all are made of dark chocolate. $37.99. www.caputos.com.
Amour Spreads (Salt Lake City): Eschewing frozen and processed fruit, Cassee and John Francis use fresh ingredients — including a bounty of local produce — in their lineup of artisan jams, curds, and marmalades. The ever-evolving offerings include the traditional (apricot, blackberry, and concord grape are staples) alongside the inventive and unusual — like the orange habanero or grapefruit marmalades. $8 to $12. www.amourspreads.com.
Home, Kitchen & Bath
Petal Lane Home Magnet Boards and Wall Art (Richfield): With roots in the floral industry, Chet and Lenita Thompson expanded to magnet boards and wall art with whimsical imagery and inspirational sayings and haven’t looked back. Most products are manufactured in Richfield, and others use local materials, including a dry-erase board made with Utah clay. Customization is also available. Most products $20 to $170. www.petallane.com.
JJ Potts Handcrafted Ceramics (Salt Lake City): JJ Potts was born in 1999 with a line of ceramic mushrooms, Shroomyz, and has since expanded into handmade mugs (adorned with custom or stock medallions) and other garden art, including bird feeders, bird houses, and everything a fairy gardener might need. $10 to $50. https://www.jjpotts.com.
Ore Designs Fire Pits (Woods Cross): Founded by CEO Shane Larson in 2003, Ore Designs is all about products that make the great outdoors even greater. The manufacturer of planters, outdoor seating, and other landscape architecture-centric products makes a line of fire pits that are ideal for warming up on a cold night. Contact for pricing. ore.design.
Knox Elements Metalwork (North Salt Lake): Founders, brothers, and third-generation metalworkers Cody and Talan Knox were inspired to start a company sitting around a campfire. They launched with fire pits and have since expanded into planters, wall art, and custom architectural elements. Pricing varies. www.knoxelements.com.
madexbinary Drinkware (Salt Lake City): Founder Matthew Sutton’s “additive fabrication studio” is a manufacturing marvel that leverages cutting-edge technology to make craft kitchenware: cups, shakers, and oil cruets. (The company’s tagline: “Made with love by robots.) The madexbinary drinkware line includes minimalist mugs, tumblers (dubbed “Thumblers” in honor of their nifty thumb cradles), and espresso cups made of stoneware clay. $34 to $44; espresso cup sets: $68. www.madexbinary.com.
Forked Up Art (South Jordan): Using forks and other table utensils, Forked Up Art has been creating a wide range of kitchen products and decor since 2010. Now under the guidance of owner Rusty McDermott, the company makes everything from simple spoon coat hooks and fork napkin rings to elaborate sculptures of flowers, snowboarders, and life-sized roosters. Most products $10 to $200. www.forkedupart.com.
Wild Raven Soap Company (Moab): The brainchild of co-founders Kai Malloy and Jen Hancewicz, Wild Raven makes a wide variety of bar soaps (including lavender, chamomile seaweed-mint, and turmeric-honey varieties) as well as a line of solid perfumes and colognes, beard and shave oils, and several balms — including a tattoo balm for ink new or old. $6 per bar; other products $11 to $16. www.wildravensoap.com.
BE:LIGHT Candle Company (Salt Lake City): Blended and poured in Salt Lake City, BE:LIGHT’s candles range from seasonal varieties (blue spruce or gingerbread latte, for example) to year-round creations with the distinctive scents pipe tobacco, pumpkin and firewood, and sandalwood, to name a few. Founded by the wife-and-husband team of Taylor and Matt Lamb, the company also gives back: 15 percent of every sale goes towards suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Candles start at $17.99. www.belightcandleco.com.
Sporting Goods
WNDR Alpine (Salt Lake City): A brand launched by Checkerspot to showcase the company’s innovative materials: The cores eschew the petroleum-based norm in favor of algae-derived polyurethane. The Berkeley, California-based Checkerspot is the R&D engine, and WNDR Alpine manufactures skis in Salt Lake that are designed to showcase the performance of the materials that originate in the lab. Pairs start at $489. www.wndr-alpine.com.
Ogden Made Bags and Packs (Ogden): The name says it all: The company’s packs are handmade in Ogden. They’re also sturdy, functional, and designed for both commuting and hiking. Case in point: The Ridge Pack has a large main compartment and padded straps, while also featuring an internal laptop sleeve. Most products $50 to $150. www.ogdenmade.com.
Hugger Mugger Yoga Products (Salt Lake City): Founder Sara Chambers debuted the first U.S.-made mat designed specifically for yoga in the late 1980s, and the company never looked back. It’s long been one of the leading brands in the yoga market with a long list of domestically produced products. The company makes clothing, bolsters, cushions, and pillows in-house in Salt Lake City, and sources benches, mats, and towels from U.S.-based partners. $19.95 to $109.95. www.huggermugger.com.
Storm Bowling Dark Code (Brigham City): One of just a handful of domestic bowling-ball manufacturers, Storm Bowling has been on the front end of the industry’s innovation curve since the early 1990s. The company’s focus is squarely on high-performance products for competitive bowlers. A recent highlight, Storm’s Dark Code hybrid design features more torque and sharper angle entry than other balls. $169.95. www.stormbowling.com.
Apparel
Aqua Underwear (Salt Lake City): Founder Mel Martinez created Aqua Underwear with inclusion in mind. The catalog offers “an alternative to the typical gendered underwear and standard sizing” handmade with Spandex blends and available in three styles: narrow, roomie, and gender neutral. Martinez also offers custom underwear with a wide range of features and options. $40 to $50. www.aquaunderwearslc.com.
Staker Hats (Farr West): Master hatter Craig Staker found inspiration in the Old West — and movies about it. His catalog of cowboy hats and fedoras includes models inspired by the headwear seen on the silver screen in such films as Tombstone, Django Unchained, and The Outlaw Josey Wales. Most hats $250 to $750. www.stakerhats.com.
Toys & Games
MCGadgets Magnetic Toys and LED Candles (Herriman): The M and the C in MCGadgets, Mike Jenson works with his teenage son, Carter, to create a compelling lineup of quirky products. The catalog includes all manner of magnetic toys and gadgets — small-scale beach balls and baby aliens, puzzles, and fidget toys — along with 3D-printed LED candles for Halloween and Christmas, stands for video game controllers, and other ingenious odds and ends. $11.99 to $34.99. www.etsy.com/shop/MCGadgets.
GinnyPenny Plush Robots (West Jordan): Susie Lee sews droids that meld the same cuddly-but-boxy design into endless variations on the theme. There are puppy robots and princess robots and vampire robots; robots in ties, bikinis, and steampunk garb; brides, grooms, and big huggable robots. Lee also sells kits and patterns for DIY types. $50 to $110. www.ginnypenny.com.
Roots of Wonder Designs Wooden Toys (Hurricane): Made with wood, coconut oil, non-toxic paint, and beeswax, these sets of stacking, nestling, and balancing wooden toys are primarily inspired by nature: playsets with wildlife and streams; stacking mountains, volcanoes, and cliffs (the last modeled after landscapes in Zion National Park); and a menagerie of wooden animals. Most products $20 to $50. www.etsy.com/shop/RootsOfWonderDesigns.
SumBlox (Paradise): David Skaggs invented SumBlox while tutoring a student in math. The blocks are shaped as numbers that correspond to their height, creating a means of visualizing equations. Skaggs started cutting the blocks in his father’s garage in 2013 and launched the company on Kickstarter the following year. SumBlox sets include blocks and activity cards that help kids learn through play. Sets range from $42.95 to $249.95. www.sumblox.com.
And a splurge
Vanderhall Motor Works (Provo): Vanderhall’s eye-grabbing autocycles — three-wheeled motorcycles with a machined aluminum body — offer the best of both worlds. The company’s gasoline-powered Venice and Carmel roadsters are complemented by the rugged, four-wheeled Brawley, with each wheel powered by its own dedicated electric motor. Starting at $29,950. www.vanderhallusa.com.
Eric Peterson is editor of CompanyWeek. Reach him at epeterson@companyweek.com.
