Ten Legendary Food Brands From Indiana

If you're a fan of any of these foods, you have Indiana to thank!

Food...who doesn't love it, right? Sweet, savory, or spicy, food is something that everyone has in common. We all eat it. We all enjoy it. But have you ever given much thought as to where said food came from? No, I am not talking about eating a burger and thinking about the cow. What I am referring to here is where this food was either manufactured or got its start. When we think about food in terms of that, Indiana is home to some of the most iconic food that we all know and love today.

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That's right, Indiana (in some way) is responsible for some of the food brands that we all consume. To be honest, I learned a thing or two while writing this because I had no idea that some of these foods had Indiana ties. It's pretty cool to know that our home state has brought forth some of the best and most iconic food brands out for the whole world to enjoy. So, what are some of these food brands? Let's take a dive into 10 legendary food brands from Indiana!

1. Red Gold

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This Orestes-based processing company (with additional plants in Elwood and Geneva) has its tomato products on shelves in all 50 states, and I would be willing to bet that you have consumed at least one of their products in your lifetime...multiple times.

2. 5-Hour Energy

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You've seen them at gas stations all over the country, but did you know that 5-Hour Energy drinks were made in Wabash, Indiana?

3. Wonder Bread

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If you have ever had any kind of sandwich in your life, chances are, you have eaten Wonder Bread...the official bread of Ricky Bobby! Wonder bread was first introduced in Indianapolis in 1921 by the Taggart Baking Company.

4. Jet-Puffed Marshmallows

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These treats, perfect for the campfire, are manufactured at a Kraft plant in Kendallville.

5. Papa John's Pizza

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We all know the catchphrase: "Better ingredients. Better Pizza. Papa Johns." However, this giant pizza chain was founded in Jeffersonville, Indiana by “Papa John” Schnatter.

6. KFC

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This one might be a bit of a stretch, but hear me out. While Kentucky Fried Chicken did not first open in Indiana, it did (in a way) get its start in the Hoosier State. How? Colonel Harland Sanders was actually born just outside of Henryville, Indiana. So, technically KFC is an Indiana thing.

7. Orville Redenbacher's Popcorn

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According to

" target="_blank">Indianapolis Monthly:

The brand has since been swallowed up by a conglomerate, but for years, Brazil, Indiana, native and Purdue grad Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn was a made-in-Indiana affair. Valparaiso, site of the company, even has an annual festival to honor that fact.

8. Doritos

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One of the biggest names in the chip game is Doritos. While not originally created here in Indiana, they are currently made at Frito-Lay’s Frankfort East Plant. So that counts!

9. Van Camp’s Pork and Beans

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10. Mikesell's Potato Chips

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Mikesell's delicious potato chips are found all throughout the country. In fact, my dad's favorite chips ever are their Green Onion flavored chips. The company itself is based out of Ohio, but the chips are actually produced in Indianapolis.

(H/T-

" target="_blank">Indianapolis Monthly)

SEE: 11 Unique Attractions You'll Only Find in Indiana

LOOK: Here's Why Indiana is Pretty Much the Best Place on Earth [As Told by Hoosiers]

Reddit user, u/youcanneverbanme recently asked their fellow Hoosiers in the Indiana subreddit what they liked about living here. The question received hundreds of responses and the vast majority of them were positive. Of course, there were some that were negative because there are sad people who are perpetually angry on the internet and want everyone to know it for some reason, but we won't concern ourselves with those. We want to focus on the good, and when it comes to the good, there's plenty of it to enjoy.

40 Real Indiana Towns with Quirky, Weird, and Funny Names

Outside the major cities, the Hoosier state is full of tiny little towns you've probably passed through on your way to one of those cities. Most of them are likely 100 to 150 years old, or older, and have been around far longer than the large metropolitan areas such as Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Evansville. Typically, they were started by early settlers who found their way to the state and decided to make it home. Eventually, others would join them, and a community was formed. Over time, as the surrounding areas grew, most of them were folded into those areas and governed by the nearest city or county's governing body officially making them "unincorporated," meaning they did not have their own formally organized municipal government.

A scroll through Wikipedia's long list of unincorporated communities in Indiana shows several of them have names that by today's standards would be considered weird, quirky, or just downright right funny. These are my 40 favorities.

Categories: Education, Food News, Weird News, What's New