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The Tip is 'Don't procrastinate' For years I've been buying ink jet cartridges from a big box office supply store. These cartridges were made overseas and labeled with the well-known brand of a large American printer company. One I remembered a local store that advertised quality cartridges. I had traveled by this local store hundreds of times but never stopped. This time I stopped at the local store. To my surprise I discovered that they carried the cartridge I needed and it was a Made in USA cartridge. Made in Chicago, to be precise, and it was half the price of the imported ones I had been buying for years. The quality is exceptional and they last longer too. Who knew? After that experience, I make a point to stop at every store I can. By doing so, I've been finding more and more Made in America products. Occasionally the clerks don't know the country of origin; this can be discouraging but finding the origin information yourself isn't difficult I've come to realize. Believe it not, there are actually a number of computers made in the US including laptops made in the USA. When the label is not visibly displayed I use the other Made in America buying tips to help me find Made in US. If the store doesn't carry what you are looking for, use Made in America Secrets to find it and tell the manager about your experience at their store. If enough people are asking for Made in America products stores will begin to carry them. Buying Tip Continued - Read more on Made in America Products by Runk Candy The following is what we have pieced together about the history of BB Bats and Kits taffy. Fair Play Caramel Company (Fair Play Caramels, Inc.) started making the BB Bats and Kits taffy in 1924 in Johnson City, NY. After many years of production by Fair Play, Gilliam Candy bought the brands in 1990 and made them in Paducah, KY. The brands were subsequently licensed to Sophie Mae which made them in Atlanta, GA. Sophie Mae was sold to Georgia Nut which made them under their Family Brands label in Skokie, IL. Some were also sold under the Georgia's Confections name. When Georgia Nut stopped making them, the brands were licensed to Warrell in 2009 and they made the candy at their Warrell Classic plant in York, PA until the fall of 2010. Runk Candy acquired the equipment and brands in the summer of 2011 and re-commenced manufacturing in the spring of 2012 in Cincinnati, OH. Marshmallow Products (Marpro) was founded in 1936 by John V. Arbino, a tailor. During the Great Depression, Mr. Arbino observed that while people did not always have money for tailor-made clothes, they did always seem to have pennies for candy! So, with that in mind, Mr. Arbino bought a beater and started into the marshmallow candy business ? making clothes during the day and marshmallow treats at night. He made everything he could think of out of marshmallow and on Saturdays he would load up his car and put his products onto city grocery store shelves on consignment. So long as an item sold, he continued to make it. In January of 1964, the founder was succeeded by his son, Jack. The business continued to grow and prosper. By the mid-1970's it was evident that the company's future was the Marshmallow-Filled Ice Cream Cone. All other items were discontinued as the company modernized its equipment and dedicated its resources to the manufacture of this unique item. After a long and successful run, Jack Arbino sold the business in 1999 to a local couple who were already involved in the candy business through Murray Bros. Old Time Stores, a small chain of retail candy stores, which have been operating in Cincinnati since 1858. From their experience in their stores, they knew the Marshmallow Cones were an excellent seller. Shortly thereafter the business moved just a couple miles down the road to a new, modern facility. Every aspect of the Marshmallow Cone's production has always been done completely in-house at the company's plant -- everything from baking the cone on rotary gas-fired baking machines, to filling it with marshmallow made in a stainless steel kettle, to packing the cone and shipping it from the attached warehouse to its customers ? all made and done entirely in the U.S.A! Marshmallow Cones continue to be sold by distributors and retailers throughout the United States. In the Cincinnati area they can always be found at Murray Bros. Old Time Stores. To this day, the formulas and recipes for the marshmallow and the cone remain the same as they were in 1936 and many of the original customers who ate them as kids now enjoy sharing Marshmallow Cones ? and their memories ? with their grandchildren! |
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