Cool Things Made in Arkansas
By Arkansas NEXT on Monday, October 25, 2021
Did you know these well-known products are made so close to home?
Fishing Boats
Fishing Holdings in Flippin manufactures boats for Stratos and Triton, as well as Ranger.
Aloha Pontoons specializes in pontoon boats in North Little Rock, and SeaArk Boats focuses on aluminum boats in Monticello. Alumacraft's aluminum fishing boats are made in Arkadelphia.
Popular Paper
Georgia-Pacific in Crossett produces major toilet paper brands such as Angel Soft and Quilted Northern, and the company manufactures Dixie products in Fort Smith.
These tissue, paper and paperboard products are used across the country in homes, offices, restaurants, hotels, hospitals and airports.
Post Pandemic Production Boom!
Never forget! The great toilet paper shortage of 2020, that is. Seriously, though. Life post-pandemic taught us that essential items are always in demand–especially in a crisis (consider the job security!). People started investing more in recreation and hobbies during the pandemic, too, making new boats and cars scarce (just think of all the jobs manufacturers are trying to fill right now to keep up with this new demand!).
Lumber prices are off the charts and demand for general contractors, electricians, plumbers, carpenters and more is at an all-time high after pandemic-lockdown pushed homeowners to finally do those renovations or build their dream vacation home.
Plumbing
The Kohler plant in Sheridan creates toilets, faucets, sinks, showers and more. These plumbing fixtures are sold in home improvement stores and used in kitchens and bathrooms all over the country.
Skippy Peanut Butter
This popular spread is made in Little Rock and manufactured by Hormel Foods.
About 750,000 pounds of peanuts come into the Little Rock plant daily, which produces over 3.5 million pounds of peanut butter each week.
Firearms & Duck Calls
Located in Berryville, Wilson Combat & Scattergun Tech is one of the largest custom firearms companies in the U.S. They're known for handguns, rifles, shotguns and for specialty customizations to existing guns.
Berryville is also home to Nighthawk Custom Firearms, a gun manufacturer known for its 1911 pistols and customized handguns.
As a world-renowned destination for duck hunting, Arkansas is home to beloved duck call manufacturers Rich-N-Tone Duck Calls in Stuttgart and Echo Duck Calls in Beebe.
Ammo
Remington's Lonoke facility produces ammunition, and Clear Ballistics in Fort Smith manufactures ballistics gelatin that simulates the effects of ammunition to help with medical research into bullet wounds.
Rocket Systems
In Camden, Lockheed Martin manufactures armored ground vehicles and multiple launch rocket systems.
Zebra Cakes, Nutty Buddy and Honey Buns
To name a few... Gentry-based McKee Foods Corporation produces beloved Little Debbie snack cakes, cookies, mini-muffins and more.
Rice
Stuttgart-based Riceland Foods is the biggest rice miller in the world. Each year, they receive, process and market more than 125 million bushels of grain.
Turkey
Butterball is famous for Thanksgiving turkeys, and the company has a location in Jonesboro. Cargill also produces turkeys out of Springdale.
Chicken
Tyson Foods, Simmons Foods Inc. & Affiliates, George’s Inc. and Peco Foods Inc. are just a few of the chicken producers in Arkansas.
OK Foods in Fort Smith manufactures chicken that travels to military commissaries all over the world.
Cereal
Post Foods in Jonesboro produces well-known cereals such as Honey Bunches of Oats and Fruity Pebbles.
Hot Pockets
Nestle’s Jonesboro production facility will undergo a $100 million expansion over the next two years, adding at least 100 new jobs. The expansion will create space for the production of Hot Pockets.
Frozen Meals
The ConAgra Foods plant in Russellville makes Banquet and Healthy Choice meals.
Ice Cream
Yarnell’s Ice Cream produces amazing flavors like sea salt caramel and butter pecan from its facility in Searcy.
Soda
Grapette International started out in Camden and still operates its headquarters out of Malvern. Grapette and Orangette can only be found in Walmart stores.
Bottled Water
Served at restaurants and sold in stores nationwide, Mountain Valley Spring Water is produced in Hot Springs, the Arkansas city famous for its water.
Jets
The Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. facility in Little Rock provides maintenance, repairs and installation for Falcon jets.
Spice
Cavender's All-Purpose Greek Seasoning isn’t just used for steaks and barbecue, this beloved staple can be found just about anywhere, and it’s made in the Ozark Mountains.
Makeup
North Little Rock is home to a L'Oreal Maybelline Co. production facility where more than 1 million units of cosmetics are made each day, including nail polish, mascara, powder and lip gloss. The well-known brands that are made in Arkansas include NYX, Essie, IT Cosmetics, Urban Decay and Lancôme.
Parts for Popular Cars & Equipment
At its two locations in Harrison, Pace Industries makes die-cast parts for cars, trucks, zero-turn mowers, electric razors, appliances and drills for some of the world's most recognizable brands including BMW, Ford, Gillette Razors, Weber Grills, Kohler, GM, Black & Decker, DeWalt, Whirlpool, GE, Tesla, John Deere and Husqvarna.
Adult Beverages
Arkansas is home to many distilleries, wineries and breweries. One such brewery, Core, has locations all over the state and its brews are distributed nationwide. Another widely distributed spirit is Rock Town Whiskey, distilled in Little Rock.
Sources: Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism, Arkansas Business, Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Baxter Bulletin, Bloomberg, Blytheville Courier News, The New Yorker, Harrison Daily Times, Only in Arkansas, Texarkana Gazette, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
