32 Years of Discovering What Makes Local Special
For more than 32 years, Tim and Cindy Tyler have been discovering, celebrating, and sharing products with a story.
In 1993, they founded The Mississippi Gift Company®, the first company dedicated exclusively to products made in Mississippi. What began as a small storefront in downtown Greenwood, Mississippi, evolved into a nationally recognized ecommerce business serving customers in all 50 states.
Over three decades, Tim and Cindy traveled the highways, back roads, and small towns of Mississippi searching for exceptional foods, family recipes, talented artisans, and hidden gems that deserved to be discovered.
Along the way, The Mississippi Gift Company grew into one of the country's most recognized regional gift businesses — featuring more than 1,200 products, working with over 150 makers, earning thousands of five-star reviews, and receiving recognition from Southern Living, USA Today, Bon Appétit, Mississippi Magazine, and Paula Deen Magazine.
A New Mission
Why We Started with Cheese Straws and Cookie Straws
Local Made Goods began with a challenge.
For decades, The Mississippi Gift Company featured beloved Southern favorites — cheese straws, cookie straws, and specialty baked goods from local suppliers.
When one of those longtime producers retired, Tim and Cindy recognized an opportunity — not simply to replace a product, but to preserve a tradition.
They partnered with experienced bakers and manufacturers to continue producing many of these Southern favorites using carefully developed recipes, quality ingredients, and small-batch production methods.
What started as an effort to preserve a regional favorite quickly became something much larger — the beginning of a new brand built around celebrating the very best products local communities have to offer.
Built on Tradition. Designed for Growth.
Today, Local Made Goods™ is focused on developing and sharing products inspired by the traditions, recipes, and craftsmanship that make local food culture so meaningful.
From savory Southern cheese straws and buttery cookie straws to pecans, seasonings, specialty snacks, gift tins, and future regional favorites — our goal is to create products that feel familiar, memorable, and worthy of sharing.
We believe great products deserve to be discovered. We believe local makers deserve a larger audience. And we believe authentic flavors never go out of style.
Because some of life's best moments happen around a table, at a gathering, during a celebration, or when someone opens a thoughtful gift.
At Local Made Goods™, we're proud to help create those moments — one local favorite at a time.