There are certain foods that are unmistakably Minnesotan: tater tot hotdish, the “Jucy” Lucy, and walleye, to name a few. But there are also several popular snacks and beverages that fly under the radar when it comes to being made in Minnesota.
Here’s a look at the origins behind some of the most popular goodies to come out of the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Pearson’s Nut Goodie Bar
The Pearson brothers started their candy-making business in 1909 out of Minneapolis. They manufactured the Nut Goodie in 1912, which is still being made in their production facility in St. Paul.
Courtesy of Pearson's Candy
Old Dutch Potato Chips
What started in 1934 as a small potato chip business in St. Paul is now a nationally recognized favorite—and the Old Dutch Foods headquarters is still located in Roseville.
Courtesy of Old Dutch Foods
1919 Root Beer
In the year 1919, when hundreds of breweries faced the prospect of closing due to Prohibition laws, brewmasters kept their businesses afloat by producing near-beers and sodas. This idea of brewery-made root beer served as inspiration for New Ulm Brewing & Beverage Co., who has teamed up with Schell’s Brewery to produce 1919 Root Beer since the 1980s.
Courtesy of 1919 Root Beer
JonnyPops
When Erik Brust and Connor Wray co-founded JonnyPops in 2011, they were making frozen treats in the basement of their dorm rooms at St. Olaf College. Today, JonnyPops are sold at more than 15,000 retailers nationwide and made in an 80,000-square-foot facility in Elk River.
Courtesy of JonnyPops
Totino’s Pizza Rolls
The company behind everyone’s favorite nostalgic snack started as a small Minneapolis pizzeria in the 1950s. The company expanded to making frozen pizzas in 1961 after purchasing a manufacturing plant in St. Louis Park (later moving to Fridley), and by the 1970s, the company had the top-selling frozen pizza in the country. The business was purchased by Pillsbury Co. in 1975.
Around the same time, pizza rolls had been developed by Minnesotan product developer Beatrice Ojakangas for Jeno’s Inc, which was sold to Pillsbury in 1985—the Jeno’s line of pizza rolls was rebranded as Totino’s in 1993.
Courtesy of Totino's
