In Appalachian culture, food is a language of love. Whether it’s your Mamaw’s secret recipe or simply the nostalgia of sharing meals around the family dinner table, homemade food can bring people together. That’s why we proudly sell a variety of West Virginia-made food products in all of our Little General Stores!
In honor of West Virginia Day on June 20th, we’re highlighting a few of our most popular items made in the Mountain State. From locally-made pepperoni rolls to potato chips, these items are convenient to grab on the go during your travels and they’re absolutely delicious.
Any mention of West Virginia foods would be incomplete without a home-state favorite, pepperoni rolls. The story goes that Giuseppe “Joseph” Argiro invented them and sold them at the Country Club Bakery in Fairmont, West Virginia in 1927 as a lunch item for the local coal miners. Since the pepperoni rolls did not require refrigeration, they were easy for miners to tuck into their pack or pail and enjoy during their shifts. Around 1950, their popularity became more widespread.
At Little General Stores, we offer two West Virginia-based family operated makers of pepperoni rolls, Roger and Mazza’s Italian Bakery and Pepolis Pepperoni.
Mister Bee’s Potato Chips, now known as the West Virginia Potato Chip Company, are another staple of many summer road trips. The company was founded by Leo and Sara Klein in 1951 in Parkersburg, West Virginia. A continuing homage to nostalgic taste, the chips were made in the morning and distributed in the afternoon. Mister Bee’s Potato Chips are carried at all Little General Stores!
In 1905, a commercial bakery opened by the Heiner family in Huntington, West Virginia, filling the surrounding area with the scent of freshly baked bread and cementing itself as a Tri-State favorite. Today, Heiner’s Bakery continues to distribute baked goods within 200 miles of Huntington. Tip: You can still smell the fresh bread baking in West Huntington!
If you need a fresh loaf for your pantry, come on in — we’ve always got them on hand!
The 13 Arby’s restaurants franchised by Little General Stores were recently awarded $10,000 to grant to a nonprofit of their choice from The Arby’s Foundation.
We believe in investing in the future of Appalachia, and that is why we established the Little General Stores Scholarship Program over two decades ago and have donated over $175,000 to students since its inception.
Little General Stores, Inc. recently presented $75,000 to WVU Medicine Children’s to help support the hospital’s efforts in caring for patients and their families.
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