The new “Brooklyn Made” certification is just getting off the ground, and it is up to individual companies to apply for it. Still, the inaugural crop of certified-made-in-Brooklyn products had some glaring oversights. Here is a list of companies so Brooklyn we can’t believe they didn’t make the cut.
Brooklyn Brewery
This was the biggest Brooklyn brand missing from the list. We understand that most of the beer is made upstate, but Steve Hindy and his crew bet on Brooklyn before everyone else knew how cool we are.
And it is not like all its beer come from Utica — some tasty brews are straight outta Williamsburg.
New York Shaving Company
This Bensonhurst mom-and-pop makes hand–blended shaving soaps, colognes, and shaving accessories that appeal to old-school Brooklynites and hipsters alike, with oldsters looking to recapture the smoothness that only a straight razor can produce, and newbies impressed by shears used to trim their 19th-century mustaches.
Brooklyn Brine
Pickles made in Gowanus — that’s pretty darn Brooklyn. Not only do they have the gall to make an edible product so near to a toxic waterway, but their flavors include whiskey sour and fennel beets. This funky take on classic fare is definitely stamp-worthy.
Mark Jupiter
This guy is a custom furniture maker in Dumbo who uses reclaimed material to create sweet-looking places to plop your keister and stow your stuff. It is the perfect mix of art and handiwork that we have come to expect from designers working under the Brooklyn Bridge. And some of the wood he uses has roots running deep into the veins of borough history — such as redwood taken from old water towers and heart pine salvaged from a defunct Brooklyn sugar refinery.
Coney Island
Okay, so maybe this would not be eligible for the seal of approval offered by the Chamber of Commerce. But we think that’s wrong. The thrills, chills, and weird memories produced by a trip to the People’s Playground can only be made in Brooklyn. It gets our Brooklyn Made stamp, without question.
Sweet-n-Low
This ubiquitous sweetener is made on Cumberland Street near the Navy Yard. The family operation first started packaging the sweetener in 1957. We think it would awesome if every one of those tiny pink packs were to bear the “Brooklyn Made” logo. It would remind everyone who uses the sugar substitute how sweet Brooklyn is.
