Local Businesses Thrive in Southern Mississippi

In partnership with: Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce

Covington, Forrest and Jones counties are part of a dynamic tri-county region in southern Mississippi where local businesses innovate and prosper. Here, you will find small businesses producing everything from unique hot sauces to handcrafted custom vehicle products. There are welcoming family farms selling homegrown goodies and Christmas trees. HGTV’s popular Home Town show also keeps Laurel and the entire surrounding area in the spotlight.

Discover some Genuine MS® members growing, raising, crafting and making all kinds of goodies in this booming area.

Wholly Fire Foods

You might say the pandemic lit a fire under James and Doris Louis, leading to the creation of homemade hot sauces that “taste so heavenly, it sets your soul on fire.” At home together in Hattiesburg, they first grew a backyard garden that produced vegetables, peppers and ginger that James concocted into a sauce. Ginger is the foundation of their unique flavor profiles.

“Ginger is our signature, and we use fresh vegetables to keep sodium low,” James says. “We don’t go for extreme heat, so our sauces enhance the flavor of your food.”

Armed with a cottage food license, James refined his original recipe, developed four others and eventually met with so much success the company had to find two manufacturing partners to meet demand. Now, their products are being enjoyed around the country. The couple is particularly proud that Wholly Fire Foods was recognized as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Mississippi 2024 Minority Small Business of the Year.

See more: Shopping Local Made Easy With Genuine MS® Store

Fulmer’s Farmstead

Fulmer’s Farmstead fully embraces the concept of being an agritourism destination while raising grass-fed beef, pecans, fresh vegetables and more.

When the family purchased the land in New Augusta in 1980, it was a pecan orchard, which has since evolved into a place that extolls the virtues of traditional farm life.

Visitors can step back in time to watch the farm’s beloved draft horses work the fields that yield a range of produce. Peruse the well-stocked general store and sign up for the farm’s CSA box, which ranges from farm-raised ground beef and sausage to pre-made casseroles and fresh veggies. Sit down to enjoy some tasty baked goods, jams and jellies made on the farm and a down-home lunch, which Fulmer’s Farmstead owner Jeanette Fulmer proudly says diners claim is “like going to mama’s house.”

That pecan orchard is also the setting for the annual Mississippi Pecan Festival each September, which attracts crowds with everything from a talent show to pecan bake-off to the “purtiest” rooster contest. Visitors can also celebrate the holidays at the farm’s Christmas in the Orchard with lights illuminating the farm each December and other holiday festivities.

“We are just blessed,” Fulmer says. “We really enjoy sharing what we’ve built with folks from all over and watching them have a good time.”

Talson Farms

When Aaron and Brittany Anderson decided to raise Christmas trees, the couple knew they didn’t want to sell them in a town parking lot. Instead, they wanted to create a memorable holiday experience for families on their farm, a task they’ve successfully accomplished at Talson Farms outside Laurel.

The Andersons nurture roughly 3,500 trees over 10 acres, specializing in Leyland cypress, blue ice cypress and Virginia pine. They also offer handmade wreaths, garlands and greenery.

While the farm opens to customers during the Christmas season in November and December, growing and grooming the trees is a year-round job, including replanting in January and trimming twice yearly.

But what’s most important is offering families a holiday event that hopefully becomes a tradition.

“We definitely want memories to be made here on the farm,” Brittany says. “We want kids to remember choosing their tree, riding the barrel train, enjoying hot chocolate and spending some special family time here in the country.”

See more: Find the Napa Valley of the South in Clarke County, Mississippi

Hammerhead Armor

“Made in America” is not a marketing pitch at Mississippi’s Hammerhead Armor, but a firmly stated fact stamped into every piece masterfully created by the company’s skilled craftsmen. The “armor” offered is an array of protective after-market bumpers and accessories custom-engineered for pickups as well as first responder, law enforcement and fleet vehicles.

Operating from a 70,000-square-foot facility in Bay Springs, Hammerhead Armor’s team designs, engineers and manufactures its products, including laser cutting, bending, welding and powder coating each piece.

“We pride ourselves on the durability and strength of our products,” says Reed Simon, the company’s sales manager. “And the fact that everything is manufactured from start to finish in the U.S. sets us apart.”

While consumer vehicles such as pickups and SUVs remain Hammerhead’s largest market, Simon points to a marketing emphasis leading to a growing penetration in the law enforcement, first responder and commercial fleet markets.