The 25 Brands Many Call Their Favorite That Got Their Start in Texas

Native Texans, and even those who aren't native to our state but have lived here for many years, take great pride in our state. For good reason, there is a lot to love about our state. The landscape is gorgeous, there is plenty of entertainment and there are a lot of very smart people in our state that come up with some great ideas. Many of those ideas have resulted in brands or products that have achieved national popularity. Today, I'm going to look at 25 Popular Brands that Got Their Start in Texas.

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Corsicana Invention

Food is a big deal in our state which is no surprise that a majority of these brands involve food. One of those food brands was created just outside of East Texas and is certainly a favorite canned chili for many, including myself, Wolf Brand Chili. I love making my own chili, I've been perfecting a recipe for a couple of years now, but if I don't have the time to make a pot, I always go with Wolf Brand Chili.

Lyman T. Davis came up with his chili recipe in 1895. He made the chili and sold it from a wagon in downtown Corsicana. At the time, it was simply called Lyman's Famous Chili. By 1921, Davis was canning his chili and selling it that way. Also around this time, he decided it was a good time to change the name of his chili. He came up with the name Wolf Brand because of his pet wolf. Davis was producing about 2,000 cans of chili per day by 1923.

Wolf Brand Chili was made and canned in Corsicana until 1985 when then owner Quaker Oats decided to shut down the plant. The chili is now made, owned and sold by ConAgra Foods, Inc. The cool thing is, that now 125 plus year old recipe is still used.

Global and National Brands

Other brands got their start in Texas with many becoming nationally known or at least popular enough that they are known across the country and visitors love to make a stop to check them out. Other brands have become a global brand which most entrepreneurs dream about. Below I have listed 25 Popular Brands that Got Their Start in Texas.

Honorable Mentions:

• Pappa’s Restaurants - Started in Houston in 1966
• P. Terry’s - Started in Abilene in 2005
• Pluckers Wing Bar - Started in Austin in 1995
• Hopdoddy - Started in Austin in 2010
• Stripes Convenience Stores - Started in Corpus Christi in 1938