Upper Peninsula Gifts
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Michigan Made Gift Guide: Upper Peninsula Gifts

Looking for the best Michigan gift ideas for every Michigander (or Michigander at heart) on your holiday shopping list? We’ve curated the Ultimate Michigan Gifts Guide and are fine-tuning it weekly!

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Need to buy a gift for someone in your life? These Upper Peninsula gifts ideas are perfect for any gift-giving occasion!

Original Wool Stormy Kromer Cap

Upper Peninsula Gift Guide - The Awesome Mitten
WeThe original wool Stormy Kromer cap

Born in 1876, George “Stormy” Kromer was a railroad engineer who often had to stick his head out the window (and into the wind) to see where he was headed. Mother Nature stole his cap more than once, so in 1903 he asked his wife Ida to modify an old baseball cap to help keep it on his noggin during windy weather, and an Upper Peninsula icon was born.

Manufactured in Ironwood, the Stormy Kromer is quite possibly the U.P.’s most famous product. Now offered in dozens of variety’s, from wool to waxed cotton, I think the classic Kromer is still tough to beat. Available at www.stormykromer.com.

Upper Peninsula Bottle Opener

Up Bottle Opener

Have a Yooper on your holiday shopping list who loves to entertain? This Upper Peninsula bottle opener would be the perfect piece to gift for their bar space! Check the Price

Yooper Fire Starters

We can’t overstate how wonderful these Yooper fire starters are. Escanaba based Lake State Industries’ most popular product is so good, I’ve used them to start roaring fires from crappy wet wood scavenged from the forest floor. No longer will you need newspaper or kindling to start a fire. Just light one of these babies, plop a couple of big chunks of wood on top of it, and relax.

Did we mention that these fire starters are made by mentally and physically disabled Upper Peninsula residents, and your purchase helps keep them employed? How about that they’re made from upcycled toilet paper rolls and newspaper? Or that they’re extremely affordable? Yep, we’ll say it…. this one is a win-win-win. You can get the fire starters on their own or in one of Lake State’s awesome crates.

Keweenaw Coffee Works Coffee

Upper Peninsula Gift Guide - The Awesome Mitten
Keweenaw Coffee Works – “Da North Woods” Roast

Iron Mountain native Valerie Baciak and her husband Nate run the recently opened, Calumet based Keweenaw Coffee Works. They offer six different high-quality roasts on their website, and my favorite so far (I haven’t tried them all) is “Da North Woods roast.” Good stuff. Find it at keweenawcoffeeworks.com.

Upper Peninsula Swoosh T-shirt

Upper Peninsula Gift Guide - The Awesome Mitten
“U.P. Swoosh” T-Shirt

Last plug for my own products, I promise. The U.P. Swoosh shirt sports the “U.P. Swoosh” part of my Things to do in the U.P. logo on an extremely soft, slightly heathered cotton blend shirt that will feel like an old favorite the moment you slip it on. Printed in the U.P. by Ishpeming Based Yooper Shirts and available in several colors, I’m sure you’ll love this shirt has much as I do.

Donkers’ Signature Box

Upper Peninsula Gift Guide - The Awesome Mitten
Donkers’ Signature Box

Get all of Donckes’ signature handmade confections conveniently packaged in one box. I’m not a huge candy lover, and even I would love to get one of these. Put together by Marquette based Donkers, this and their many other candy filled gift baskets would make a wonderful addition to any gift opening ceremony. Available at donkersonline.com.

Call of the Yooper Campfire Grill

Upper Peninsula Gift Guide - The Awesome Mitten
Call of the Yooper Campfire Grill

This made in Michigan campfire grill was created by Manistique native James Studinger, publisher of the Call of the Yooper website. The grill is designed for both function and ease of use. After watching the demo video, I’m definitely looking forward to getting my hands on one of these. This grill takes up much less trunk space than one of those mini Weber grills, yet gets you about sixty percent more cooking area. I’m sold.

Iverson Snowshoes

Upper Peninsula Gift Guide - The Awesome Mitten
Iverson’s “Cross Country” snowshoes

Shingleton-based Iverson Snowshoes has been making these awesome classics for over 50 years. It started back in 1954 when Clarence Iverson began building snowshoes for the State of Michigan. His designs provided maximum weight distribution for optimum flotation. News of the Iverson Snowshoe spread and demand brought Iverson’s products into the consumer market.

Given that current snowshoes are all aluminum and neoprene, I love that you can still buy these wood and rawhide classics and that they’re as beautiful as ever. Hang them on your wall when you’re not using them. These winter walkers double as art.

I hope this list helps you with your holiday shopping! We all know there are many more great Upper Peninsula products available, though, (I only have so much space!) so tell us about your favorite U.P. product in the comments!

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