41 Brooklyn products certified as Brooklyn Made

Shopping local just became a whole lot easier, thanks to the Brooklyn Made certification program.

The Brooklyn Made logo will adorn the packaging of 41 newly-certified products – ranging from candy, soda and pasta sauces to shoes, high-end knives and furniture – all made in Brooklyn with Brooklyn or New York products by Brooklyn workers.

One of those products – pasta sauces from Marine Park-based Michael’s of Brooklyn – has been around for three generations and is just one example of the past, present and future of the borough.

“Traveling across the country, we’ve heard people speak nostalgically about Brooklyn, wanting some connection to our great borough,” said chef Michael Cacace. “They can have that connection through our products and food, and this label will help people know what is true Brooklyn and what isn’t. It is an honor to be a part of this.”

David Shulman of Boundless Brooklyn agreed, noting that as a fourth-generation Brooklynite, “it’s an honor to come back to where my family is from” while crafting model kits of iconic Brooklyn monuments which can be played with by a whole new generation.

The certification program, created by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce with assistance from NYU Wagner students, was launched to celebrate Brooklyn’s businesses while also distinguishing their products from imitators trying to cash in on the “Brooklyn” brand.

“You see Brooklyn everywhere, but where are things really Brooklyn-made with Brooklyn jobs, delivery and living,” asked Carlo Scissura, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. “These are the companies that are really ‘Brooklyn,’ and we want to tell the whole world about it.”

“Being part of a movement with the camaraderie and support is very exciting,” said Flora Pringle, who makes her line of all natural, vegan and diabetes-safe candy out of a kitchen space in Bed-Stuy.

“Brooklyn is not a flash in the pan,” noted Gaia Di’Loreto, owner of Carroll Gardens’ By Brooklyn, which sells only Brooklyn-made products by Brooklyn manufacturers. “Brooklyn has a strong, long, deep history of things being made here, with Pfizer and the Standard staples. Now it’s coming back because of space and ideas and it’s incredibly inspiring to be a part of it.”

The latest group of Brooklyn Made products include 25 gold-level, 15 silver level and one bronze-level certification. Items include Brooklyn Soda Works’ soda and sparkling juice line; candy and chocolate from Cracked Candy, Liddabit Sweets, JoMart Chocolates and Raaka Chocolates; custom guitars from Femenella Custom; 3-D printers from MakerBot; and denim from Loren Manufacturing.

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