Hoosier State Today

What began as a 90-team competition has narrowed to the final four in the Indiana Chamber's fourth annual Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana tournament. The semifinalists were announced after quarterfinal voting concluded on Tuesday night.

The contest now enters its semifinal stage, with voting commencing this morning. The four contenders represent different cities across Indiana:

- Country Roads Coffee from Albion, offering fresh-roasted coffee.

- Guardian Bikes from Seymour, known for their kid’s bicycles.

- Hard Truth Whiskey Co. from Nashville, producing sweet mash whiskey.

- Harpsicle Harps from Rising Sun, crafting handcrafted harps.

Three of these semifinalists have participated in previous tournaments, including last year’s runner-up Hard Truth Whiskey Co., while Harpsicle Harps is a newcomer to the event.

Voting schedules are set with semifinals running from November 27 to December 2 and finals scheduled for December 3 to 5. Details on contestants and product descriptions are available on the event’s website. Fans can vote online at www.indianachamber.com/coolestthing and must participate in all matchups during any round they choose to vote.

Vanessa Green Sinders, president and CEO of the Indiana Chamber, remarked on the heightened interest and competition this year: “The interest in the Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana contest has been intense this year, and the competition fierce,” she said. “With that intensity in mind, we applaud the four semifinalists and their incredible products as they battle to determine who is the ‘coolest.’”

This year's program sees collaboration between the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC). The IDDC's "IN Indiana" marketing campaign is part of this year's contest, structured like a single-elimination tournament reminiscent of Hoosier Hysteria.

Participation is free; however, entries must be manufactured within Indiana though companies need not be headquartered there. Each company can nominate only one product for entry.

In previous years, winners included Hoosier Racing Tire for its racing tire last year; Janus Motorcycles of Goshen was honored in the inaugural competition; Maple Leaf Farms received recognition in 2022 for its roast half duck.

Awards will be presented at the Best IN Manufacturing Awards Luncheon on December 11 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom. The tournament is supported by Purdue Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Purdue MEP) as spirit sponsor along with gold sponsor Kalenborn Abresist Corporation and silver sponsors Evonik Tippecanoe Laboratories and Kimball Electronics Jasper.