Whether it’s for Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas itself, here are some gifts that not only taste spectacular but have a thoughtful story, crafted by passionate entrepreneurs seeking a more artisanal and regenerative food and agriculture supply chain .
Enzo’s Olio Nuovo set.
Based in California, Enzo is a fourth-generation family-owned business that makes organic olive oil, vinegar, and delicious snacks. However, it is that time of year when this year’s crop is squeezed. Enzo is 100% organic and homegrown Olive Nuovo, the first pressed olive oil of 2022 is ready for your party table. Fresher, more powerful and a much fuller oil, this is the cream of the crop. Due to the first pressing, only limited quantities are available per harvest, and because Olio Nuovo is not filtered, it has a shorter shelf life than the oil on the store shelves. Bring a bottle to dinner or buy a box set for the olive oil lover in the family.
Buy a single bottle of the Arbequina Olio Nuovo, single variety 2022. Or opt for their 3-bottle Olio nuovo gift set as a more luxurious gift. If you want to make sure this holiday salad is dressed up properly, the ENZO premiere has both red and white wine vinegar plus a bottle of olive oil.
Brooklyn Delhi’s spicy mango chutney.
Brooklyn Delhi is the beloved Indian-American food brand founded by cookbook author Chitra Agrawal. Chitra has recently entered into a partnership with a single-origin spice company Jute & Barrel to create a unique seasoning: Spicy mango chutney, with heirloom Kashmiri chili peppers grown on a family farm in Pampore, Kashmir. (Note: It tastes great on eggs, as a dipping sauce on the side, or with Indian food of course). For the holidays, she has a spicy and sweet trio of some of her pantry essentials: Roasted Garlic Achar, Tomato Acharand Mango Chutney. (And yes, she’s the one who recently took on Trader Joe’s on their “aachar” copycat. Get the real stuff instead!)
Saltverk harvests these sea salts with geothermal energy.
Saltverk’s medley of salts features the scents, sights and flavors of Iceland: arctic thyme (which grows wild), smoked birch and lava salts. These hand-harvested salts are obtained thanks to the geothermal energy of the country and are an integral part of the company’s identity. Based in the Westfjords, access to their salt workshop requires some planning, especially in the winter months when weather conditions can engulf entire communities. These salts transport you to the icy beauty of Iceland.
Beyond Good’s Madagascar Collection.
Beyond Good has a unique model in the world of chocolate making. Their products are made in Madagascar (and Uganda) in an effort to create more jobs and value for those closer to the supply chain. Plus, Beyond Good was doing agroforestry (before it was a trend) and supporting research into how the cocoa trees in the middle of a forest can be a sanctuary for the native lemur population (which are on the verge of extinction) – and be so prominent in their branding and on their packaging. (They have now too individual sized maki shaped dark chocolates.)
They have a nice one this holiday season Madagascar small batch collection gift box including three small batch chocolate bars (Madagascar Vanilla Bean, Madagascar Plantain & Sea Salt and Madagascar Fleur de Sel) made with the complex, fruity flavors of Madagascar cocoa, and combined with unique, local ingredients from the country. It also looks so nice that you can do without the gift wrapping.
For the chef or baker in your family, consider the Discover vanilla gift box made from Beyond Good’s single origin Pure vanilla extract and Pure Ground Vanilla. The latter is really sublime.
Piment d’Ville is their signature California-grown version of Piment d’Espelette.
Boonville Barn Collective is a seven-acre ranch, owned by Krissy Scommegna, that sustainably grows unique chili peppers and produces unique chili powders in Northern California’s Anderson Valley. Piment d’Ville is their signature California-grown version of Piment d’Espelette. Peppery, sweet and slightly spicy, it offers a lot of layered flavor, without overpowering heat. For the herb lover in your household, this is a wonderful gift to support local agriculture here in the US. Choose from two of their bundles, the Piment d’Ville collection or Chili Powder Collection. Add it to risottos, pastas, fancy toasts, eggs – the gamut.
Telmont aims to be fully organic by 2025.
Champagne Telmont is a luxury sustainable champagne brand and part of the Remy Cointreau family. It has some interesting environmental goals: converting all vines to organic by 2025, abandoning all air freight, reducing the weight of bottles (not the champagne in them), and doing away with gift wrapping altogether this season. Telmont says that just this last step of eliminating unnecessary packaging has reduced the CO2 impact of each bottle by more than 8%.
Founded in 1912, the Telmont champagne house is located in Damery, near Épernay, France. In 2017, it obtained its first AB certification (organic farming) for part of its vineyard. of Telmont Reserve de la Terre is their first fully certified organic cuvée. However, all of their champagnes are sustainably sourced and a more affordable bottle is the Reserve gross.
It is vacation. If you want a special treat, nothing beats a nice bottle of champagne – not wrapped in plastic.
Dr. Bronner’s new cool peppermint cream bars
Dr. Bronner’s launched chocolates last year and took them out of the soap aisle. This holiday season, they have a new flavor that your guests will love: Cool peppermint cream chocolate , with a soft, sweet caramel peppermint filling that harks back to Dr. Bronner for peppermint scented products. Combined with complex notes of roasted cocoa from Ghana and Ivory Coast, coconut sugar from Indonesia, vanilla from Madagascar and cocoa butter from Congo, it is a more elevated mint chocolate bar. A new take on the classic after-dinner chocolate mint treat. The cocoa beans used in Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One Chocolate are grown using regenerative organic farming practices through small-scale fair trade.
Not a peppermint fan? They also do great hazelnut, almondand coconut praline bars! Probably find a match for everyone.
Diaspora’s New Masala Renaissance Box.
The Diaspora Masala Renaissance 6 pcs: colorful, fun and tasteful. But above all, Diaspora’s commitment to working with smallholder farmers in India – and the transparency of their supply chain – means that the premium prices actually support these farmers who are the backbone of the country’s agriculture (if you really want to dive in, check out their first impact report). For the cook in the family, treat them to this six-pack, or even just a single pot of one of their bestsellers such as Pragati Turmeric, Aranya pepperor Kashmiri peppers.
Build your own box of dried fruit and nuts from Afghanistan.
Ziba buys heirloom and organically grown nuts and dried fruit from Afghan farmers. Now that 80 percent of the company’s workforce is female, they hope they can help change the narrative around working women in Afghanistan. Ziba (meaning “beautiful”) offers year-round wages, in addition to perks such as free English lessons, and strives to combine profit with purpose.
The dried mulberries are a real treat, as are the kishmish, or raisins. The heirloom almonds taste better than your grocery store offerings. Make a custom box for the wholesome nut in the family who is likely to appreciate this thoughtful companionship.
Steeped Coffee offers compostable coffee bags.
If you have a friend who can’t go a few days without coffee, even if they’re camping somewhere remote, these compostable coffee bags are a great idea for enjoying that cup of coffee at camp.
Santa Cruz-based Steeped Coffee aims to package the freshness of artisan-roasted coffee in a fully compostable, single-use coffee bag (the outer packaging is also compostable). No pods, plugs or equipment required. They have all options from light to medium to decaf and include Fair Trade and organic beans in some of their blends. With a nitro seal, they’re designed to lock in that freshness, even in a bag. Consider getting the outdoor and coffee lover in your circle of friends The lineupwith two of each variety.
With the Green Plum Shiso Butter.
Created by chef, founder, and activist Camilla Marcus, the zero-waste, plant-based brand of snacks, spreads, and pantry essentials has a variety of munchies for the holiday season. But the Limited Edition Green Plum Shiso Butter is a favorite and will take your morning toast to the next level. Sweet and spicy seasonal sour green plums combined with herbaceous shiso leaf and cardamom bring east and west together. These small-batch butters are made with upcycled Green Gage plums (which were too crazy to sell, but tasted great).
Spending the night with a friend this holiday season? Buy a nice sourdough bread and this butter for breakfast. They’ll be glad you came!
Caribbean Jerk Sea Salt
Oregon-based artisanal saltmaker Jacobsen Co. partners with several brands to mix salt with spices. This collaboration is a hit. Work with Spanish urban cuisine owner, Pat Marrett, the Caribbean Jerk Sea Salt is reminiscent of its Jamaican roots. It goes great with meat, but also with vegetables, eggs, on avocado toast, in rice – the possibilities are endless.
