Home »
News & Trends »
Featured Articles

Gifts to Savor

From cheesemaking kits to tea sets to interesting cuts of imported pasta, savory foods add a dash of flavor to holiday gift sales.

by Denise Shoukas

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK FERRI; FOOD STYLED BY A.J. BATTIFARANO; PROPS STYLED BY FRAN MATALON-DEGNI

While many customers’ thoughts turn to sweet treats around the holidays, there are a host of savory food and beverage gift items on the market that stand out, whether as a hostess gift, thank-you present or stocking stuffer.

“The great thing about savory gifts is that they are perfect for family presents or corporate offices where there is a snack in the gift that appeals to just about everyone,” says Jane Riddick-Fries of Feridies/The Peanut Patch, Courtland, Va., which offers a line of gift items including the Nut-rageous combination, three 9-ounce tins of cashews, almonds and naturally opened pistachios in a gift box.

Here is a selection of savory food and beverage gifts for your customers to consider. Some are packaged in gift packs and others are single units that can be part of a custom basket or given on their own.

INSPIRATIONAL CHEESES

Cypress Grove Chevre Flashback Six-Pack

Cypress Grove took a look back when creating its new Flashback Six-Pack, an assortment of five 1960s-inspired flavors of 4-ounce fresh chevre discs. Two newly reformulated varieties created by owner Mary Keehn include PsycheDillic, seasoned with fragrant dill pollen and dried dill leaves, and Sgt. Pepper, which is spiced up with four different peppers, plus chile pepper threads. Herbs de Humboldt, Ms. Natural and two discs of Purple Haze round out the set. The gift pack is sold by Cypress Grove at its online store, but you can take inspiration from the creation by helping your customers make up their own gift from the pack’s individual cheeses, which are available for retail sale. Flashback Six-Pack: $75; individual cheeses: $5.75–$25. cypressgrovechevre.com

Roaring Brook Dairy
Mozzarella Cheesemaking Kit

NASFT’s trendspotter panel of food writers identified do-it-yourself food gifts as a recent hot trend from the Summer Fancy Food Show, and this Mozzarella Cheesemaking Kit is a perfect example. “In addition to loving the design of the kit, people really like the concept,” says Leslie Kozupsky, owner of Roaring Brook Dairy, Chappaqua, N.Y. The kit makes more than 4 pounds of mozzarella cheese (1 pound at a time). While not created solely as a gift item, its appeal lies in how ideal it is for families and friends to make together, or how it’s simply great for foodies interested in learning for themselves how to make mozzarella. Mozzarella Cheesemaking Kit: $18.50. roaringbrookdairy.com

BEVERAGES WITH PRESENCE

Ito En Teas’ Tea Matcha Gift Set

The latest gift set from Ito En North America Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., includes a traditional Japanese tea bowl, bamboo tea whisk, tea scoop and Matcha in a bamboo lattice box. “It’s the perfect gift for the tea novice or aficionado, with the accoutrements to make a traditional cup of ceremonial green tea,” says Rona Tison, senior vice president, corporate relations. “Giving a gift of tea is sharing health and wellness with friends and family. There is a special appeal about giving a ritual of teamaking for its relaxation and hospitality.” Teas’ Tea Matcha Gift Set: $34. itoen.com

Wine-A-Rita Mix-It-Up! Gift Pack

Introduced in June, this newest item from the Texarkana, Texas, supplier of specialty drink mixes was developed with gift-giving in mind. “We wanted to create a gift item that contained all of our flavors and was affordable as well,” says co-owner Donna Griffin. The company’s mixes usually come in 12-ounce packages yielding two blender-fuls with a suggested retail of $12, but Mix-It-Up! contains five one-blender portions of each flavor: Wine-Glacé, Peach Bellini, CosmoRita, Señorita and Berry Pom-A-Rita. “Consumers love it because they can try all the flavors for a reasonable price, and the box is eye catching so they don’t have to repackage it to give as a gift,” Griffin adds. Mix-It-Up! Gift Pack: $24. wineglace.com

CREATIVE PASTA CREATIONS

Al Dente Pasta Wholee Grain-Ohlee Gift Pack

This gift pack from Al Dente Pasta, Whitmore Lake, Mich., is good for the health-conscious or time-pressed consumer. It includes one pack each of Multigrain Fettuccine, Roasted Garlic Whole Wheat Fettuccine and Fabulous Whole Wheat Fettuccine with Flax, each of which cook in just three to four minutes. Additionally, the company’s newest pasta for gift baskets is Pappardelle, in Golden Egg and Garlic & Herb varieties. “Pappardelle is still not as widely available as other cuts, therefore people who like to be ahead of the curve are discovering it and gifting it,” says Monique Deschaine, co-owner. Wholee Grain-Ohlee Gift Pack: $15; Pappardelle (sold individually): $3.39. aldentepasta.com

Doral International’s
La Favorita Pastas

Doral International, Bayside, N.Y., offers innovative gift options with its La Favorita Pastas—in flavors such as White Truffle, Porcini, Chocolate and Chili Pepper, Chestnut, Salmon and Basil. “These unique and elegant flavors make them perfect for gifts, and they are very popular in baskets,” says owner Dora Lara Bonaccolta. La Favorita Pastas: $11.50 boxes, $10 bags. doralgourmet.com

CONDIMENTS FOR THE COOK

DeMedici Imports Flor del Delta Sea Salt Gift Pack

Introduced in May, this selection of sea salts was created by three-Michelin–starred Chef Joan Roca of El Celler de Can Roca in Spain. The salts are hand-harvested from the Trinidad Salt Pans, and include combinations with pepper (specialty Jamaican, Sichuan, pink, white and black peppercorns); spices (Sichuan pepper, cardamom, ginger, coriander, cinnamon and star anise); and fine herbs (dill, tarragon and star anise) in a gift pack of four. Flor del Delta Sea Salt Gift Pack: $30. demedici.com

B.R. Cohn’s Citrus Olive Oil Gift Set

This citrus collection is B.R. Cohn Winery & Olive Oil Company’s newest wood-box gift collection. Because the boxes are packed by hand, customers can select any three of the citrus flavors, including Blood Orange, Meyer Lemon, Mandarin Orange and Lime olive oils. “We press the fruit along with the olives, resulting in balanced, versatile oils,” says Lezette Yearby, B.R. Cohn’s national sales manager. “They make a distinctive gift and are perfect in any recipe or simply tasted alone.” Each gift includes recipes, such as one for Blood Orange Brownies. Citrus Olive Oil Gift Set: $33. brcohn.com

SATISFYING SNACKS

Salem Baking Company’s
Blue Stilton Cheese Straws Gift Tin

Artisanal cheese makes a coveted gift, especially when it’s turned into addictive, bite-size cheese straws. Salem Baking Company’s new Blue Stilton Cheese Straws, packaged in an octagonal tin, are made with more than 40 percent Blue Stilton imported exclusively from Long Clawson Dairy in Leicestershire, England. “Historically, cheese straws were created to highlight and preserve the flavors of fine cheeses,” says Brooke Smith, president of the Winston-Salem, N.C., company. “Our straws are still baked in that tradition: We add ingredients like pure cream butter, wheat flour and a blend of spices to let cheeses like this Blue Stilton shine through.” She adds, “They’re perfect paired with wines, alongside soups or salads, or as a rich, savory snack.” Blue Stilton Cheese Straws Gift Tin: $12.99. salembaking.com

479° Popcorn Black Truffle P.I.Y. Kit

By combining one of the most sophisticated flavors—truffles—with an all-time favorite snack, San Francisco’s 479° Popcorn has created a memorable gift with its Black Truffle P.I.Y. Kit. “This Kit is a party in a box. It is perfect for foodies, home chefs and those who love to entertain,” says owner Jean Arnold. The Kit includes organic heirloom popcorn, black truffle oil and truffle-infused sea salt, as well as fun paper cones for serving. Individual boxes also are available online and in stores in flavors such as Pimentòn de La Vera and Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt, which can be added to gift baskets. Black Truffle P.I.Y. Kit: $45; individual boxes: $4.99. 479popcorn.com

In addition to these products, consider merchandizing other savory items on your shelves for the holidays. The item doesn’t have to have seasonal packaging to inspire gift-hunting customers as long as the presentation is appealing and the flavors are intriguing. The popularity of savory food gifts is simple, says George Barrett, a wine buyer for Jerry’s Gourmet & More in Englewood, N.J., an 18-year-old specialty retailer that sells upwards of 3,000 gift baskets during the holidays. “Everybody eats and everybody drinks!” |SFM|

Create Gift-ability

Specialty food suppliers offer tips on getting the most out of savory food gift items.

Offer custom options. Feridies/The Peanut Patch, Courtland, Va., added a Create Your Own Peanut Gift Box to its line in 2007. Consumers select two favorite varieties of specialty nuts, which are packed in a cleverly shaped Peanut Gift Box, along with a gift message. With one-third of sales coming from gift items and the continued success of this concept, Feridies added four additional boxes and more offerings, such as a Duo Gift Box, a 3 Pack Gift Box and a 4 Pack Gift Box, last year.

Add some extras. Several suppliers combine food products with household items or kitchen gadgets for a complete gift. For example, grains can be a hard sell as a gift, says Caryl Levine, co-founder and co-owner of Lotus Foods, Richmond, Calif., in part because consumers can be intimidated about cooking them. Lotus solves that by combining its exotic specialty rice, such as Forbidden Rice or Bhutanese Red Rice, in a gift with a stainless steel rice cooker. “I believe that this combination, albeit the most expensive, is successful,” she says. “Many people would like to eat more specialty rice but they don’t know how to cook it. A rice cooker makes it easy to prepare and enjoy exotic tastes from faraway places.”

Monique Deschaine, co-owner, Al Dente Pasta, Whitmore Lake, Mich., says, “In all of our gift packs, we add value and fun by including hand-rolled beeswax candles and recipe cards clipped with a wooden clothespin, with our website hand-stamped on it. The clip can be used to re-seal the bag of pasta. People love this. As we know, it’s the little things.”

Create a range of prices. Feridies’ Riddick-Fries notes that the most important element to marketing a savory specialty food as a gift is price point. “We find that customers have a person in mind they want to send a gift to and an amount of money they want to spend on that person.” To create a comprehensive selection span, she says, “We create options that meet the certain popular price points, like $19.99, $24.99, $49.99 and even $99.99.”

While the economy remains a deciding factor when choosing food gifts, some suppliers say there’s still room for indulgence. One of Doral International’s most exclusive offerings—the Acetaia San Giacomo Gift Box—has a suggested retail price of $550. The steep price tag doesn’t pose a challenge in sales as the item has been offered for 10 years. “These traditional balsamics are very controlled and so the number of available bottles is always limited, making it an exclusive gift,” says Dora Bonaccolta, owner of the Bayside, N.Y., company. The gift set consists of three bottles, one each of Gold Seal, Silver Seal and Red Seal Traditional Balsamic. “A single bottle of Gold Seal costs $300, so the $550 is not really that high when you consider what you’re getting,” notes Bonaccolta.

To appeal to the less extravagant shopper, suppliers often promote single-unit products as gift-worthy at an attractive price. One example is DeMedici Imports’ Benedetto Cavalieri Pasta, a line of assorted cuts that provides a distinctive gift option for under $10, says Steve Kaufmann, executive vice president of the Elizabeth, N.J., company. The pasta, with a suggested retail price of $8.95, is made traditionally: the dough slowly passes through special bronze dies designed to create each shape. The artisan method gives the pasta a rough-textured surface to which sauce clings rather than slipping off.

Tell a story. Giving a gift that tells a story can move sales. While pushing to expand from its loyal following in Connecticut to surrounding states, Peter Terzakis and his co-partner Silvio Suppa, of Chef Silvio’s of Wooster Street, in Guilford, Ct., bottled Chef Silvio’s sauces in an informative gift pack. Its design has visuals accompanying the tale of Chef Silvio’s career as an Italian chef. Terzakis says, “We knew the best way to educate people about him was to come out with products they could take home and tell them more about his award-winning food. By telling the story, it has greater potential to draw in new buyers.”

Remember that presentation is every-thing. Creminelli Fine Meats LLC, Salt Lake City, Utah, offers artisan salamis produced by renowned Italian salumi-maker Cristiano Creminelli. While they are packaged beautifully individually, the company puts a lot of thought into what makes an appealing gift presentation. “We try to create a theme that ties a number of gifts together and group them in an attractive box or other package,” says Chris Bowler, president, who estimates that gift sales are at 10 percent of all sales, mostly sold over the holidays at retail, online and through catalogs. “We also make sure to ship them in an attractive shipper box so that the experience of receiving them in the mail starts as soon as they see the package.”

Denise Shoukas is a contributing editor to Specialty Food Magazine.

This article was featured in the September 2011 issue of Specialty Food Magazine. See other articles in this issue at: September 2011 Specialty Food Magazine.