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Gourmet Gift Baskets
Sinfully Decadent Treats |
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Written by Anja Sonnenberga
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| Rich, wood tones with cherry and walnut finishes are replacing the glitz and glamour of big gold and silver baskets. This gift basket, from Gift-Pak, has additional add-ons to entice cutomers to upgrade their purchase. |
Sinfully Decadent Treats vs. Healthy Alternatives
Gift Baskets, like flowers, follow changing trends and will influence what your customers will ask for when they come into your shop. With the vast selection of decadent treats available, how can you be certain that you’ll have what they’ll ask for? There are always the tried and true items that can be found in any gift basket, but each year there is something new and exciting to be found.
“I think year after year, where gourmet food and gift baskets are concerned, the popular items are truffles and chocolate,” says Ashok (Sunny) Sahney of
Saskco Gourmet Basket Supplies. “I think people always try and give what has been tired and tested. They always go with the safest products.”
The health craze that swept the country did influence what customers were ordering in their gift baskets, but Sahney believes that the craze is starting to fade.
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Whether your creating a gift basket with chocolates, cookies, cheese and crackers, or beverage mixes, customers will appreciate a large selection.
Photo courtesy of KIS Global Flavors Inc.
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Not all gift baskets are filled with chocolate and sweets. Other popular items are extra-virgin olive oil, large stuffed olives for the growing trend in martinis, and infused oils.
Photo courtesy of KIS Global Flavors Inc. |
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Gift baskets can be created using a variety of containers. This particular ‘basket’ from Gift-Pak, is assembled using a shallow, metal tin with a sunflower accent, which helps create the overall theme of the gift basket.
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“People are indulging in sinful things, and I find that they are consuming more chocolate and candy then ever before.”
Jayvee Papilla, of Allied Asia Ltd., has noticed the health food trend changing what customers are asking for.
“They want everything to be light,” says Papilla. “And any products that are organic, like chips and pasta, are hot right now.”
Mary Costello of KIS Global Flavors Inc. agrees that the health food craze has redirected the gourmet food industry, but she says customers are now choosing quality over quantity.
“People are prepared to spend more money on higher end products,” says Costello. The suppliers are also aware of this trend, and some have re-examined their chocolate to remove any additives. This has also caused them to redesign their packaging.
“Your getting smaller packages at a better price point,” Costello says. “Instead of getting a package of 24 pieces of chocolate, you’re now getting nine. They’ve gone back to European standards, as opposed to North American standards.” The chocolate is still in high demand says Costello, but she’s noticing a trend towards darker chocolates and European gourmet mixes.
Darlene Scharette of Gift-Pak in Mississauga, Ontario, has also tried carrying healthy products, but most of her customers tend to buy ‘comfort foods’ for gift baskets.
“When people give gift baskets, they want it to be full of calories. We’re putting a big push on hand-made chocolates this year.”
A basket of sweets is high on the popularity scale, but don’t forget the cheese, extra-virgin olive oil and extra large stuffed olives for the growing trend in martinis, lox, crackers, beverages, and infused oils. Sharon L. Schmidt, from Intertrade Gourmet Canada Ltd., in Coquitlam, B.C., says gourmet food can be considered any item that you don’t find on the weekly shopping list.
“Why serve lox on cream cheese, when you can have smoked wild salmon on cracked black pepper crackers with a dollop of wasabi lime mustard? In my opinion, gourmet food will always have its place, just as upscale neighbourhood markets do,” says Schmidt.
Scharette has noticed the increased popularity in sauces over the past few years, which would explain the number of new flavours released every year.
“There are an awful lot of sauces now. I think there is a real trend in fiery, hot sauces,” says Scharette. She does caution florists when using spicy items in gift baskets, because you want to put things in that everyone will like.
Gift basket Tidbits:
• Gift baskets became popular in the early 1900s, as an offshoot of a baby bassinet, which was filled with powders, lotions, a comb, brush, and soaps.
• In 2003, the gift basket industry topped $3.5 billion (U.S.) in sales. This figure reflects cumulative gift basket sales at specialty shops, department and grocery stores, and other retail stores.
• Open-and-eat snacks such as popcorn, pretzels, chocolate, nuts, and crackers are the most popular items because the receiver can immediately enjoy the contents.
• The average price for a single gift basket is $45-50 (U.S.)
• The biggest mistake when assembling a gift basket is combining fragrant items with chocolate. Chocolates are porous confections that will absorb fragrance.
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So what will be popular for the holiday season this year? Sahney is predicting that Saskco’s cranberry white chocolate fudge covered popcorn is going to be a hit. Not only does it taste great, but it also looks very pretty when packaged in a gift basket.
Ma’s Kitchen’s Crunch is the latest craze from Gift-Pak.
“It’s the best chocolate treat I’ve had in my life,” says Scharette. “It has a butter crunch with chopped nuts, which is then coated in fine chocolate.” Available in a variety of sizes, this delightful treat is destined to be a hit with chocolate lovers.
Petit Perigord, a chocolate covered walnut from KIS Global Flavors Inc., is a popular item because of the omega threes in walnuts. The Wasabi Lime Mustard from Intertrade is a hot item, which strays from the sweeter side. Papilla says drink mixes are very popular right now, including exotic teas. With a large selection of gourmet food at Allied Asia Ltd., Papilla has noticed that salsas are flying off the shelf.
“Everyone wants salsa right now. Either mild, hot, or even fruit salsa.”
Whether you’re creating a basket with chocolates, cookies, cheese and crackers, or hot beverages such as coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, customers will appreciate a large selection of products. Don’t forget to offer them an assortment of sizes. Smaller baskets allow the customer the opportunity to buy a variety of baskets, as opposed to just one. For those spicier items, try making themed baskets, which cater to specific tastes – a Chocolate Lover’s Basket, Cajun Collection, Simply Salty, Sauces and Dips, BBQ Bounty, Decadent Treats, etc.
Of course, the basket itself can be used as selling tool when promoting gourmet food to customers.
“We seem to be moving away from the glitz and glamour of big gold and silver baskets. Instead we’re seeing more rich, wood tones – cherry and walnut finishes on baskets,” says Scharette. “Ribbons are still gold and silver, but a lot of bronze and coppers are coming into style. Burgundy, which was a popular a few years ago, is beginning to fade. It’s now being replaced with blues, greens, and golds for the overall packaging colour scheme of gift baskets.
“The designs tend to be more of an old-world charm or French country theme.” Baskets are an obvious choice when creating a package of gourmet treats, but don’t forget other containers. Scharette has noticed an increase in the popularity of different types of containers for gift baskets. Costello believes that baskets have a higher WOW effect than any other wrapped gifts. Customers save time shopping and gift wrapping when they consider a gourmet gift basket, it also helps alleviate the problem of what to buy says Costello.
“Gift baskets and the overall gift giving market is a growing trend. The customer profile representing this growth is attributed to the 35-45 age group, followed by the 25-35 age group,” Costello says. “As such, gift baskets are becoming more youthful and are introducing a demand for innovative product mixes, healthy and trendy items, and youthful packaging.”
As florists, you also need to let your customers know that you carry gourmet gift baskets. During the holidays, you could promote a combination package – flowers and treats. With a long shelf life, gourmet food is an ideal choice to be displayed and sold in flower shops across the country. Customers come into a your shop to indulge themselves or someone they love. Send them home with a basket of tasty treats and an armful of blooms, and you’ll be sure to make a few people smile.
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