Christmas is right around the corner, and you know what that means — gifts and more gifts.
With that in mind, we curated a gift basket for you with products from few of Burnaby's local artisans and businesses to show our love for the local creative and entrepreneurial spirit.
Step 1: the basics
To create a good gift basket, we need to start with a good basket.
Handwoven baskets are hard to come by, and for good reason — you need to be exceptionally skilled to weave them.
Indaba is a BC-based (Vancouver Island) company that sources handwoven baskets from skilled artisans from around the world, including India.
Its products can be found at many locations, including three Burnaby retailers: Gardenworks Mandeville, Me & Gee Lifestyle Boutique and L'Atelier Sandie Bell.
Step 2: Filling the gift basket
This is the step that requires the most thought and personalization.
For this gift basket, we chose from a wide range of staples, including chocolates, spices, meats and more.
Perfect pairing: wine and cheese
Who doesn't love a good bottle of wine? While store-bought wine is perfect for many, some might prefer a DIY approach.. Bosagrape Winery and Brew Supplies has all the kits and equipment you need to make your own wine at home.
We are including a DIY Meglioli Amorosso (Italy) wine kit in the basket.
The company also has at-home beermaking kits and kits to make cheese and kombucha.
We included wine, so it is only natural to include cheese. We chose fresh handcrafted artisan Smokehouse Aged Cheddar from the Village Cheese Company in Armstrong, B.C., obtained from one of Burnaby's favourite meat markets and delis, Cioffi's.
There are over 250 varieties of cheese, so don't be shy when you visit the deli — did we tell you Michael Buble was spotted at the market earlier in the month?
We want you to bring the taste of Italy to your home, so we are adding some Italian classics like spaghetti, olive oil and chili for some homemade Aglio e Olio — perfect to cozy up for this winter.
For the beer lovers
No matter the season, beer is one of the must-have items in a gift basket. We've added the classic Burnabarian from one of Burnaby's favourite brewers, Dageraad Brewing. They have other holiday options like Anno 2022, a strong golden ale brewed with hints of Okanagan pears and Indian coriander.
Way to the heart is through the stomach
Will a gift basket ever be complete without chocolates? Not for us.
We added a holiday Eggnog Cruffin from Burnaby pastry chef Chez Christophe (available only on Dec. 23 and 24 in the store) as well as Tree, Reindeer and Snowman Chocolate Lollipops.
Winter is incomplete without hot chocolates, so we added a box of four hot chocolate bombs — 'OG,' which has milk chocolate shell, marshmallows, homemade and cocoa; 'Peppermint,' with milk chocolate shell, peppermint-soaked marshmallows, homemade cocoa and crushed candy canes; 'Bday,' with white chocolate sprinkle shell, marshmallows and white hot chocolate; and 'Cookies N' Cream,' with white chocolate Oreo shell, marshmallows, homemade cocoa and Hershey's kiss — from Burnaby-based Cross Country Cake Off TV personality Jenna Rawji's Sweet Tooth Baking.
Pamper your skin and your soul
For this, we went a little across the border to New Westminster, for handmade soaps from Simon’s Soapbox. Made by Simon, the star soapmaker along with his sister, Caroline Short. The soaps are made with fair trade Shea butter, clays and essential oils.
Scents are classic gifting options, but instead of the traditional perfumes, we are including travel-friendly solid perfumes and dessert candles from Alpaca Studios for this gift basket.
We didn't forget your pets
Your cute pets need self-care as much as you do.
We included the paw cleansers from your Burnaby neighbours, Angeline Rosadi and Lorenzo, who run their small-scale company, Pawlosophy.
We hope that this specially curated gift basket made with products from local businesses and artisans will help brighten your holidays and encourage you to support your local artisans.
