The holidays sure look different this year. While you may be apart from friends and family, you can still spread holiday joy by gifting Vermont specialty foods and beverages. Nothing brings cheer and good will like savory, sweet, and oh-so-delectable treats! Giving the gift of good food and drink this season will also support our state’s hardworking producers, many of which are family owned and operated businesses that sustain the working landscape of Vermont.
We’ve curated a list of VSFA food and beverage producers whose products make gift-giving delicious and easy. Many of these members’ products may be ordered and shipped directly from their website and some are offering special gift collections this season! You will also find many Vermont brands at your local grocer, co-op, independent retailer, or specialty food store. Loved ones near and far are sure to be delighted and impressed by these unique products.
- Blake Hill Preservesis an English fruit preservatory in Vermont creating innovative sweet, savory, and spicy jams, marmalades and condiments for the modern pantry. Their seasonal offerings include special varieties that bring incredible flavor to your holiday gatherings from pie fillings to apple butter, they are delighted to provide you with all the comforts around the holiday from our own families’ traditions to distinctive classics.
- Branon Family Maple Orchards– In the heart of maple country in Fairfield, VT, Branon Family Maple Orchards offers Organic Maple syrup, Maple products, along with a large variety of value-added maple specialties. Check out their New Maple to Go! pouches for great stocking stuffers and gift giving ideas.
- Butternut Mountain Farm – Carefully selected from the syrup production of local families, including their own, Butternut Mountain Farms pure maple syrup has the flavor of Vermont’s pristine maple woodlands. Their specialty line highlights the beauty and simplicity of pure maple syrup, making it the perfect way to share a taste of Vermont this holiday season.
- Fat Toad Farm – Each delicious jar of Fat Toad Farm Caramel is created in Brookfield, Vermont from fresh, locally sourced goat’s milk and simple, all-natural ingredients. Their award-winning goat’s milk caramel sauces are based on the Mexican confection cajeta and are meticulously hand-stirred to velvety perfection. They’ve created a rich and creamy, not-too-sweet caramel that delivers an irresistibly complex flavor. Fat Toad Farm’s Vermont Dessert Box, Snack Box, and Sweet Trio are lovely options for Vermont-made gifts this season.
- goodMixprovides naturopath formulated nut and seed mixes specifically aimed at gut health. Their mixes include a wide range of prebiotic fiber which promotes microbial diversity in the gut flora. They also now offer delicious organic trail mixes with no added salt or sugar so you can snack on the go. Use code GOODMIX20 for 20% off your first order.
- Kestrel Coffee Roasterssources and roasts specialty coffees from all over the world, focusing on single origin coffees from small farms. They are bringing a high quality coffee experience to the people of Burlington, VT and beyond. From your first sip or visit, you’ll understand their enthusiasm, care, and attention to detail. They sell all of their coffees in beautiful 12 oz bags, as well as a pack of three 6 oz samples, which can be paired with their Kestrel-branded travel mugs, tee-shirts, or their homemade Sugared Shortbread.
- Lake Champlain Chocolates – At Lake Champlain Chocolates, making chocolates is their family tradition and gifting it can be yours. Nothing brings greater joy during the holiday season than a gift of fair trade and organic chocolate gifts crafted with Vermont’s best cream, maple and honey. Stuff those stockings with chocolate bars, decorate the holiday table with a miniature chocolate snowman, or go all out with a luxurious box of Truffles!
- Little Bottles Spice Co. crafts unique spice blends so you can make fabulous meals! Each spice blend includes a variety of ingredients to provide a complex, layered flavor profile. This season they’re offering limited edition holiday gift baskets! Spice up the lives of your friends and family with their Vermont inspired, small batch, spice blends. They craft unique spice blends so you can make fabulous meals!
- Mad River Distillers ferments, distills and bottles all of its spirits in Vermont from local and fair trade ingredients. They specialize in apple brandy, whiskey and “whiskey drinker’s rums”! Check out their Bottled Old Fashioned Gift Packs: One of the original drinks of the cocktail world is The Old Fashioned, it’s the perfect concoction to take any craft spirit to the next level. Enjoy their favorite house made Old Fashioned Cocktails in one set! Grab a variety pack of their Maple Cask Rum OF, Bourbon Whiskey OF, and Revolution Rye OF. Each bottle is 200ml, good for 2 drinks!
- MOCO: My Organic Coco – They’re two Moms with an organic, made in Vermont food story worth sharing. MOCO, My Organic Coco, takes hot chocolate to a whole new level, with a nod to huge flavor and tasty nutrition. Our blend of organic ingredients features two Superfoods packed full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making it deliciously better for you. MOCO = chocolate with benefits!
- Nanarella’s Fruit Paté – Indulge and enjoy Nanarella’s Fruit Paté, nine one inch squares of chewy jellies, an explosion of fresh fruit flavors. Serve it with cheese, sweets, or pop it in your mouth by itself. Give it as a special hostess present or stocking stuffer this season.
- nutty life – Made in Woodstock, VT, nutty life is the creamiest plantmilk you will get your hands on! Try it with your favorite hot cocoa mix, make creamy oatmeal with it, or pair it with your favorite holiday cookies.
- Pin Up Pickles – We know we will be spending more time at home during this holiday season so why not try a new skill or hobby? Have you ever wanted to try pickling or making your own hot sauce? Pin Up Pickles offers 4 flavors of both pickle and hot sauce kits for those with an adventurous spirit and a drive to try something new! See the flavor options on their website here.
- Runamok Maplehas some exciting new products and seasonal favorites to help celebrate the holiday season this year. This Q4 they launched their wildly popular Sparkle Syrup (patent pending), their brand new line of maple-based cocktail mixers and bitters, as well as their newly designed gift boxes, plus their seasonal favorites are back: Apple Brandy Barrel-aged, Holiday Spice Infused, and Festivus (for the rest of us) Infused Maple Syrup.
- Sidehill Farm – Nothing but fruit and sugar, boiled down using the same recipes their great-grandmother used; then, as now, the difference is in the taste. Sidehill Farm Extra Fruit Jam boxes make the perfect holiday gift. Handmade in Vermont since 1976.
- Sherpa Foodsis a South Burlington, VT based food supply business that makes and supplies traditional Nepalese cuisines such as Momos (Nepalese dumplings), Himalayan Style Vegan Chowmein (Fried Noodle), Himalayan Style Vegan Fried Rice and Momo Sauce (Himalayan Style Hot Sauce) to various coops, health food stores, supermarkets and Amazon. Their Momo Sauce (Himalayan style Hot Sauce) in Mild, Hot and Sesame flavor is a perfect stocking stuffer for the hot sauce enthusiast on your list.
- The Olive Table – Located in Woodstock, Vermont, The Olive Table offers premium extra virgin olive oils from the owners’ family farm in Greece, along with unique, raw honey varieties from Greece. Their products are healthy, all natural and make great gifts for the holidays – choose from one of their gift sets or select products to create your own unique gift!
- The Yerbary are proud small batch makers of Master Tonic, also known as Fire Cider. Master Tonic is an organic apple cider vinegar based health tonic that has been used for centuries for boosting immunity, digestion and overall well-being. The perfect healthy gift for this time of year!
- True North Granola is a premier family-owned Granola Company in Vermont. They make products that meet a range of dietary and nutritional needs, and many avoid most major allergens. Included in their options are granola, snack mixes, cookie mix, muesli, and gift items. These granolas make for a perfect hosting gift or topping on your home-made pie, crisp, or crumble.
- Vermont Nut Free Chocolates – Committed to providing gourmet-quality chocolates and treats that are safe for those with tree nut and peanut allergies since 1998. Vermont Nut Free Chocolates’ extensive Holiday collection includes stocking stuffers, gift boxes, and truffle arrangements for both Christmas and Hanukkah.
About the Vermont Specialty Food Association:
The Vermont Specialty Food Association is the leading information resource for all specialty food and beverage producers, service providers, and industry professionals. VSFA seeks to grow specialty food and beverage businesses and the Vermont industry through education, promotion, and statewide and national collaboration. It is the nation’s oldest and most highly regarded specialty food association, celebrating over 30 years of service to the industry. To learn more about the work VSFA does, visit their website at www.vtspecialtyfoods.org, follow them on Facebook & Instagram, call their office at (802) 839-1930.
