Written by Tanya Terry
Taste the Local Difference has been producing an annual holiday gift guide; The Michigan Holiday Gift Guide, since last year, not knowing the importance of shopping local would be increased because of a pandemic this year.
The Michigan Holiday Gift Guide is a curated list of over 60 gifts made, grown or crafted by local Michigan producers, according to Tricia Phelps, CEO of Taste the Local Difference. Just this year, Taste the Local Difference created the direct link of Shop Local this Holiday Season! (michiganlocalgiftguide.com). Michiganders can access the list there free of charge.
Taste the Local Difference has been producing a local food guide for over 18 years which comes out in May every year in print. So, Phelps said the digital holiday gift guide is a continuation of the work Taste the Local Difference has been doing within the local food movement.
The gifts in the guide range from about $7-$170 and can range from a bar of soap to a cooking class to a vegetable subscription to a hot sauce.
“We’ve always been a resource for people to find local food in their communities, and so it just made sense for us to step into this role of helping people find-in one location-as many variable gifts as they could find specifically from local producers,” Phelps said. “I think this year more than any year before, it’s really important for us to be supporting our local businesses if we want to keep that culture alive.”
Phelps pointed out our loved ones have different personalities and may need different things. She said the curated list brings all those things into one location.
“We highlight the different producers and gifts throughout the gift giving season,” Phelps said. “For us, that includes Thanksgiving and Hannakah and the New Year and Christmas and all of that amongst that time frame. So, from mid November all the way through the New Year we have this local gift guide live, and we’re adding new businesses and new products to that pretty much every week.”
An average of four to five weekly features are published on Taste the Local Difference’s social media. In them, one-on-one conversations are had with the local producers about their businesses and their gifts for the holidays. This is intended to help the public get to know the producers better, according to Phelps.
“These businesses really need our support, especially leading into the winter and this year, in particular. We’ve built this campaign around how important it is to purchase from our local businesses right now, and we’re introducing new people to them all across the state and highlighting their gifts, their businesses and their stories throughout this season.”
In the gift guide, gifts are listed in categories, such as drinks, sweets, savory and home and wellness.
“We even have a section called Gifts from the Heart, which is about giving gifts to organizations in our communities that are helping build strong, thriving communities. So, these are donations you would give a nonprofit that can serve as a gift, too.”
One nonprofit organization listed in the Gifts from the Heart section is Edible Flint, which was formed in 2009.
“They are all about healthy food access in the community and supporting economic entrepreneurship and the reuse of vacant land.”
Edible Flint’s goal is to help people connect with the land and the people around them. The organization gives encouragement and knowledge to help people grow their own foods within their own means. The organization is also a community based farm, in which people are able to pick food with proper social distancing measures when the season opens and as it applies.
Ge’von Martin-Collins; the AmeriCorps member for Edible Flint, said one of the reasons Edible Flint is participating in the guide is to help show those both inside and outside of Flint that Flint is thriving when it comes to local and nutritional programming, though he said Edible Flint is not the only local organization helping tackle the food disparity in the city.
Martin-Collins feels that especially because of the pandemic, a lot of people would like to have control of their food, and grocery stores tend to be outside the city limits of Flint, which he called a “food desert.” He said garden kits offered by Edible Flint are cost efficient-whether for a rice bed, a small garden or potting soil used on one’s own home balcony. (The garden kits include around 12 transplants, as well as eight to 10 different types of seed varieties per kit.)
“Buying local not only proliferates the goodwill of neighbors, but also it putting money back into your own community,” Martin-Collins said.
Avalon International Breads, which was founded in Detroit, offers cookie and sweet packages in the gift guide.
“They’re deeply involved in the community and have a really great product,” Phelps said.
According to Avalon International Breads’ website, Avalon’s mission is: Eat Well. Do Good.
The website says the business’ two co-founders, Jackie Victor and Ann Perrault, raised their first $6,000 from friends and family who purchased vouchers for their first loaves, “bread dough dollars,” to be used when they opened their doors. With the help of dedicated volunteers, they mixed, baked and delivered their signature organic loaves, all while running the front counter and cleaning the bathrooms at the end of 18-hours shifts. Their moms could often be found helping customers or making pies.
“They raised kick starting funds to build their business, and so they’re really committed to giving back to the community,” Phelps said.
Another business featured includes the Ann Arbor Seed Company; a collective of several local farmers in the Ann Arbor area who have seeds for sale as stocking stuffers for anybody just getting to the idea of growing their own food or for an avid gardener looking for new and unique varieties.
Virtual cooking classes are also featured in the gift guide. Cooking with Cocktails offers virtual cooking and mixology classes in which participants can cook alongside a Detroit based chef or a bartender, also offering opportunity for families to spend time together.
Everyday products such as jams and jellies from Food for Thought are featured, as well as hot sauces from Brewt’s in Grand Rapids, who are featuring a sampler pack.
Each producer lists a certain product they want to feature, or, in the case of the nonprofits, Taste the Local Difference shares about their mission and encourages Michiganders to donate. Taste the Local Difference also directs visitors to the guide to the producers’ websites after giving information about each producer’s background. This way, shoppers can not only purchase or consider the gifts highlighted in the gift guide, but also can look at other products on the various websites.
“When our local businesses are thriving and our local community members are supported and strong, we all benefit from that.”
Recipes and instructions on making gifts at home are also included in the guide, along with an article with tips on selecting a Michigan Christmas tree to help inspire creativity around the holidays, according to Phelps. She said doing a foraged wreath or making a recipe with family utilizing Zoom is meant to build the holiday spirit and bring joy into people’s life at this time.
Last year 15-20 gifts were featured on the list, which was a static list.
The goal for this year was for the guide to be even more user friendly for consumers.
Since there are new products added weekly, website users are encouraged to visit the guide regularly.
In the future, Phelps hopes the campaign gets even larger, with consumers getting more familiar with the businesses and their stories.
Those interested in being added to the list can contact tricia@localdifference.org for details.
Phelps reiterated the value of supporting local businesses and organizations this holiday season.
“If you don’t have many dollars to spend, there are a lot of really great ways to support local businesses this time of year that don’t have to do with dollars specifically. For example, calling them out on social media saying ‘I really love this business; I really love this product; if you’re in the market, consider purchasing it’-or leaving reviews on their social media or website-all those things, not only are they important touch points for these real people that own these businesses in our communities to show our appreciation for them, but it’s also a way to bring attention to them and can help them sell more of their products even if you don’t have the dollars to spend.”
Unique and Creative Gifts:
Avalon International Breads https://www.michiganlocalgiftguide.com/business-directory/avalon-international-breads
Ann Arbor Seed Company https://www.michiganlocalgiftguide.com/business-directory/ann-arbor-seed-co
Cooking with Cocktails https://www.michiganlocalgiftguide.com/business-directory/cooking-with-cocktails
Gifts from the heart (donations) – Edible Flint https://www.michiganlocalgiftguide.com/business-directory/edible-flint
For Use Everyday:
Brewt’s Hot Sauce https://www.michiganlocalgiftguide.com/business-directory/brewts
Food for Thought Jams https://www.michiganlocalgiftguide.com/business-directory/food-for-thought
Land of Milk & Honey, Goats Milk Soap https://www.michiganlocalgiftguide.com/business-directory/land-of-milk-and-honey
Link to Taste the Local Difference Instagram page to find interviews with all the producers in the MI Gift Guide Highlights at the top: https://www.instagram.com/tastethelocaldifference/
