Holiday Foodie Gift Guide That Supports Small Producers And Regenerative Agriculture

Everyone loves to eat, why not take it as an opportunity to support small producers and brands committed to environmental and social values? Here are some delicious edible gift ideas that pay tribute to farmers and the people who make them possible.

From Trapp Farmstead

A small dairy in operation since 1959 and started by the von Trapp who immigrated to the US from Austria, now third-generation Sebastian von Trapp has added cheese to their offering. In 2009, he saw an opportunity to get more value for his milk through cheese production. An advocate of regenerative agriculture, von Trapp says: “While organic is a wonderful system, it focuses more on what one cannot. do. Regenerative agriculture takes organic one step further by saying what can be done. ”

This selection includes a little of everything: from the soft, flowered rind of Mount Alice to Savage, an aged hard alpine cheese, ideal for the cheeseheads of the family.

Dr. Bronner’s Chocolate

In addition to conquering the Castile soap category, Dr. Bronner’s has now ventured into chocolates. Magic All-One Chocolate Bars are vegan, organic, and fair-trade certified, and come in 6 flavors, including dark salty, roasted whole hazelnuts, crunchy hazelnut butter, salted whole almonds, salted almond butter, and praline. soft coconut.

The 800 farmers who supply the brand’s certified organic regenerative palm oil in Ghana also grow cocoa plants; This agroforestry approach creates biodiversity, improves yields and income streams, and eliminates the need to use toxic chemicals by replicating the way plant species naturally support each other in a healthy tropical forest.

Good coffee Sam

From northern Colombia in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the highest coastal mountain range in the tropics and isolated from the Andes, this coffee will be a beautiful addition every morning. Farmed largely by the indigenous Arhuaco tribe, this group of farmers is special to us, the GoodSam team – they also buy their organic cacao. Multiple streams of income throughout the year for its farmers is the foundation of the company’s efforts to help farmers use all of their land fruitfully and economically.

Jacobsen Salt

Jacobsen Salt just celebrated ten years. And for their 10th anniversary, they raised funds for a local nonprofit, Elakha Alliance, which is working to restore a healthy population of sea otters on the Oregon coast. Those cans are out of stock now. But Jacobsen continues to work with nature to collect these salts. Pure sea salt flakes will elevate any dish, even the humble fried egg. A perfect gift for those who appreciate the simple things in life.

Enzo table

The fourth-generation family of farmers behind ENZO’s Table in California added a new flavor to their line of farm-grown almond butter: ENZO’s Chocolate Table Almond Butter, made with Guittard Chocolate. Handcrafted in small batches with unsurpassed almonds grown on the Ricchiuti family farm (often called the ‘Cadillac’ of almonds), the spread has no added salt and features their Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (with low sugar content). For the Nutella lover, here’s a healthier natural alternative to spread on that toast.

Marshall’s Tall Sauce

Portland-based Sarah Marshall produces a collection of hot sauces in small batches with produce sourced from local farmers. Their products are made without binders, artificial preservatives or colorings, and are gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan. Give her love of gardening and her home preservation expertise, she started the company to show how hot sauces can be made fresher and lighter with seasonal produce.

Big picture farm

Ten years ago, Louisa Conrad and Lucas Farrell started Big Picture Farm, a small hillside goat dairy and farm dairy and confectionery in southern Vermont. Their award-winning candies are made from organic goat’s milk. The herd of 40 goats responsible for these treats features prominently on their packaging and is part of an approved animal welfare farm. The duo value their sweets for being “farmhouse”, that is, they are made in small batches, and each batch may vary slightly in flavor since it is not a mechanized process, nor do they want it to be.

Maine Grains Gift Card

While it can be a bit cumbersome to ship flour across the country, a Maine Grains baker gift card is a wonderful gift and opportunity for him / her to discover the revival of a New England-based grain economy. Sale of more exclusive varieties of traditional flour and cereals, Maine Grains

Amber Lambke, CEO of Maine Grains, restored a jail in a mill with the help of a crowdfunding campaign, grants and loans. Located in central Maine, an area where half the population qualified for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP), Lambke wanted to create jobs and a hub for the local community. Not only has it rekindled interest in organic stone-ground grains, it has also supported local farmers and budding food entrepreneurs.

Beyond good

Beyond Good has a unique model in the world of chocolate manufacturing. They are made in Madagascar (and Uganda) in an effort to create more jobs and value for those closest to the supply chain. Additionally, Beyond Good has been doing agroforestry (before it was a trend) and supporting research on how its cacao trees in the middle of a forest could be a refuge for the native lemur population (which are on the brink of extinction). , and they stand out so prominently. on your brand and on your packaging.

In addition, the variety of cocoa from Madagascar, known as criollo, is a heritage variety that manifests itself wonderfully in these dark chocolate flavors.

Alter Eco Truffles

If you’re looking for truffles with better ingredients, Alter Eco’s can’t be beat. While they taste divine, they are also helping advance the movement towards regenerative agriculture in the world of chocolate, and their truffles are palm oil free. Instead, they use coconut oil to give it that rich, decadent texture. With a foundation now dedicated to “fixing food” and its effects on climate change, Alter Eco has been very vocal about how companies can create a positive impact, if they so choose.

Salinas

Saltverk’s salt blend features Icelandic aromas, sights, and flavors: arctic thyme (which grows wild), smoked birch, and lava salts. These hand-harvested salts are obtained thanks to the country’s geothermal energy, which has been harnessed (through trial and error) and is now an integral part of the company’s identity. Based in Westfjords, accessing their salt workshop requires some planning, particularly in the winter months when weather conditions can block entire communities. So for the global traveler (who may have been stuck at home during the pandemic), these salts can transport them to the icy beauty that is Iceland.

The girl meets the dirt

This women-run business began with the founder’s desire to get away from the hustle and bustle of Wall Street to a more rural life in Washington state on Orcas Island, a region known for its stone fruits. She founded a small company specializing in jams and fruit-based creations using the bounty of the land. Today, it is a family operation with her husband as she juggles motherhood and being an entrepreneur. The full-size spoon preserved in this box, which tells the story of the island of the Orcas, pairs very well with cheese or can be savored in a croissant: salted apple caramel, rhubarb lavender, orca pear with bay leaf and pear balsamic.