Need A Tasteful Gift Item?

Gourmet food items are not only tasty, but very tasteful additions to existing gift lines. Whether your gift market serves a small specialized niche or a broad encompassing niche, gourmet food items can fulfill your customer’s gift needs. Diversity is the foundation of gourmet food items which range from specific dietary requirements to international cuisine ingredients and everything in between. Unique and not offered by box-marts, gourmet foods are an upscale item with a low cost investment.

Appealing to a wide array of customers, gift baskets are a staple of most flower and gift shops. So naturally, as a shop owner your interest lies in finding the right gift basket products. By carrying gourmet gift basket items, you can create customized and tasteful gifts for customers. In this FGmarket newsletter, we will address the many different types of gourmet items and how to use them to set your shop apart from your competitors.

So What Makes An Item Gourmet?

Generally speaking, it is a fine food item. This can include, but is not limited to snacks, fruits, chocolates, cheeses, spices, oils, and other food items. Even some meats can be considered gourmet. People tend to think of gourmet foods as items one can not buy at a local grocery store.  Therefore, consumers perceive these products as specialty food items.

The biggest asset of gourmet items is that they are not readily available everywhere.  However, the perception attached to gourmet items encourages consumers to seek them out.  By choosing your gourmet items carefully, you can drive this consumer to your front door. For instance, I have traveled out of my way to visit a store that sells a particular spice blend that I love. How did I come across this spice blend? It was given to me in a gourmet gift basket.

Gourmet Cooking Goodies – A tisket a tasket I love my spice and oil basket!

As mentioned, I received a gift basket that contained several spice mixes, herb-infused cooking oil, bread dipping oils and a delicious Tandoori bbq grilling sauce. Now I can’t live without these great gourmet items and I frequent the shop often when I run out. This shop made multiple sales off of one gourmet gift basket.  Oils, herbs and sauces are a great way to dabble in the gourmet food market.  They have a long shelf life and don’t require refrigeration.

Making Your Own Gourmet Items Without All The Work

To ensure repeat business, customers need to know where to pick up more of those delectable gourmet items.  That is where private label gourmet foods set you apart from the rest.  Wholesale gourmet food vendors often have private label services.  That’s right! They will put your name on their product.  So when the customer runs out of that special dipping sauce, they will know exactly where to go – your store. As you are deciding which vendors to use, keep this in mind: branding gourmet foods items can increase your repeat sales.

Gourmet Baskets Healthy, Organic, Natural And Oh So Yummy

The natural, organic and healthy gourmet food market is one of the most popular niche markets you can use to boost sales. Everyone seems to be on a health kick.  Targeting this rising consumer group can help you gain market share.  For example, pack a basket with healthy snack items such as freeze-dried fruits, soy nuts, all natural wheat crackers, and gourmet jams then name it the Naturally Good Snack Basket. Target the consumer group by displaying this basket and promoting it in your advertising campaign. Selecting gourmet food items that capitalize on a rising trend gives you an advantage over your competitors.

Special Dietary Needs Items for Gift Baskets

Specialty gourmet food baskets that are dietary based offer a gift to those who may not be able to enjoy a common gift basket. Those with special dietary needs are often left out; this is a market you can easily cater to successfully. Examples of specialty diet concerns are gluten free items, sugar-free items, Kosher items, low sodium, gluten-free and vegetarian items. Offering these items reaches a segment of consumers often forgotten about with common gift baskets.

Men and Gourmet Baskets

Men are especially fond of receiving gourmet food baskets. For a manly gourmet basket, you need hardy items with robust flavor. So when a guy friend broke his leg, I wanted to send a manly gourmet basket. The first place I turned was my oil and herb shop. I asked the shop if they could do a basket with beef jerky, summer sausages, chutney’s and even some barbecue sauces. They did indeed! He raved about that basket for days and said that it was one of the best gifts he’d received.

Gourmet Food — Do It Your Way

You can sell gourmet items individually, in groups or in gift baskets.  Be sure to display them in all these ways so they appeal to your customers needs. Gourmet foods and baskets are a relatively low cost way to add flavor and luxury to your gift basket selection.  What a tasty way to increase your business.

You can find many wonderful gourmet food vendors at FG market.  Below is a sneak peek of the many unique and tasty gourmet food items you should consider.

There’s something special about the blueberry jams and jellies from Spruce Mountain Blueberries. You can’t put your finger on it but you can certainly taste the difference! Curious about the unique little twist? Spruce Mountain Blueberries blends fresh Maine blueberries with ginger, coriander and other spices to create their gourmet goodies.

That’s right. Indian chutneys with a blueberry twist. Or perhaps blueberry jams with an Indian twist. Either way, the taste is incredible! Each batch of chutney, jams, blueberry topping and other sweet treats are made fresh in a beautiful farmhouse overlooking Penobscot Bay.

Don’t let that description fool you. This interesting, traditional method preserves the freshest flavor possible in each dish. The best taste possible is what your customers deserve and what they’ll get with Spruce Mountain Blueberries.

Blueberries are one of the best fruits around. They, like many others, are loaded with healthy antioxidants that make the body feel fresh, revived and relieved throughout the day. They have that distinctively juicy and sweet flavor that mouths can’t resist. One taste of any of the products from Spruce Mountain Blueberries sends the tongue reeling on a sensation trip that is much like running through a waterfall and landing in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Sweet …click here to read Have You Tasted These Mouthwatering Blueberries?…

If you’ve ever visited an old country store, you’ve probably seen old fashioned gourmet foods like the ones from Uncle Charlie’s Products, Inc. Delectable old fashioned goodies like caramel cremes, jams and jellies, pancake mixes, amish canned vegetables and amish cheese from Uncle Charlie’s Products are always huge hits. When the southern palate of your customers isn’t as refined, their are also popular gourmet foods like pasta, fruit chips, cappuccino mix, flavored oils and much more. There’s something for everyone!

What sets Uncle Charlie’s Products apart (and your store when you carry them) is the ability to capture the simplicity and goodness of country living. You don’t have to be southern to appreciate a home cooked meal made with homestyle gourmet foods.

It takes only a taste for good food to appreciate Amish foods, beef jerky and other treats. You only need the occasional sweet tooth to enjoy the old fashioned gourmet candies and some modern favorites from Uncle Charlie’s Products.

Even the cooking sauces, wine jellies, vinegars, salad dressings, pasta sauces and other toppings are available from Uncle Charlie’s Products. They’ve thought of everything that you need for your customers to make their own homestyle meal!

Gourmet gift baskets are always popular. While everyone is familiar with summer sausage and cheese baskets, some customers want unique gourmet food baskets. With …click here to read Have A Hankering For Old Fashioned Gourmet Foods?…

Gourmet gift baskets are all the rage with customers needing a sure-fire gift idea. Premade gourmet food baskets are great but miss an opportunity that you can cash in on instead. You know your customers best so why not prepare gourmet food gift baskets from foods that you know will go over well in your store? When you need to find wholesale gourmet foods for your baskets, look to Spice Place.

Spice Place is a convenient one-stop shop for wholesale candies and cookies, spices, sauces, nuts and dried fruits, seasonings, gravies, flavors/extracts and more. Whether creating holiday gift baskets, snack baskets, or the finest gourmet gift baskets ever, your hit gift idea starts with the popular foods at Spice Place.

How do you know you’re getting wholesale candies that your customers will love? Because Spice Place carries many of the top brand name confections that customers crave. Need a chocolate lover’s gift basket? You’ll be pleased with the selection of Godiva chocolate, Ghirardelli chocolate, Lindt Lindor truffles, Belgian chocolates and more. The selection is amazing!

More than just sugary confections, Spice Place also carries delicious …click here to read Why Spice Place Is The Right Place For Gift Basket Foods…

Looking for health foods that people actually want to eat? How do delicious juices, jellies and honey sound? Do your customers like to cook but want healthy food? They’ll love gourmet natural foods like special vinegars, pumpkin oils and pumpkin seeds from Austria’s Finest, Naturally. Little do they know that these gourmet treats are as natural as they are delicious!

Natural foods, organic foods and health foods are a growing market. Stores everywhere are dedicating major shelf space to natural foods and other products that support a healthy lifestyle. Austria’s Finest, Naturally helps bridge the gap between delicious natural foods and your customers. By offering natural foods that cause the taste buds to celebrate, Austria’s Finest, Naturally positions your store as a leader in gourmet foods–and keeps customers returning for more guilt-free snacks and gourmet gifts.

Watch your gourmet food sales soar when you buy natural foods from Austria’s Finest, Naturally. Gourmet gift baskets are popular gifts for many occasions throughout the year. Holidays welcome customers to your store in search of great gifts. Why not present them with gourmet gift baskets filled to the brim with guilt-free natural foods that even finicky eaters will love?

Healthier than cheese and sausages but with all the snackable intrigue of caramel popcorn, …click here to read Have You Tried Austria’s Finest, Naturally Delicious Foods?…

One of the best things about living in the south is Southern food. Even the mention of many southern-style gourmet foods is enough to make the mouth water. Our meats are no different. That’s why when you look to Broadbent Hams for country hams you know that you’re getting quality meat with even better flavor.

While the idea of customers salivating in your store may not seem appealing, it definitely moves some gourmet gift baskets. Filled to the brim with gourmet foods, these gift baskets take snacking to a whole new level of “yum.” When filled with summer sausages, country hams, and other meats from Broadbent Hams, the only words you’re liable to hear from customers are “mmm” and “yummy” as they make their way to the register.

Wondering what Broadbent Hams has that is so special? One visit to the website is enough to make you want to take a break and run out to your local country kitchen buffet. Nitrite free “all natural” bacons, cooked country hams, smoked turkey breast and hams, summer sausages and cheeses, beaten biscuits–regulars on any southern menu but equally tasty no matter where they’re served. There are even desserts and toppings when the sweet tooth starts to ache. (How close is it to lunchtime?)

Gift baskets are excellent unique gift ideas for friends and family. What really stands out, though, is a gift basket with …click here to read Want Unique Foods for Your Gourmet Gift Baskets?…

Cook Up Year-Round Profits With Gourmet Foods

What could you have in common with Oprah, Rachael Ray, and Paula Deen? The hottest gourmet and specialty food items that people rave about! Since cooking “gourmet” everyday has made a huge comeback in recent years, by catering to your customer’s love for all things culinary, you can draw in new customers year-round with a great selection of gourmet food items. Having gourmet products on hand for individual sales and to include in gift baskets can boost your sales between holidays and build customer loyalty. Any gift shop or florist can sell knick-knacks and flowers. But what will set you apart from the rest is by carrying high-quality, gourmet food items. FGmarket will introduce you to a few of the many gourmet food suppliers available to help you profit from this trend.

Sweeten Sales with Biscotti – A Scrumptious Gourmet Food

Gourmet coffee is all the rage these days, attracting everyone from teenagers to baby-boomers looking for a pick-me-up in the middle of their hectic schedules. Instead of just offering an array of gourmet coffees, why not upscale your products to include homemade biscotti? Peggy’s Homemade Biscotti offers 37 distinctive flavors of this crunchy Italian cookie that’s great for dipping in a hot cup of coffee. Buy individual flavors or pre-made gift baskets and treat your customers to a bit of homemade heaven. With flavors like Coconut Chocolate chunk, Apricot Macadamia and Butterscotch Toffee, you’ll be sure to draw a crowd looking for more than just a run-of-the-mill gift basket.

Boost Gourmet Sales With Healthy Organics

Because of the renewed emphasis on eating healthy, organic foods’ popularity is on the upswing. You can position yourself as a specialty store for organics that no other retailer can compete with by offering products that appeal to the health-conscious customer. Carrying products from Melissa’s can help set you apart from the rest. Their organic grilling sauces, salad dressings and marinades add that gourmet touch to a BBQ gift basket for Father’s Day; pasta sauces and herb mixes give an Italian gift basket that extra zing; high-quality organic fruits at their freshest make an ordinary fruit basket exceptional. Melissa’s can add that gourmet touch to satisfy your customers’ needs for healthy alternatives.

Go Green with Global Gourmet Goodies

There is now a delicious way to go green! With global awareness and an appreciation of cultural diversity on the rise, offering sweetriot’s chocolate covered cacao beans is the perfect way to show your customers that you care. The socially conscious group at sweetriot offers a variety of cacao beans and chocolate covered cacao beans boasting premium ingredients and innovative artwork. To sweeten the pot, these treats are healthy as well as delicious. All of the products at sweetriot are rich in antioxidants, all natural, low in calories, dairy free, gluten-free, and kosher. These sweet treats are packaged in reusable tins decorated with the artwork of independent artists. Showcasing these global goodies would make not only a colorful and appealing display in your store but a beautiful statement as well.

Spice Up Gourmet Sales with Flame-Roasted Chiles

Fire up your sales throughout the year with products made from New Mexico flame-roasted chile — “the best sweet chile in the world.” Cannon Sweet Hots offers a wide variety of salsas and sauces, from mild to fiery hot, to satisfy every palate. These chiles are so versatile; they can be used in appetizers, entrees, and even as toppings for ice cream! Their gift baskets are customized with items of your choice in chile-shaped baskets. Your customers will love the uniqueness and versatility of these products, but be warned: Sweet Hots chiles are addictive, so stock up!

Spice Up Sales with Upscale Gourmet Products

Paula’s Pepper Jelly offers an array of gourmet food items that will perk up your gift basket business. By adding their gourmet wine, pepper jelly, spices, hot sauces and condiments, you can add that gourmet flair to your gift basket sales. They offer exceptional wines from Washington, Australia and Argentine, and their wide variety of homemade pepper jellies, hot sauces, and condiments boast several award winners that your customers will love.

Savor Increased Sales with a Variety Of Gourmet Sauces

For the best offerings in barbecue sauces, you can’t lose with Head Country Barbecue’s award-winning sauces. Jack Miller Food Products offers their best barbecue sauce, Cajun seasoning blend, and cocktail sauce that will kick up gift basket sales. Golden Harvest Pantry features sauces, mustards, chow chow, vinegars, jams, jellies and honeys. Their Roasted Garlic and Vidalia Onion Salad Dressings are top picks, as well as their Amish jams, jellies and fruit butters.

Enhance Sales With Tasty Gourmet Snacks

Southern Things offers their one-of-a-kind cheese straws called Ginny O’s cheese rings, which were featured in Oprah’s O! magazine as one of their top 100 products. They specialize in great snacks like pork rinds, kettle cooked dirty potato chips and gourmet nuts. Peculiar Spice Company has a variety of mix packages for dips and spreads, soups, sweets and side dishes. Their Hawaiian Cheese Ball mix, Orange Dreamcicle Cheesecake mix and Hawaiian Chicken Salad mix make great additions to a tropical gourmet gift basket.

Beef-up Sales With Gourmet Meats And Seafoods

For those meat-lover customers, burgers and steaks from Elk Meat Shop provide a healthy alternative to beef. These make great gifts in and of themselves, or add a distinctive taste to a grilling or barbecue gift basket. For seafood lovers, try The Great Gourmet’s clam chowder, crab soups, lobster bisque, crab cakes, and their huge variety of fresh fish and seafood direct from Chesapeake Bay.

If you’re looking for a delicious way to perk up your gift basket sales throughout the year and attract new customers, go the gourmet food way. FGmarket’s Gourmet Food suppliers can show the way. Your customers will appreciate the extra efforts you make to bring them exceptional products for their gourmet gift baskets.

Contributor: Jill Evans

Summertime Sizzles with Gourmet Food Gift Baskets

Instead of the expected bottle of wine or chips and dip, encourage your customers to give gourmet food gifts at all those backyard barbeques and family reunions this summer. Gourmet food gift baskets with a little different twist make great hostess gifts this time of year and having your store fully stocked is sure to boost your summertime sales with some unique items your customers will love to give (and keep!).

A gourmet food gift basket can include popular items, like hot sauces, hot pepper jelly, dried fruits, barbeque sauces, drink mixes and rim dippers. But the old stand-bys are still welcome additions, like salsa, jam and jellies. Make it easy for customers by offering a variety of gift basket sizes or gift sets of specialty gourmet items. Barbeque grilling tools, an oven mitt and gourmet sauces make a thoughtful gift for an avid griller. Tie a red bandanna to the basket to give it that summertime sizzle.

Show your customers a variety of products and package them in fun and creative ways that capture their attention as soon as they walk in the door. Find lots of gourmet food vendors with an abundant of unique product choices at FGmarket.com

With Southwest cooking all the rage, try a Midwest take on the Southwest. Try some of Pepper Creek Farm’s pepper jelly, drink mixes and salsas. A family-run company in Lawton, Oklahoma, Pepper Creek does things the old-fashioned way – small batches, homegrown ingredients and family recipes. Their gourmet food offerings include jellies, like Green Chile Pepper Jelly, Mint Pepper Jelly and Red Bell Pepper Jelly, as well as an array of barbeque sauces, like Hickory Maple and Honey Mesquite. Their variety of dip mixes are sure to please any hostess with a ready-made spice blend for a quick dip or topping. Choose from Dilly Dip Mix, Jalapeno Cilantro, Spinach and Toasted Onion, just to name a few. These beat the standard cheese and pre-packaged dips and are a hit with family and friends.
Pepper Creek’s drink mixes are a must for a summertime gourmet food basket. Flavors range from Chocolate Martini to Pomegranate to Watermelon, and they also have rim dippers to go with them for that extra special touch. A drink mix, rim dipper, cocktail napkins, fresh lemons and limes make a great gourmet food gift basket.

Cibolo Junction Food & Spice Company has some great offerings of gourmet food in the Southwest genre. They pride themselves on offering the highest quality New Mexico food products, like Mango Papaya Salsa and Raspberry Peach Salsa, which are popular, sweeter alternatives to hot sauces. But they excel at those, too. Along with their hot sauces like North of the Border Smokey Joe’s Chipotle Salsa and Scorch-Way Hot – Salsa, their Prickly Pear Cactus Jelly and Margarita Marmalade are a welcome addition to a Southwest gourmet food basket.
Pair Cibolo Junction’s salsas with some tortilla chips, a margarita mix, fresh limes and margarita glasses for a “thank you” gift that’s sure to impress at your next summer party.

Also in the Southwest genre, but from the Napa Valley, are award-winning hot sauces, dessert sauces and drink mixes from Dave’s Gourmet. Their Hurtin’ Habanero Honey Mustard is a five-time world winner, and they offer a variety of gourmet salts that are a hit with cooks everywhere. Their dessert sauces include Apple Pie & Ice Cream, Gingerbread Cream and Chocolate Orange Spice, which add that gourmet touch to a cold bowl of ice cream (or just a spoonful out of the jar!). Their drink mixes offer a welcome change from the standard beer and wine served at many backyard get-togethers. With flavors like Mango Margarita, Insane Mary, and Dave’s Original Bloody Mary, these are sure to be a hit on the hot days of summer.
Instead of welcoming new neighbors with a store-bought apple pie, line a basket with a red and white checked napkin and include a jar of Apple Pie & Ice Cream dessert sauce and a half-gallon of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. What a welcome!

Comfort Foods, Inc. specializes in authentic flavors of the Southwest, as well as the elegance and gourmet taste of fine dining. Choose from dip mixes, spices and seasonings, salsas and sauces, bread and dessert mixes, and soup mixes. Creamy Potato and Green Chile Soup paired with Jalapeno Beer Bread makes an easy and comforting meal. And dips such as Cilantro Lime Dip and Peach Salsa add a new twist to tortilla chips. Their gourmet selections include Tuscany Peasant soup, White Cheddar Asparagus soup, Asiago Parmesan dip, Sun-dried Tomato dip, and Cherry Vanilla Scones mix. Any of these are sure to catch customers’ eyes when assembled in a gourmet food gift basket.

A gourmet food gift should include a variety of flavors and textures, so for a sweet addition, pair some of Orchard Crest Farms’ hand-dipped chocolate dried fruits, hazelnuts, full fruit preserves and luscious syrups with some southwestern items. They use choice Oregon fruits at their peak, like blueberries, strawberries, Dried Royal Anne Cherries and cranberries. Their fruit preserves and syrups are made from fresh ripe Oregon fruits and berries, and their homemade trail mixes and snacks are made from time-honored traditional recipes. For a twist on an old favorite, try their specialty Hazelnut Toffee for that extra crunch.
Prepare a brunch gourmet food basket with a good quality pancake mix, English muffins, and several syrups and preserves. A pint of fresh blueberries or blackberries will round out this gourmet gift basket.
By offering your customers a wide variety of gourmet food items and showing them how to package them for the ultimate “Wow!” factor, you can increase customer service and satisfaction this summer.
Browse through the Gourmet Food vendors you’ll find on FGmarket.com for fun & unique gourmet food products that can spark your creativity and ignite your sales for gourmet baskets and foods this summer and throughout the year.

Contributor: Jill Evans

Christmas is coming!! And we all know what THAT means… Thanksgiving is coming first! Sometimes in our rush between Halloween and Christmas, it seems that Turkey Day gets overlooked as an opportunity to harvest more holiday sales. That needn’t be the case if you designate one or more areas within your store – somewhere between the jack-o-lanterns and the angel tree-toppers – to create an enticing display of specially-selected merchandise that’s geared toward the festive fall celebration. Whether your customer is the host or hostess of the traditional meal, seeking to decorate for the season, or one of the dinner guests looking for an appropriate gift, there’s a bounty of merchandise from which to choose.

Pumpkins, of course are a perennial and versatile symbol of the autumn season. For carving spooky (or friendly) faces, baking into pies, or simply setting them on the front stoop, their selling period extends for several weeks. Some of the best fresh pumpkins anywhere come from Bottomley Evergreens and Farms, Inc., where the pumpkins are given special treatment so they are prettier, cleaner, and last longer. They plant pumpkins through a cover crop, such as rye, giving them a nice soft, clean bed to grow on, as well as yielding a bumper crop that is clean and ready for sale. The variety of pumpkin shapes and sizes is almost endless, from small, round pie pumpkins to jumbos weighing in at 60 pounds or more! Bottomley Evergreens also grows Autumn Wing gourds; a beautiful assortment of shapes, sizes and colors that are perfect for decorating indoors or out.
Now, what’ll you do with all these pumpkins? You could showcase them on The Pumpkin Tree from Creative Displays. These unique pumpkin merchandisers are designed to sell more pumpkins in a minimum of floor space with maximum visual impact. Rings hold pumpkins up to 12lbs. each; and after Halloween or Thanksgiving, you can also use these racks to display mums and poinsettia plants.
While we’re on the subject of gourds (a pumpkin is really just an oversized gourd), check out the fanciful creations at Gourdaments. Your customers will love the menagerie of whimsical animals, like cats, roosters and other barnyard animals that artist, Devon Cameron creates by applying paints, dyes, clay, and varnish to various dried gourds. Sizes range from 3 inches (ornament size) to 12 inches or more, and the finished products are as hard as wood. Cameron turns some of the gourds into birdhouses with many distinctive styles, like the “Beatrice the Bird House Cat” whose open, meowing mouth is the hole through which the birds may enter.
Thanksgiving is the time for home and hearth, for family, and for celebrating the bountiful harvest. Decorating themes center on products that nature offers. For example, see an assortment of gorgeous wreaths, composed of natural, dried materials that are made by Naturals by Webster, Inc. Their Farmer’s Market Harvest Series features a lush “Fall Gathering Wreath” created of yarrow, coxcomb, globe amaranth, sunflowers and more. Spicy wreaths of dried red chili peppers are included, as well. Webster’s also produces a line, “Haystack Harvest,” free-standing bouquets of dried flowers that make great cash-and-carry purchases. If you or your customers like do-it-yourself (D.I.Y), Webster’s has all the natural loose, dried flowers, pods, grasses and berries necessary to create beautiful fall arrangements, wreaths, and door swags.

Need some containers for those custom arrangements? A unique wholesaler, Kraft Klub, Inc. carries a large variety of nostalgic, handmade tin items in rust, galvanized, antique white-wash, black colonial, wire, and a new enamel line, their most popular yet. Even empty, these basins, pitchers, buckets, washtubs, and wire baskets impart a wonderful sense of home and history to a Thanksgiving display.
If you’re not in the business of creating your own floral designs (or even if you are), check out the great collection of pre-made permanent arrangements from Burton & Burton from Flowers, Inc. They’re super time-savers … just take them out of the box and fluff them up. Burton & Burton also carries a unique line of home decor items and tabletop accessories that will surely generate Thanksgiving sales. For even more decorative accents, be sure to visit Creative Touch. Their clever wood-carved pumpkins and turkeys are really charming.
Most people have strong and pleasant memories of Thanksgiving celebrations past, and many of those memories are conjured up by the sense of smell. Especially familiar are the aromas of foods traditionally prepared and eaten during the holidays. You can make the most of this fact by offering scented items, like candles and potpourris that carry with them the smells that evoke nostalgic memories. Unique Aromas produces a line of scented, double-wick, poured candles in glass dishes. The sweet aroma of Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Meringue, Blueberry Muffins and other dessert favorites inspired the delicious candle scents featured in the Bakery collection.

Their sophisticated square votive candles (packaged in fours) burn up to 18 hours each, and carry such essences as Cranberry, Gingerbread, Spiced Pear and Cinnamon Cider. The same fragrances are available in 7-oz. poured candles in unique triangular glasses, wrapped in cellophane, and tied with a matching ribbon. Unique Aromas’ Bundt Cake candles smell almost good enough to eat and look like little bundt cakes. They make wonderful holiday and hostess gifts that are sure to please!
Another candle company, Applemill Cottage makes double-wicked, palm/soy candles in old-fashioned 16-oz. cottage jars with domed lids. With such yummy “flavors” as Apple Pie, Cinnamon Buns, and Pears and Berries, their candles carry one of the highest scent loads in the industry. They’ll also create private-label candles, which you can brand with your store’s name and logo. A portion of Applemill Cottage’s profit is donated to help establish freshwater wells in rural villages in India; customers feel good about their purchase and humanity benefits.
If all this talk about food is making you hungry for the real thing (and so much of Thanksgiving Day has to do with eating), let’s go straight for dessert. Award-winning Heart’s Desire Chocolates creates extraordinary confections in the Sonoma Valley in California. Taking the cake, so to speak, is their incredible Chocolate Cornucopia- overflowing with chocolate fruits, vegetables and nuts (unfortunately, it’s too delicate to ship, but local delivery is available). Perhaps more realistic for your store is their uniquely-delicious Pumpkin Fudge, English Toffee Assortment and harvest-decorated Gold Ballotin, a gift that’s filled with tempting chocolate truffles or other sweet treats.

Finally, The Fruit Company creates baskets full of luscious fruits, gourmet nuts, crackers, and such delicacies as smoked salmon and chocolate-covered Bing cherries in all price points. You might also consider trying their irresistible gourmet cheesecakes. They are all out of this world… think Triple Chocolate Raspberry… yum!! Based in Oregon, The Fruit Company has orchards that produce eight varieties of fruit and they also have a drop-ship program, offering online gifting companies the ability to provide orchard fresh gourmet fruit baskets and gifts to their customers.
So, as you’re busy decorating your store for Christmas during the next few weeks, remember that Thanksgiving presents a lot of great sales opportunities long before Santa starts loading his sleigh. From hostess gifts to home decor, FGMarket.com can direct you 24 hours a day to vendors that can satisfy every craving, suit every desire, and fill every sales niche. Don’t be a turkey… go shopping right now!