corporate gifts

With the holidays fast approaching we've been busy these last weeks and months working with our clients on their corporate gift holiday programs. One of our new products this year are hand made holiday cookies by One Planet Catering, a fantastic Vancouver based sustainable catering company. Today I went by their kitchen for a tour and checked out their production line for the 12,000 cookies we've ordered for our gift baskets. As you can see each one is hand decorated. The cookies are baked in a European tradition by Michael Kraus, the man with the vision to lead the green catering movement in Vancouver, BC. Cookies are packaged in biodegradable cellulose bags and 100% recycled stylish gift boxes for presentation, and just happen to be environmentally responsible as well. Let's hope some of these tasty treats end up in your office or stocking stuffer.

All business is about relationships and gift giving is about nurturing just that. By giving gifts one not only say's 'thank you' but also tells a story about one's values and their relationship. Thoughtful meaningful gifts go a long way, letting your clients and employees know they mean more than dollar signs and cogs in the wheel. Good gifts say that you're listening, attentive, respectful and honouring, all things of value in relationships, business and otherwise.

1. A good gift is a great investment. Last Christmas one of my clients sent a gift to a consultant that had sub contracted her some work over the last year. At the time the gift recipient just happened to be looking for some extra help to fulfill a contract. The gift she had sent had put her top of mind and got her the work. The $100 gift turned into a $10,000 contract, a 100X return on investment!
2. Appreciation is one of the strongest ways to build your business. People make your business what it is and appreciation can make people feel good about their contribution if its done the right way. We've got some great tips on how to appreciate people, just ask and you shall receive. A thoughtful gift basket is a lot cheaper than a raise.
3. A difference between good and great companies is healthy corporate culture. Gifts are an easy way to let people know what's important to you and your business. This works both internally and externally. Corporate gifts can tell a story about who you are as a company and why people work for you, do business with you and refer business your way.
4. When friends and family ask your employees "how's work?" during the holidays you don't want them to answer "whatevs?!?". Even a small gesture of some delicious holiday cookies can raise moral.
5. Taking care of the details shows that you're good business. If quality is part of what makes your business successful, tasteful holiday gifts that are enjoyed, are creative and respect our community and environment can tell a lot about your business. Not a fly by night opperation but here for the long haul. Who do you want to deal with?

I'm always on the look out for amazing new products to add to our gift baskets. Checking out specialty shops, farmers markets, doing internet research to name a few, looking for the best delicious, locally sourced, organic and fair trade products. Gourmet foods, snacks, spa and body care products, coffee, tea, and of coursemany people's favorite, chocolate. There are days when something unexpected shows up, a package that wasn't ordered, someone sending me something to check out. This past spring I received one such package, from Sara Redpath of Sarandipity, a local chocolatier in Ladysmith, BC on Vancouver Island, filled with samples of her organic and fair trade chocolate creations. Another day at the office!

A few Sarandipity products really stood out for us so we decided to add them to our corporate gifts and gift boxes:

Chocolate Smores - graham cracker, marshmellow and chocolate goodness, without the mess of making them over the fire or the nasty preservatives in those store bought chocolate marshmellow cookies

Artisan Hot Chocolate - we tried Sara's 'A weekend in Paris'. Definitely a nice sweet treat on a rainy day. She's also got a whole bunch of other flavoured hot chocolates we've yet to try.

Northwest Chocolate Hazelnut Bark - thin, crispy, dark chocolate bark sprinkled with ground local hazelnuts. Nuff said. The bag didn't last long in our office.

Top 3 things we like about Sarandipity

1. Making it happen - we like how Sara just sent us her awesome chocolate knowing that we'd want it for our cool gift boxes
2. No compromises - Sarandipity chocolates taste great. Sourcing only organic and/or fair trade chocolate and cocoa ensure social and environmental responsibility. Not only does the chocolate make me feel good, so do the values.
3. Peace - That's how Sara signs her emails! Root natty root.

Just Potters is a social enterprise that provides training and employment for people living on disability insurance in Vancouver's eastside. Located in the basement of Grandview Calvary Baptist Church. It's a quaint opporation that makes great handmade products and provides a fantastic service to the community. After spending the last month in bed from a back injury I can relate to how it feels to be out of commission. I can only image what it feels like to be injured in the long term and unable to work full time. Part time and casual work offered by Just Potters creates amazing opportunities for people to stay active, be creative and create powerful promotional gifts.

Saying more than thank you

It's clear that gifts with a story are powerful for being memorable, meaningful and building relatinships in the long term. Over the years we've worked with them on a variety of projects and our clients have always had good things to say. Let us add a pound of fair trade organic coffee, artisan hot chocolate or fair trade organic tea to make this a great holiday gift package. The mug you see above can be customized with your branding, slogan, saying or logo. To learn more about social enterprise, the value they can bring to your organization and corporate gift, promotional products and business development programs please feel free to get in touch with us as we're happy to help you however we can.

Over the last few months we've been working closely with Rachel at CocoaNymph on a line of specialy artisan nuts. Delicious and original these are a fantastic corporate gift to send to an office or to take to a dinner party. Easy to share, unique flavours, and damb tasty the nuts are the kind of thing you probably wouldn't buy for yourself but would be happy to enjoy.

Sustainable packaging

Each selection of nuts is packaged in a PLA biodegradable tub. PLA is derived from corn. Although corn is one of the most genetically modified crops in North America and debated given its requirements for water and fertilizers I think supporting the development of biodegradable packaging is worthwhile. With more and more people thinking about what happens to waste and packaging we raise awareness and people become more conscious consumers. This is the direction we need to go as a society. We sourced the packaging from Susanna at BSI Biodegradable Solutions, the go to source for sustainable packaging in Vancouver, BC.  100% recycled gift boxes round out the package for a great sustainable corporate gift.

Artisan specialty nuts

1. My favorite are the local Agassiz cocoa espresso covered hazelnuts. Damb. These are delicious morsels of goodness. There's not much out there in the market quite like these little treasures. Aggasiz hazelnuts are a high end quality product from the Lower Mainland, BC. Their unique shape make each little treat a little bit different.
2. Dark chocolate almond culsters with sea salt. The most popular nuts in our office these ones are hard to keep around. Sweet and savoury.
3. Caramalized walnuts in a balsamic reduction. Soft tangy goodness. Not something that you'd expect, truely nice flavour on this classic nut.
4. Candied spiced pecans. The first candied nut to come out from the CocoaNymph shop. Where it all began.

Gift boxes filled with the selection of 4 artisan nuts are priced at $40 from Saul Good.

Don't forget about the chocolate!

Rachel is a fantastic chocolatier! She's got a great selection of chocolate truffles and chocolate bars. CocoaNymph is a quaint shop up on 10th Ave West in Point Grey and is a happening little music venue on occasion. If you're in the neighbourhood check it out, grab a coffee or loose leaf tea, some chocolates and kick back. It's a good vibe. In the summer they've got some great natural ice creams as well.

Top 3 reasons CocoaNymph makes an excelent corporate gift

1. Easy to share. One of the key ingredients to a successful client gift sent to an office. An amazing product that everyone will get a taste of.
2. Local. Made fresh in Vancouver these gifts not only support a strong local economy but also local farmers.
3. Artisan. Delicious original unique creatations. You've got to try the cocoa covered espresso hazelnuts - fantastic!

When it comes to One Planet Catering the first thing that comes to mind is world class. Michael Kraus is best in class, not only as a phenominal caterer but also as someone who truely cares. His goal is to give people a quality dining experience, healthy nutrious and tasty meals to fuel you through the work day. I first met Michael about a year ago when he walked into Tradeworks Custom Products looking for handmade wooden presentation boxes for his locally delivered meals. His style is impecable. Creativity, unbelievable, Michael never ceases to impress.

We are stoked to be working with One Planet closely this holiday season with a line of delicious artisan holiday cookies. These are a little taste of the heavens. Man, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face when Michael brought over the first batch. Hand cut and decorated, full of buttery goodness, these are tasty treats for the holidays. Yet again, a great corporate gift for offices these cookies are great as everyone can have a taste, enjoy and think of you. Baked in a European tradition (Michael was born in Germany) there's a taste of tradition that's hard to miss. If you're looking for a quality experince Michael is your go to guy.

Top 3 things we appreciate about One Planet Catering

1. Service - Super reliable and on time

2. Experience - Meals are delivered in beautiful wooden cases filled with wooden serving boxes. Stacked neatly and protected for transportation One Planet presentation is unique in itself. Eating off nice place settings, drinking from glass and eating with silver ware give the food the opportunity to not only be eaten, but enjoyed.

3. Social conscious - Michael wants the world to be a beautiful place for everyone to enjoy. He's always looking for ways for his business to benefit the community as I've seen through his consistant enquires to procure products from Tradeworks, a downtown eastside Vancouver social enterprise that trains women in carpentry.

All business is about building relationshps. Gifts are an opportunity to say more than 'thank you' for a job well done, a great contract, or employee appreciation. By building values into gifts and customizing them to tell your story, successful corporate gifts tell people what you're all about and why they do business with you. These types of memorable experiences build relationshps in a meaningful way and help you give more than 'stuff'.

Top 5 things to remember about corporate gift giving

1) Make it memorable, no one needs more 'stuff', if you wouldn't want it yourself, chances are your clients' don't want it either. You can do more harm than good if peoples' reaction is 'thanks?'

2) Wine or alcohol can be a good gift BUT ONLY if you know them personally and that they'll appreciate it. The last thing you want to do is make someone uncomfortable becuase of personal or religious reasons. Remember, we're trying to build relationships here, not destroy them.

3) Have a budget in mind. Know what you're comfortable spending and give a range to your service provider. Let them customize a gift program for you that makes sense based on your needs and values and go from there. High price point gifts can be really nice for some select clients but you don't always have to break the bank. Creativity can go a long way on a limited budget.

4) Tell a story. Use the gift to create an experience that tells your story and shares your values. By sourcing local products for example you tell a story about your values for community and a strong local economy. Sourcing premium artisan products tells a story about quality. Organic and fair trade items tell a story of environmental and social responsibility. What's your story? Let us help you tell yours.

5) When giving gifts to an office that lots of people are going to share, make it easy for them to all get in on the action. Our local artisan cookie gifts, artisan organic chocolate truffle gifts and local artisan specialty nut gifts were designed with this in mind. Lots of small items that people can each get a taste for, enjoy a fresh tasty treat and know who was thinking about them. Its a quick and easy way to get a great point across. Not only do you have good taste but also a sense of practicality.

Denman Island Chocolate were one of the first organic chocolate businesses in Canada and helped to lead the natural and organic food movement here in BC. Their founder Daniel is a great guy who has always been helpful to me with my business. Not only a nice guy, Daniel is a great chocolatier who makes damb tastey chocolate bars. A couple years ago I hosted an organic chocolate tasting party with a bunch of my friends and collegues who hands down chose Denman Island Chocolate as their favorite tasting chocolate bar!

Top 5 things we love about Denman Island Chocolate

1) Namaste - their organic chocolate Buddha with hazelnut belly is rad. We like to throw those in random corporate gifts just for fun to put smiles on people's faces

2) Rich and smooth taste won the Saul Good chocolate taste test hands down

3) Local ingredients - using local organic BC hazelnuts in some of their bars wins high praise with our standards

4) Ride on! Daniel loads up his bike trailer with outgoing orders for shipping at the Denman Island post office, saweet.

5) Roots natty roots - we totally respect how they were the first in what has become a growing and significant industry in the organic food movement.

Working with social enterprises can be extremely rewarding with benefits on multiple levels.  For the last couple years I've been working with Tradeworks Custom Products, a social enterprise that trains women in carpentry living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.  Working with and representing them with my corporate clients, putting together corporate gifts and promotions, has led me to believe that value is generated in multiple ways.  I recently sat down with Mary Sturgeon of Junxion Strategy, a leading consulting firm focussed on the human dimension of sustainability, to talk about social enterprises. By working with social enterprises, beyond providing training and job experience for marginalized people, genuine value and bottom line benefits are built for the companies that support them.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Many corporations have philanthropic giving programs giving out cash and in kind support to non-profits to help them achieve their missions. This type of philanthropy is important as many organizations rely on this type of funding to keep their programs running. However, a hand out is a hand out, well received and appreciated but not empowering. Social enterprise on the other hand empowers individuals directly working to improve their lives. The skills being learned by the employees in social enterprises makes life better for people, opens up new opportunities and builds confidence and self esteem in people working to improve their lives. In many cases purchasing from a social enterprise is more expensive when compared to conventional products or services but the synergistic value is often greater when compared to a purely philanthropic donation. As long as the values are aligned between the corporation and the social enterprise the relationship and value is worth more than a simple donation. It may cost more in your marketing budget but a company can save money and maximize value when looking at marketing and community relationships/philanthropy together as a whole.

Creators vs. victims

Working in a social enterprise builds confidence and self esteem. Empowering marginalized people to have a sense of control over their lives, feeling good about their work and learning transferable skills that open doors and opportunities. At Tradeworks women living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, one of North America's most marginalized communities, learn carpentry and woodworking skills, opening doors for careers in the trades. Some former participants have gone on to start their own businesses, further education and training in the trades and gainful employment at other companies in the community. As I've said, donations are important and play a role, but donations do not empower people where social enterprise does.

Making people feel good - HR benefits

More and more research shows that people want to work for socially and environmentally responsible businesses. Attracting and retaining top talent is a profitable sustainable business strategy helping to reduce the costs associated with training and turnover. If employees feel good about the work they do and the companies they work for then profitability, efficiency, quality and customer service all improve instep. By working with social enterprises that have values inline with your company and staff you can empower your employees by feeling good about their work and how it contributes to improving their community and environment.

Top 3 tips for working with social enterprise

1) Find a social enterprise operating in your community that you or your employees share values with. Having the values in line is strategic in terms of the benefits and exposure your partnership will produce. Working together for mutual benefit is a strong value proposition.

2) Go on a tour to meet the people managing and working in the social enterprise. Check it out, shake peoples' hands and look in peoples' eyes. The value I've received seeing smiles of peoples' faces has made my work with social enterprise worth it alone. This is also a great way to engage your employees and get them to see the value first hand that their partnership and work together creates.

3) Be patient and do whatever you can to help social enterprises build capacity. Developing working relationships with social enterprises takes time, resources and patience so take it slow, offer your time and expertise and help however you can. Remember and honour the social element of their operations, there's more than a financial bottom line and we must look at social and financial considerations in equilibrium for social enterprise and long term working relationships to work.

Getting Started

Over the past few weeks I've been chugging along as Saul Good's second employee and learning the quirks and charms of working in a sustainable corporate gift business. With a long and diverse list of projects, I've had to learn a lot on the fly, but I've found the challenge of doing something totally new nearly as rewarding as getting it done right.

Operational Systems

In many ways, being in a business of two means that the work is more streamlined and transparent. But moving from one to two employees is a dramatic change from an operational standpoint. I’ve been working to phase in some changes in the filing and production processes that will begin to move operations out of Saul’s head and into a flexible and easily accessible system. While we’re happy with the changes we’ve made, there’s been a certain element of trial and error in our development, so I’d happily take some advice!

Materials Exchange Initiative

One of the projects I’ve been working on outside of our operational overhaul is revisiting Saul Good’s gift box filler. We’ve been searching for a way to repurpose business waste into an attractive and easily managed asset. Drawing utility out of material that is ordinarily thrown away is a satisfying and challenging creative exercise. We’ve experimented with leftover plastic film, discarded office paper, wood shavings, and shredded phonebooks. We’re still looking for a material and process that’s the perfect fit of usefulness and ease. Luckily, there are plenty of neighbourhood businesses in the Strathcona Business Improvement Association that are ready and willing to partner with us on this project. We hope to have a sustainable and attractive solution soon!

Upcoming Changes

Meanwhile, Saul is working with local organic suppliers to create some exciting new gifts for the upcoming holiday season! Look for changes to our line of Organic Office Party Gifts and an entirely new line of gifts to celebrate weddings and other milestone achievements. Also, keep your eye on our website for some cool new featured products. Saul Good is always working (now with twice the manpower) to make giving better and better!