The 10 best corporate food gifts listed below are selected based on 2021 promotional product trends and are a delicious way to leave a memorable impression on your employees and customers.
Food gifts were a hit with consumers and companies alike in 2020. During the pandemic, people gifted everything from kringles (Danish pastries) to Philly cheesesteaks to family and friends via mail. Sending comfort foods and gourmet treats to loved ones helped people stay connected in the absence of social gatherings and holiday get-togethers. Similarly, the shift from in-person trade shows and conferences to virtual events in 2020 and 2021 created a demand for snacks and beverages to fill swag bags and make “virtual” refreshment breaks possible. Companies looking for ways to engage virtual event attendees are kitting and sending out all sorts of swag, including food and beverage promotional products. Many of the “virtual” swag bags sent to digital event attendees feature popular, inexpensive food and beverage items such as cookies, candies, mints, popcorn, tea, coffee, and hot cocoa.
With U.S. consumer and corporate food gifting projected to grow at an annual rate of 4% through 2024 (eventually reaching nearly $22 billion in sales), we decided to make a list of some of the best corporate food gifts for clients and employees in 2021, based on food and beverage industry trends.
3 Trendy Food Gift Ideas for Home Cooks
The Covid-19 pandemic led to a renaissance of home cooking. Consumers who were stuck at home this past year learned how to bake sourdough bread from scratch, prepare Dalgona coffee (whipped coffee), embrace charcuterie boards, and experiment with air fryers and multi-cookers. Meal prep kits – which aim to simplify the process of cooking – have also seen a surge in popularity during the pandemic. According to a recent survey by HUNTER, a food and beverage marketing consultancy, 71% of consumers who are cooking at home more anticipate that they will continue to do so after the pandemic is over.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that one of our bestselling promotional products right now is our Taco Tuesday Night Gift Set, featuring an apron, Tomatillo Garlic Taco Simmer Sauce, Mesa Rosa Chipotle Seasoning, Tacos El Pastor Seasoning Mix and cotton carry tote that can be imprinted with your company logo. This delectable gift set is also available without the apron.
Another custom food gift that will help make cooking appetizing meals at home easier for your customers and employees is our Grill & Chill BBQ Gift Set. This tote is packed with all that is needed to master the BBQ – including Chicago Steak & Chop Seasoning, Kansas City Classic Rub, Athenian Herb Dryglaze, Vermont Grill Dryglaze, and Santa Fe Dryglaze. The all purpose tote can be customized to feature your company’s logo. Easy-to-use directions are printed on each label.
Increased consumer interest in plant-based foods and meatless meals has also been a major food industry trend that shows no signs of slowing down in 2021 and beyond. Nearly 45% of people identify as flexitarians, or mostly vegetarians who occasionally eat meat. Vegetarians, flexitarians and carnivores alike will enjoy our Plant-Powered Must Haves Gift Set, which includes an eco-friendly bamboo tote filled with a stylish Bento Box along with Plant-Based Sloppy Joe Ground Veggie Meatless Mix in Honey BBQ, Greek Tzatziki Vegetable Dip Mix and Corn on the Cob Chipotle Parmesan Seasoning.
3 Personalized Beverage & Dessert Gift Ideas
Consumers seeking comfort foods and treats during the pandemic turned to classic desserts, such as milk chocolate bars and s’mores. According to CNBC: “Hershey spotted that as coronavirus cases spiked around the country, demand for s’mores ingredients rose.” With the pandemic still ongoing, we suggest sending a bit of comfort and nostalgia to your clients and employees with our Cozy S’mores & Cocoa Gift Bag. The Original 1927 S’mores Kit and N’oreaster cocoa is a fun and delicious gift – the grahams and marshmallows are handcrafted from scratch using ingredients from small batch food purveyors. This artisanal classic American treat can be bundled with one of our mugs or tumblers.
Coffee is still one of the most widely consumed beverages in the U.S. Sales are expected to grow annually by 6.02% through 2025. Gourmet coffee is particularly popular with millennials and Gen Z is especially enamored with cold brew coffee. We think our Bodum Royale Gift Set is the perfect client or employee gift for specialty coffee lovers. Arriving packed in a gift box, this gift set includes a branded Bodum Chambord 8-cup French Press coffee maker, 2 stunning 8 oz. Pavina Tumbler drinking glasses, and a 12 oz. bag of premium Cavallini coffee beans. The artisan craftsmanship of the Bodum press, combined with a shatterproof, recyclable SAN beaker, give you the classic European experience and a cleaner, greener cup of coffee. Add your logo to the front of press and glasses to create a truly custom gourmet gift.
According to data analytics company, GlobalData, the U.S. hot tea market is also expected to grow over the next few years, from $2.8 billion in 2019 to $3.4 billion by 2023. Millennials are the largest tea drinking demographic in the U.S., with 87% of millennials reporting that they drink hot tea; they also tend to favor non-traditional fruit and herbal blends. Companies looking for a custom gift that will especially appeal to their millennial employees may want to consider our Corkcicle® Welcoming Wonder Tumbler Gift Box. This gift box includes a 16 oz. stainless steel tumbler by Corkcicle, salted caramel almond cookies, berry nut mix and cucumber apple cold brew tea. The Corkcicle Wonder Tumbler keeps beverages hot for 3 hours; cold beverages stay ice cold for 9+ hours.
4 Gourmet Promotional Gift Baskets for Corporate Events
With corporate event planners expecting virtual events to continue being held throughout most of 2021, and hybrid events to become increasingly prevalent in the future, finding the right food gifts to engage event attendees is more important than ever. Free swag has been identified as an effective way to improve audience engagement during virtual events. Food gifts are an excellent virtual or hybrid event swag option – free snacks and meals are traditionally associated with business events and they are universally appealing. Artisan and gourmet foods are particularly popular with young consumers such as millennials. As advertising agency Ignite2X recently put it: “Artisan isn’t just a trend. For many, it is a lifestyle and it isn’t going anywhere.”
Many of our most popular custom food gift baskets and boxes for corporate events feature gourmet treats from specialty food purveyors such as Hammond’s (Denver, CO), 88 Acres (Boston, MA), East Shore Specialty Foods (Hartland, WI), UnTapped (Richmond, VT), and Lark Fine Foods (Essex, MA). Some current favorites that our customers continually crave include:
Time for a Snack-cation Gift Tote
Our eco-friendly corrugated tote is filled with customer favorites and these gourmet treats are the perfect gifting solution for a room drop or welcome, employee appreciation, promotions or to say “thank you”. Includes caramel popcorn, handcrafted dark chocolate sea salt seed bar, dipping pretzels with sweet n’ tangy mustard, berry nut mix and delicious oatcakes.
MiiR® Olympus Energy Snack Pack
This versatile MiiR Olympus Pouch includes energizing artisan snacks perfect for outdoor events, retreats, golf outings, room drops and thank you gifts. Includes a handcrafted cinnamon seed bar, berry nut mix and an all natural maple waffle. MiiR gives 3% of revenue to trackable giving projects. Every MiiR product comes with a Give Code that allows you to experience the story behind your purchase.
Artisan Gourmet Gift Bag – Medium
This gift bag brimming with gourmet treats is the perfect companion to pair with a cooler, sling bag, backpack, tote or drinkware item of your choice or as a delicious welcome gift on its own. Includes pistachio cherry cookies, dipping pretzels and sweet and tangy mustard, berry nut mix, cinnamon seed bar and a maple waffle by UnTapped to naturally fuel your day, all packaged in a reusable drawstring gift bag.
Naturally Delicious Gourmet Basket Tower
This 12″ basket tower gift will make a lasting impression long after the goodies disappear. Each box opens to a delightful collection of sweet and savory treats, including sweet and tangy mustard with dipping pretzels, oatcakes, almond cookies, brownie cookies, chocolate hazelnut filled cookies, berry nut mix, honey crisp granola and sea salt caramels.
These are Just the 10 Best Corporate Food Gifts
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