Baskets And Brew

Janet Vogel asked:


A homemade Valentines Day gift basket is a wonderful way to express your love and devotion on this special day. It can be a nice gift for a couple as well as for an individual. If you are searching for a gift basket for a romantic couple, you can really personalize it by making it yourself.

In keeping with the Valentine’s Day theme, begin by choosing either a heart shaped container or a red container. This could be an unbreakable bowl, a tin box container, or a wicker or wire basket. Add either red or white purchased shred to help hold the gift and food items in place.

A champagne or wine theme would make a nice gift for a couple. Use a taller container such as a wine cooler or ice bucket, which will easily hold a bottle of wine or champagne. Place shred or straw in the container first so the bottle will be cushioned. Add a scented candle, CD or romantic music, book of poetry, a box of chocolates, or a can of mixed nuts.

Spa and bath products are another nice theme with a romantic touch. Again, this is an appropriate theme for either an individual or for a couple. A wicker or wire basket is a useful container as it can be used to organize bath products later on. There are so many different bath products to choose from or you can even make them yourself with the numerous recipes offered online. It’s nice to choose bubble bath, bath salts, body lotions, and a scented candle all in the same scent. Place a net sponge, bar of soap, rolled up wash cloth, and a loofah amongst the bath products. Scatter small silk flowers or rose petals between the gifts.

A basket full of sweets is great for anyone. In addition to chocolates and other candies, add several individually wrapped homemade heart shaped cookies, gourmet coffee, or herbal tea bags and finish your gift basket by scattering Hershey’s Kisses throughout the basket.

pebble asked:


One of the things I am making for Christmas gifts is Homemade hot chocolate. I was thinking it might be nice to make a few different flavors and give everyone a basket with each with some mugs and marshmallows. But does anyone know how to add the flavoring or what would be good in it? I was thinking of using a bit of instant coffee for a mocha flavored one but what else?

Chelsea M asked:


I need Ideas for Gift Baskets For my Fiance’s Parents and Grandparents…we only want to spend 50.00 on each basket..His dad is very big into fishing and his mom is very much a lady and into beauty and expensive things…she is a dental hygenist….His grandpa is very into cars and home improvement and his Grandmother is into quilting and homemade things…They all love drinking coffee…I don’t know what else to say to explain everyone…I already have the baskets and they are kinda small…but I need ideas in what to fill them with that will be good for both wife and husaband….Thank you to everyone who helps…

Helen Hecker asked:


If you have an existing gift basket business, or are planning to start up a gift basket business or home based gift basket business or just add a sideline to a business you have now, one of the most important things to consider is the type of gift baskets you’ll offer.

You can offer a wide range of gift baskets, focus on a unique specialty gift basket or do a combination of both. I recommend doing both.

For the newbie, start out with a focus on one type of gift basket, and then later add a strong line of gift baskets, after you get your foot in the door. This is often the best approach when you’re new. You’ll be tying up less money in inventory too.

Here are two possible specialty gift baskets to consider. The first is a gift basket for nurses. Make up a demo gift basket. I know marketing. For marketing your specialty gift basket you may have to get really creative. Take your demo to one of the local hospitals and wander though the cafeteria and set it down on a table while you have a beverage. People will assume you are delivering it to a patient.

Take plenty of business cards. Ask administration if you can post your business card on the hospital message board. Stop at the gift shop, show the demo gift basket and ask if they would take any on consignment. If they do and get enough orders, they’ll probably start ordering regularly from you without consignment. If you know of any health professionals, show them your demo baskets or even give them one and ask for referrals in exchange.

Nurses don’t have time to shop. They love to get and give gifts. They can’t get out of the hospital for breaks or at lunchtime because it’s usually against hospital policy to leave the premises. I know. I used to be a nurse. They are prime candidates for your baskets. You can have gift baskets that are full of nurse specialty and other medical items, a nurse’s relaxation gift basket and so on. They like the medical theme baskets because they can use the items or give some of the items in the gift basket to other nurses and other health professionals they work with or know.

Once you get a few nurses buying you’ll find they are good repeat customers. Plus they have plenty of associates they can recommend you to. Make sure you supply them with business cards. Fliers get lost or thrown away. Business cards are easier to keep track of. Business cards are cheap or you can make your own. They don’t have to be fancy but make them a little appealing. Your business is going to be judged by your baskets though, not the cards.

Another idea would be to approach brew pub and tavern owners. You could provide an endless supply of gift baskets for them to use for their giveaways to customers. They usually have contests and various kinds of drawings for their customers. I know a lot of restaurant and tavern owners. I used to list and sell restaurants and taverns when I had my real estate company. I know how they think and work.

Just make up two or three or more good demos for them to choose from. Have different price ranges from less to more expensive and two or three differently filled baskets. Have two or three different types of containers if possible. Traditional wicker baskets are good. Try a totally different kind of USEABLE container if you can think of something appropriate.

For this crowd make your gift baskets humorous, not serious. Include things you think brewpub or tavern patrons might like. Specialty cheeses, crackers, pretzels, chips, nuts, other food items. Unfortunately they probably don’t want healthy snacks. Maybe specialty beers, specialty coffees, hot chocolate mixes, t-shirts, baseball caps, coffee mugs, corkscrews, bar items, playing cards, auto-related items and small auto safety items. These are just a few of the items to consider.

Magic shop items will make your baskets unique and lots of FUN. Make sure you get some of these in every basket. Visit your local magic shop, usually found in the larger cities. If you don’t have a magic shop try to find a magic catalog. You should be able to find some on the Internet. Even retail prices are usually cheap for these items if you can’t arrange wholesale. You may not be buying enough wholesale in the beginning to warrant a wholesale account. Often minimum orders may be too high to make sense.

There are dozens of other specialty baskets you can make of course. But for the other gift baskets in your gift basket business you will want to focus on gourmet food gift baskets, fruit baskets if you come from an area that has plenty of fruit all year, corporate gift baskets which are real money-makers, but competitive, and bath and body gift baskets. Custom or personalized gift baskets are another option too.

With these tips, ideas and suggestions, you should be well on your way to choosing a specialty gift basket line for your new, existing, or work-at-home or home based gift basket business, gift shop or as a sideline to another business.

decay1966 asked:

A great scene from Jim Jarmusch’s “Coffee and Cigarettes”. It’s so uncomfortably wonderful!

Kate S asked:


If you ever wonder what to send to your clients, friends or loved ones, send a gourmet gift basket.  Gourmet baskets are the most versatile gifts that are appropriate for any occasion. Who would not want to receive an elegant basket filled with gourmet treats?  Indeed, it is not unusual for recipients to keep the beautiful basket intact for a while so they can admire their present longer.  There are many types of gourmet baskets to choose from.  This article provides an overview of different types of gourmet gift baskets available and tips for sending these gifts.

Gourmet baskets come in many different themes.  They can be used for providing a romantic dinner for two to serving as extravagant office treats.  Gourmet baskets can be sent for birthday, anniversary, housewarming, thank you, sympathy, or congratulations. They can be sent as corporate gifts to your clients and business referrals, or to your friends and loved ones.

Popular gourmet baskets usually contain generous assortment of fine gourmet treats, such as fine chocolates, cheeses, fruits and nuts mix, gourmet cookies, crackers, gourmet coffee, and other savory snacks. For food connoisseurs, you may want to send a gourmet food basket filled with lobster pate, tomato basil cheese, Romano cheese sticks, Pimento stuffed olives, herb salami, rosemary herb baquette breadsticks, double chocolate mocha truffles, water crackers, Kasilof smoke salmon, pistachios and a wood style cutting board for serving all these items on.

Italian gift baskets are another type of popular gourmet gifts. They deliver everything you need for a grand Italian dinner,including pasta sauce, thin spaghetti, penna pasta, Italian bread sticks, Haute Cuisine Italian cookies, vinaigrette, Parmesan Bruschetta bag, artichoke hearts, double chocolate truffles, Pimento stuffed olives, Salmon fillets, extra virgin olive oil, and cream filled pastry cookies. These gourmet food baskets are great corporate gifts, or for birthday, congratulations or thank you.

For your wife’s birthday, or your anniversary, you may want to send a breakfast basket, which is associated with warmth, comfort and good taste. Imagine her delight when she receives a beautiful cloth lined muffin and bread basket filled with fantastic breakfast favorites, including classic buttermilk pancake mix, New England maple syrup, Belgian waffles, cinnamon nut coffee, Perugina chocolates, and cappucino rolled wafer cookies. If you prefer ready to eat breakfast, then you can send a scrumptious selection of fresh baked goodness in a wicker basket.  Packed with moist, rich pound cake, chocolate chip blondies, and brownies with walnuts, this basket offers a great way to start the day of your loved one.

Coffee gift basket is a dream present for coffee connoisseurs. In addition to premium coffee, the container is filled with shortbread cookies, chocolate chip cookies, capuccio caramels, creamy coffee candies.  Some coffee baskets come with coffee mugs or a CD of classical music, and are ideal for sending your sincerest wishes to friends and co-workers.  Similarly, tea gift basket can be sent to tea lovers.

Chocolates are favorites for most people, especially women. The chocolate gift basket may be the perfect present for your girl friend, mom, or female boss. You can send a box of chocolate truffles, or a basket filled with premium chocolate bars, chocolate covered pretzels, Italian chocolate espresso cake, chocolate biscotti chunks, chocolate popcorns, brownies, and cookies. The chocolate gift basket will provide the most delightful chocolate experience.  It is the perfect present for you to make friends, make amends, or say I love you. 

Meat and cheese gifts are men’s favorites.  For male recipients, you can send a tray filled with delicious Heart of Wisconsin cheeses, mustards, sausages and crackers. The wooden tray will come in handy for serving the gourmet meat and cheese. 

 

Gourmet baskets for individuals with dietary restriction are also available. You can send gifts that are sugar free, Kosher, or heart healthy, according to your recipient’s needs.  Special theme gourmet baskets are also available.  For example, for the bookworm in your life, you can send a book lover chest which comes in a book end chest filled with gourmet treats and coffee to enjoy during reading time. For recipients who are always on the go, you can send a travelling gourmet tower, which consists of 3 faux leather suitcases for a treat on the go. The suitcases are filled with savory treats such as tomato basil crackers, vanilla cream cocoa, sliced beef salami, honey sweet peanuts, chocolate chip cookies, assorted chocolates, buttery almond toffee, garlic cheese spread, vanilla caramels, cheddar cheese pretzel sticks, and gourmet roast coffee. The 3 suitcases will be great for travelers for years to come.

In conclusion, gourmet baskets are the most versatile gifts that are great for any occasion. There are many themes to choose from, including gourmet food, breakfast, coffee, tea, Italian, chocolate, sugar free, meat and cheese.  No matter whether it is for your clients, friends, or loved ones, you can sure leave a lasting impression with a gourmet gift basket. 

D Fraser asked:


Do find yourself with limited counter space in your kitchen mainly due to the number of small appliances you have everywhere. Toasters, coffee makers, blends, and toaster ovens can all take up a lot of useful space. We now see more people turning to built in coffee makers to solve part of this problem and have one less small appliance on their counter cluttering everything up.

The cost of a built in coffee maker can vary from a couple hundred up to thousands of dollars. I know you’re probably thinking the same thing I did when I heard this..Thousands? You can actually spend thousands of dollars just on a coffee maker. It’s true new built in makers that are plumbed directly into your water and electrical are the peak of convenience for making coffee. Never having to add water or contend with hanging electrical wires is nice, but it comes at a price.

These single push button coffee makers only ever require the user to add grounds to the basket and a filter if needed. The water is supplied automatically, and brewing begins. Some of the more expensive built in coffee makers will even have a bean grinder built in, so you can add coffee beans, and enjoy the freshest coffee grounds for you cup of joe. All that’s needed is an added filter if the machines doesn’t use a permanent one.

Some Less Expensive Models Not Plumbed

Now since we all don’t like the lifestyles of the rich and famous there are some less expensive built in coffee maker models. For those not wanting to spend thousands of dollars, there are under the cabinet models for a few hundred dollars. If you shop hard enough though you can find a buy on a Hardwired and plumbed built in coffee maker. Brew Express makes a model such as this for around $450.00.

An easy way to have a built in coffee maker is simply a coffee maker placed in a nook cut out of the wall. The plug still connects to a regular wall plug, and most machines will need to be removed from the nook in order to have water added to brew. While this might not really seem like a built in coffee maker, it does get it off the counter top. A unique way to get your conventional coffee maker off the counter is to purchase a bracket available that mounts a regular coffee maker to hang from under a cupboard, or other surface.

Of course there are advantages to the more expensive models, then just more counter top space. A plumbed coffee maker is self filling so the correct volume of water is always added. Just add fresh coffee grounds and brew. Now another unique feature, not directly related to coffee is that many of these pre wired coffee makers will also have an additional plug built into the front adding more electrical outlets in your kitchen

The reality is that if you’re a hardcore coffee lover then a built in coffee maker that is plumbed and wired into your home could be worth while. For the average person that makes a pot when guests are over or on weekends it’s probably not the best few hundred bucks you can spend. There are many excellent under cabinet and counter top coffee makers available. Take the time to research the features you’d be interested in and shop around. Shopping comparison sites are an excellent tool to use for researching prices and features.

Nathan Porter asked:


Sending a gift basket to an employee or anyone special on any of a number of different occasions is a great way to show your appreciation or how much you care. Giftswish is the perfect place to find numerous different kinds of prearranged gift baskets for numerous occasions throughout the year.

Whether you are looking for a corporate gift basket, employee appreciation gift basket or a thank you gift basket to give to a client or employees around the office or a Christmas, birthday or anniversary gift basket to give on those special days you can find them here. Within each of these specific categories are numerous fun and exciting high quality gift baskets filled with best selection of quality gourmet foods.

There is also a wide selection of gift baskets specifically for him or her as well as basic chocolate, cookie or coffee gift baskets. Gift baskets should not cost an unreasonable amount of money either which is why you can search for unique gift baskets by price as well.

Giftswish believes that giving a gift should be a simple and pleasant experience as the act of gift giving is an expression of joy and support for your recipient which is why regardless your gift basket needs you can find them here. Giftswish is guaranteed to give you the highest level of service, outstanding solutions, and impressive gifts. They work hard on their gift baskets so you don’t have to!

Brian Connors asked:


So you want to find a gift idea that has a both a satisfying taste and aroma? You should consider Tea and Coffee Gift Baskets which not only have these attributes but also a zest that comes after every sip of either commodity.

Yes, there’s an obvious advantage of giving away either one of these caffeine packed treasures. They clear the mind of that morning-time drowsy “blah-ness”. You know … that fog that we all wade through during the early hours. One must defeat this lethargy or face a mediocre day at best.

That leads us to find a solution to snap us out of a state of sleepiness. And what traditionally have been our weapons to rise above the stupor to a sharper state of mind? Tea and coffee, of course! 

That’s why Tea and Coffee Gift Baskets would be such an excellent choice at gift giving time.  Let’s face it. Practically everyone drinks either coffee or tea. It’s an almost given that the recipient imbibes either of these.

And what else do Tea and Coffee Gift Baskets contain that would excite the gift recipient? Some are packed with luscious treats such as dunk-able cinnamon stirs and cookies as well as honey, creamers and even chocolates. 

Others contain companions such as books, CD’s of perky classical music, and also Zen-inspiring items as well. There’s bound to be a gift that’s custom-designed for any discriminating coffee or tea drinker. 

And everything is packed within a container that has artistic value as well. They can be delightful wicker baskets that can later be placed anywhere throughout the home. They also can be other practical items such as planters or file boxes. Alas … two gifts in one! 

So, think about those you know who must have either a cup o’ joe or spot of tea in the morning and thereafter. That’s why Tea and Coffee Gift Baskets are an easy solution for gift giving. Who wouldn’t love to get what they most crave?