Happy Holidays! It’s time for our annual edition featuring holiday gifts from around the world that also give back to causes you love. Check out these incredible items we have selected for you and get your holiday shopping off to a meaningful start. Of course, you will see a travel and food theme here in alignment of our mission at Go Eat Give.
Save Trees and Good Wine
If you are like me, you enjoy a glass of wine with dinner every now and then. My problem is that the rest of the bottle stays on my shelf for days, and then I eventually have to pour it out. Spoiler alert: wine does not age well once uncorked! So, I got the Coravin wine preservation system and it has worked like magic. Instead of uncorking, I simply insert the Coravin needle and pour a perfected aerated glass of wine. And the rest can stay for weeks or month!
Gift someone the beautiful limited-edition Forest Green Timeless Six+ system to help them enjoy their favorite wines, one glass at a time, without fear of wastage. It also comes with a carry and storage case so this gift will last for many years.
In a partnership with One Tree Planted, Coravin will plant a tree on your behalf for every limited-edition system sold.
BBQ Sauce Preventing Fires
Wine and BBQ? You got it! This is no ordinary BBQ sauce. It helps put out fires. The Durant Pinot Noir Barbecue sauce is upcycled from smoke tainted Estate Grown Pinot Noir from the 2020 wildfires that affected Oregon’s famed Willamette Valley. Durant turned 800 cases of smoke tainted wine into 5,000 bottles of a limited edition condiment developed by the Durant Culinary Director, Eric Bartle.
This BBQ sauce not only helps preserve wine, it also imparts hints of allspice and clove with the slow burn of smoked chipotle chilis and black pepper to your grilled and smoked meats. Furthermore, Durant donates 5% of the proceeds from sales to the Dayton Fire District.
Apparel That Prevents Landfills
Each year, the fashion industry produces more than 100 billion apparel items. Did you know that 30% of the clothing made is never sold? As a result, 92 million tons of waste ends up in landfills. On average, this waste is responsible for 10% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions annually. We must stand up to these global environmental and social injustices.
Gift the coziest shirt for the winter. Crafted from a lofty organic cotton twill with buttons made from Corozo nuts, the women’s blanket shirt by Outerknown is sturdy yet incredibly soft and breathable. Shop around their website for Regenerative Organic Certified® apparel built for travel and lasts a lifetime. Outerknown is a the first apparel brand founded on a total commitment to sustainability. Ethically sourced, fair-trade, chemical-free, Outerknown clothes are socially responsible and look great.
Spice as a Force for Good
Each time you bake holiday cookies and cakes for your guests, you can also tell them a heart warming story about the ingredients. Infuse your dishes with fine quality saffron, coriander, mulling spices, and kabul piquant, that also give back. The four-pack Baker’s Gift Set is the perfect hostess gift that you may also want for yourself.
American military veterans who served in Afghanistan founded Rumi Spice. They wanted to help the women in the war-torn country earn a dignified living. Today, Rumi Spice is the largest private employer of women in Afghanistan, continuing to employ over 4,000 women annually despite the challenging political climate. Their unique business model has ingrained women into the saffron industry, making it resilient to the Taliban’s efforts to eliminate women from public life.
80% of the jobs involved in the saffron production process involve women, in a country where only 19% of its female population participates in the work force.
Tea for Women’s Empowerment
Speaking of saffron, did you know that it is the most expensive spice in the world? Why? Because saffron is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It has been used in various medicinal traditions for ailments such as depression/anxiety, immune support, memory and brain health, menstrual discomfort, PMS, and much more.
Tahmina Tea (which means “brave” in Persian) is a woman-owned brand dedicated to bringing the world’s finest organic hand-harvested saffron-infused teas while empowering women in conflict-affected communities. Their saffron is sourced from Afghanistan, where it is hand-harvested by Afghan women, providing them with vital economic opportunities. Tahmina donates 10% of its revenue back into various projects in Afghanistan. Drink up to good health and giving back!
Candles for Polar Bears
Who doesn’t love a lovely scented candle, with a travel theme too? Gift ROAM candles to your dinner party hosts, to your in-laws, and your boss. ROAM scents are inspired by unique destinations, like Churchill Manitoba (the polar bear capital where I visited in October 2024). The eco-friendly candles are made of biodegradable coconut and apricot wax (superior to soy) which is vegan, toxin-free, paraben-free, biodegradable, clean burning and derived from renewable sources. They are available in 10oz minimalist ceramic vessels and 4oz travel vessels for the avid traveller. For the outdoor enthusiast, there is an insect repelling WILD Outdoor Candle made of a blend of lemon eucalyptus, citronella and cedar wood essential oils.
Giving back is essential to ROAM. Therefore, 5% of the profits of each candle sold go to Coral Gardeners, with the exception being the Churchill candle from which proceeds go to Polar Bears International. And since July, ROAM has given 50% of the profits of the Jasper candle back to the community devastated by wildfires.
Fashion That Addresses Climate Change
This Hemp + Organic Cotton blend soft and durable tee from Jungmaven is a perfect gift for big-cat lovers. It is designed and dyed by a local textile artist in Vancouver, Washington.
Jungmaven launched HEMP 2020 to raise awareness around the positive environmental impacts of hemp farming and to get hemp to grow again legally in the US. Hemp has regenerative qualities, making it a desirable alternative to finite, natural resources that are less healthy for the environment. Jungmaven clothing is cut and sewn in Los Angeles, California with high quality, globally sourced materials.
Olive Oil For Healthy Communities
As a home chef, I love giving and receiving culinary gifts. And La Tourangelle’s line of handcrafted oils are simply divine! They are authentic, sustainable, and crafted locally in California and France using traditional practices. Get the robust two-pack gift box of Truffle Oils or opt for the classic stocking stuffer gift sets. This includes a variety of walnut, avocado, and sesame oils. Also great for chefs, is the Infused Gift Trio with garlic, white truffle, and basil oil.
All of La Tourangelle’s products give back with 2% of the company’s profits and 5% of the company’s land in Woodland, Yolo County, CA dedicated to the La Tourangelle Foundation – founded to support edible gardens within schools, regenerative agriculture, and food banks. If you happen to be in Yolo County, CA, you can even visit and volunteer on the family farm.
Bags To Save The Environment
Fill every stocking stuffer with an Ambrosia Produce Bag. These sustainable raw flax linen bags help extend the shelf lives of your fruits and veggies and reduce the use of plastic. The scientific design inhibits bacteria and mold unlike any other natural textile. The hollow fibers have a high absorption rate while staying air-permeable, creating the ideal atmosphere for the maximum shelf life for all your produce in the refrigerator.
Ambrosia’s mission is to reduce household food waste while achieving sustainability in the kitchen while producing locally, paying fair wages, and using the highest quality materials. They partner with Ecodrive to plant a tree with every purchase, and help restore mangrove forests in Kenya. Ambrosia is a USA-based woman-owned company.
Outdoor Gear For The Planet
When I think of high-quality sustainable clothing, Patagonia is top of the list. While they offer some of the best quality clothing for the outdoor enthusiasts made from recycled materials, being truly sustainable reaches far beyond the products. Patagonia supports grassroots activism by donating 1% of sales each year to grassroots environmental nonprofits. It also funds the Patagonia Purpose Trust, and the Holdfast Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting the environmental crisis and defending nature.
As you head into the winter season, gift your loved ones the best thermal clothing available on the planet, that also gives back to the planet. Some of my personal favorites are the Patagonia’s R1® Thermal Full-Zip Hoody and Bottoms. They are super comfortable, warm and breathable to help protect from the snow flurries this holiday season.
