Seasoned Greetings
October 08, 2007
Celebrate the end of a successful business year with impressive food & beverage gifts to quality clients and valued employees
By Anne Marie D. Lee
To gift or not to gift—and if so how and what—those are the questions that companies are asking themselves this holiday season, as businesses become increasingly conscious of gift- giving etiquette. As to whether or not b2b gifting during the holiday season is important, the answer is a resounding "yes," according to the "Guru of Thank You," Bob Nelson, best-selling author of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees. "The end-of-the-year holidays are the most traditional time for showing appreciation to employees, business associates and valued clients. Make the most of this opportunity by giving those who have helped make you successful over the past year a memorable gift that indicates the importance of their relationship to you. It's just good business."
Food gifts that wow the senses are a classic way to wish someone a happy holiday and make them feel special. The key is that it has to be something that your recipients will enjoy. So if you're planning to send generic, ho-hum food gifts that are fated to be crammed into the nearest trash can, or go glug, glug, glug down a kitchen drain, be aware that your chance to make a positive, lasting impression is going to go down with them. But if the old standard of beef jerky-esque salami and processed cheddar is something you'd like to walk away from, then welcome to the modern age of quality-conscious gift giving. For this 2007 holiday season, Incentive showcases food and beverage options that will light up a room with their presentation and light up faces with their taste, leaving no doubt in recipients' minds that they are at the top of your "nice" list.
The Good Life
Above all things, corporate gift budgets are price-point sensitive. At the corporate sales division of Dean & Deluca, the relation of price point to the number of recipients and amount of money a company wants to spend is well understood, which is why it offers its exceptional products in a range of price points.
"We have products ranging from [around $75 all the way up] to $1,000 gift baskets," says Mike Eiring, national director of corporate sales for Dean & Deluca, in New York City. "And when you're doing a massive [gift program], like to all the employees, you're really down to $75-$100, but when you're dealing with 25 special people you want to reward, the price goes up. So, it depends on who your client is and what's their budget that they have to spend."
One of the more popular corporate gift items at Dean & Deluca, according to Eiring, are the Snacks on the Run, which are available at a $16-$120 price point. This year D&D offers a new twist on this line, all new flavors such as five-pepper cashews and tiramisu caramel. There's also a Seasonal Snacks on the Run selection that includes holiday-themed treats, such as Christmas mints, cinnamon jelly beans, toy chest sours, and peppermint bark shortbread.
Besides its gourmet foods, Dean & Deluca is also known for its exceptional coffee. A popular gift item is its coffee-of-the month package, which Eiring describes as more for clients than for employees. "Usually you don't reward employees with a coffee of the month; it's more for the mid-range businessperson who has 10-20 clients who are really coffee connoisseurs. Businesspeople want their name in front of a customer every month. When [clients] receive a coffee-of-the-month coffee, they're reinforcing their message." By popular request, Dean & Deluca now offers a cheese of the month.
Savory Selections
In this day and age, following a healthy diet isn't just about choosing the right balance of foods, but searching out organic foods that are not tainted with chemicals, and, in the case of meats, injected with hormones and antibiotics. "There are tons of companies that have contacted us through the Web site and via the telephone because they're searching for this product," says Dan Vorland, vice president of corporate sales at La Cense Beef in Dillon, Mont. La Cense Beef is all-natural, 100 percent grass-fed beef that comes straight from 122 square miles of Montana ranchland.
Customization options include putting corporate logos on coolers and inserting logoed gifts into them. Upon request, handwritten messages can be included with gift cards or gift certificates. Says Vorland, "There are a variety of different ways we can customize an order—we just can't brand the steak." In addition to its specific beef selections, La Cense Beef offers gift packages, paper certificates and a gift-card program. It will also work with customers to build platform programs at any price point. Orders can be drop shipped anywhere in the U.S.
For those who are into turf and surf, there's Legal Sea Foods. What makes Legal Sea Foods a good corporate gift choice around the holiday season? "Unparalleled freshness and quality," according to Sonya Martin, mail order operations manager at Legal Sea Foods in Boston. Popular gift packages include fresh live lobsters, award-winning clam chowder, and crab cakes. Martin says that Legal Sea Foods has worked with many companies, from family-owned businesses to major financial institutions, customizing unique corporate programs both big and small.
Of course the prime minister of prime meat food gifts is Omaha Steaks. But when you think of Omaha Steaks, don't just think premium quality Midwestern beef, think also of the diverse gourmet offerings, such as pork, poultry, seafood, side dishes, appetizers and desserts. Says Bob Henthorne, national corporate sales director at Omaha Steaks, in Omaha, Neb., "There is something to please everyone, and all Omaha Steaks are unconditionally guaranteed for complete customer satisfaction." Omaha Steaks' products have been used extensively as corporate gifts as well as in promotions, incentives and for employee appreciation and customer loyalty programs. Recent customer surveys have given high rankings to Omaha Steaks for product quality, customer satisfaction, convenience and service.
Another prominent name in gourmet incentives is the ever-popular Lobster Gram, "an ideal corporate choice," according to DJ Flaum, Web/marketing associate for Lobster Gram Inc. in Chicago, because of its "unbeatable quality and high perceived value." Lobster Gram has been included in countless incentive gift programs, such as for Trump Marina Atlantic City Hotel & Casino; a program for real estate giant General Growth Properties that reached thousands of employees, associates and friends; and a discount sales program for Northwest Airlines targeting employees and customers. Flaum says the greatest feedback that Lobster Gram receives is its high gift redemption rate and high rate of repeat customers, adding that "recently one corporate customer noted, 'You know, I've always loved the food, but it's the service that keeps us coming back.'"
Evergreen Gifts
The holidays just wouldn't be the holidays without chocolate. But how to keep things fresh year after year? Not a problem, says Mary Mikus, corporate sales administrator at Godiva Chocolates. "Each year we try to add different pieces at different price points that help our resellers and distributors have something new to talk about with their customers. They love the fact that we keep it fresh looking year after year, while it's still the same premium chocolate inside."
The Godiva 36-piece ballotin box continues to have a strong presence in the market, both in retail and in corporate sales. For the holidays, the ballotin gets dressed up with a holiday ribbon on the outside. Godiva also offers holiday gift assortment boxes at $25 and $50, a favorite price point for most customers, says Mikus. "We also have quite a few larger customers that are doing individual-fulfillment Happy Birthday Ballotins to their employees. Again, it's that iconic Godiva box, but with a Happy Birthday ribbon tied to it. Some of our customers will send us their company's birthday card, which we can insert into the package so that the recipient receives a company birthday card along with a Godiva birthday card tied with a 'Happy Birthday' ribbon."
For employee incentives and motivation, Mikus has seen a lot of orders for Godiva milk chocolate hot cocoa packets. "A lot of our hot cocoa packets are used in combination with the logoed products that the company already has," says Mikus. "So, for example, a manager can walk down the aisle and leave a company mug, with a Godiva hot cocoa packet inside of it, on an employee's desk. Most Fortune 1000 companies already have logoed items, so it works out well. We don't package it for them." Asked what it means to send the gift of Godiva chocolate to a client or customer, Mikus responds, "Well I think the world of chocolate is all about sharing a world of indulgence with your recipient, and Godiva represents that very well in the corporate gifting industry. Godiva is a highly recognized luxury brand, and a world-premier chocolate company."
Small-Town Character
Like a homemade card, homemade goods have a way of showing that you care in a way that large brands simply cannot. For goodies so scrumptious that recipients won't know whether to share them or hoard them, check out any of these neighborhood delights…
Somehow, biting into a flaky, walnut- and raisin-filled rugelach from Erica's Rugelach and Baking Company makes you miss your Bubbeh, even if technically you've never had one. Delicate, yet hearty, and with just the right kick of real butter: There's love in these chewy, crunchy pastries. You can absolutely taste it. Based in Brooklyn, N.Y., and run by owner and founder Erica Kalick, Erica's Rugelach & Baking Company has got it all: fresh oatmeal cookies, chocolate cookies as rich as brownies, chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons, chocolate-dipped linzer hearts and hamantaschen. These moist, delicious pastries are made from an old family recipe, passed down from the prolific kitchen of Kalick's Great Aunt Pearl in the Catskills, N.Y., and are sold at some of New York's finest gourmet markets, including Dean & Deluca and Zabar's. For corporate sales, Erica's offers personalized tins, and all items are certified kosher dairy. A socially conscious business, its proceeds from sales go to various charities. In August, Erica's Rugelach and Baking Company catered desserts for the "Sneakers del Arte" event for Ellen's Run, a charitable women's health foundation. For the event, Erica's pastries were also included in the take-home goodie bag.
If you doubt the power of well-baked goods from small businesses that throw their heart into their products, check out the southern delights at Nonnie Waller's, where satisfaction is sold by the pound— the pound cake, that is. "We work with companies all over the nation for customer appreciation gifts and employee gifts," says Lisa Caldwell, owner of Nonnie Waller's Traditional Southern. "Our unique gift offerings appeal to those companies that want a gift that further executes qualities that are consistent with their own brand: quality, attention to detail and the like. We like to think of it as a lost art in a world full of the same ol', same ol'." For corporate sales orders, Nonnie Waller's offers custom design services to create unique presentations that are exclusive to the client. Other options include a handwritten personal message, seasonal fresh flower bouquets and a personal follow-up phone call. As for feedback from the well fed, Caldwell says that the most frequent reaction is, "I've never felt so cared for and about."
A Toast to Good Business
What better way to bring cheer to the holidays than with an amazing wine? With a vintage wine gift from Amazing Clubs, the bond between you and your client can be reinforced month after month. What makes wine a good corporate gift choice for the upcoming months? "Wine is a widely accepted gift around the holiday season," says Brian D'Ambrosia, director of corporate sales at Stamford, Conn.–based Amazing Clubs. "It is a gift that can be brought into the home and shared with friends and family, which offers a medium that many gifts cannot. There's usually a story behind every bottle, where it's from, who it was given by, etc., and because it is a recurring monthly gift, you will be remembered each month when those two bottles arrive on their doorstep."
Recipients of Wine of the Month Club gifts are not told what wines they will be receiving, but are given a choice of either red, white or one bottle of each. Says D'Ambrosia, "Each bottle is hand-selected by our team of gourmet professionals, so one month you might receive a shiraz from Australia and the next a cabernet from California." D'Ambrosia adds that recipients are excited to receive their new wine shipment each month and to learn about the type of wine they are drinking. Information on the wines is provided and explained in an accompanying newsletter, A Bunch of Grapes. Wine of the Month Club has been used in a variety ways to provide incentives and rewards to employees, holiday gifts for customers, and for conferences and promotions. Says D'Ambrosia, "People love the distinctiveness and convenience of the gift, and also the lasting impact that it has. They are getting a great product month after month."
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