Designed to Delight: Gourmet becomes more giftable
Gourmet just became more giftable as design and flavor join forces.
Mud Pie’s newest collection, In Good Taste, launched this fall and marks not merely a category expansion, but an industrywide collaboration. The line features 34 ready-to-gift gourmet sets that marry Mud Pie’s signature serveware with products from wholesale food and beverage brands.
From Stonewall Kitchen’s maple syrup tucked inside a ceramic pitcher to Too Good Gourmet’s shortbread served on a handpainted cookie plate, Mud Pie and its partners have set out to create products that are thoughtfully designed and require no wrapping.
For Lauren Brekke, chief product officer at Mud Pie, the move into gourmet was both natural and inevitable.
“A core tenet at Mud Pie is to make product for our customers’ everyday lives and their special occasions,” she said. “We look at how they are living, gathering and gifting. For years, we knew there was a demand for preassembled gourmet gift sets — something beautiful, thoughtful and complete. … It just felt like a natural next step for us.”
Retailers have long been pairing Mud Pie’s bowls, boards and platters with gourmet foods in-store, crafting their own giftables. The demand was clear — but so was the added time, labor and packaging on retailers’ parts. Brekke and her team hoped to ease that burden, designing products and packaging tailored to fit the foods without requiring additional effort from retailers.
SELECTING PARTNERS
Identifying the right collaborators for In Good Taste was “fun, exciting and extensive” all at once, Brekke explained.
“We were very intentional in our partner selections. We looked for brands that aligned with our quality standards but also brought unique flavor profiles and trusted fan bases,” she said. “Many of these partners are companies our customers already love — and by packaging them with our exclusive designs, we created something greater than the sum of its parts.”
The In Good Taste collection features partnerships with Too Good Gourmet, Noble Mick’s, Gourmet Du Village, Stonewall Kitchen and Old School Mill.
“These sets offer retailers something truly distinctive: high-quality foods beautifully paired with Mud Pie’s signature style, creating an elevated gift that shoppers can feel proud to give or excited to enjoy themselves,” said Liz Eddy, director of marketing at Stonewall Kitchen.
For Noble Mick’s, known for its cocktail mixes, the appeal was immediate.
“Mud Pie is an iconic brand in our industry,” said owner Erik Legenhausen. “Customers that buy from Mud Pie are the exact-qualified buyers we are looking for.”
EXPERIENTIAL GIFTING
The In Good Taste collection is designed to meet a wide range of occasions — think hostess gifts, teacher appreciation, holidays and housewarming parties. Beyond celebrations, the sets also lend themselves to everyday gestures with shelf stability and ready-to- display packaging.
“We wanted them to work for both planned and spontaneous gifting,” Brekke said. “And with the range of styles — from playful candy bowls for kids to sophisticated cocktail mixes — there’s truly something for every recipient and price point.”
The collection’s debut comes at a time where experiential gifting is on the rise. Shoppers are increasingly evaluating value by not just what a gift is, but what it does. A set that pairs a gourmet element with a keepsake piece offers a dual-layer experience: something to savor in the moment and something to keep for years. For retailers, customers are more likely to see the purchase as worth the spend even if purse strings tighten.
“These sets present the consumer with a gift to keep and a gift to experience,” said Makayla Hinson, sales and marketing manager of Old School Mill.
By pairing something consumable with something lasting, Mud Pie taps into that rising desire for gifts that feel thoughtful without being excessive.
“We’re seeing a shift toward experiential gift-giving,” Brekke said. “People want gifts that are both useful and memorable. Combining serveware with a tasty gourmet element makes the gift feel complete. It’s something you can enjoy in the moment and reuse again and again, which is a big
win for today’s consumer.”
RISING TIDES
A rising tide lifts all boats. In this case, the In Good Taste collection hits a sweet spot, benefiting Mud Pie, its partners, retailers and consumers all at once.
For Mud Pie, the collaboration emphasizes a core philosophy: creating products for the everyday and celebrations alike. For partner brands, Mud Pie’s collection amplifies their reach and emphasizes their products as the seamless element that transforms a gift into something complete.
For retailers, the In Good Taste collection aims to present a high-impact, low-effort and versatile solution that reduces labor and sells more. And for the end consumer, they’re offered an easily giftable solution that is both accessible and thoughtful.
“Consumers love the value and presentation, and retailers benefit from the increased basket size and seasonal refresh,” Brekke said. “Additionally, we know many retailers were taking the time to make these types of gift sets in the stores themselves. This saves them the time, labor and materials — and in this market, that’s a big win.”
Beyond the efficiencies, the partnerships themselves carry meaning. By bringing some independent or family-owned gourmet businesses into the fold, Mud Pie spotlights companies whose values mirror its own.
“While partnering with some of the smaller, family- owned businesses may not have been the primary objective of the partnership, it certainly became a piece that we are really proud of, being family-owned and -operated ourselves. It made things that much more special.”
