Few things unite people like the joy, comfort and indulgence of delicious food.

The giftable gourmet market offers products that are infinite crowd-pleasers — great for foodies, loved ones, teachers, gift exchanges and more. They also serve as ideal impulse buys or add-on purchases.

Gift Shop® Plus interviewed four distinct wholesalers making their mark in the gourmet market.

SUGARFINA

Tell me about your company and its specialties in the gourmet category.

Ryleigh Botha, wholesale sales manager, B2B: Sugarfina is an international candy brand, combining high-quality luxury candy with a fun and engaging aesthetic. We have created a new space in the luxury confections market and continue to redefine what it means to be a luxury candy brand. By partnering with the best artisanal candy makers around the world, Sugarfina offers uniquely innovative flavors that can’t be found anywhere else. We are known for our famed Champagne Bears made with Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne, Rosé All Day Bears made with Whispering Angel Rosé, and Tequila Grapefruit Sours made with Casamigos Tequila. Sugarfina has a grown-up gummy for every palate.

What are your newest offerings?

Our latest collections include seasonal items such as Halloween and holiday. We also have an Innovation collection that features limited-edition collaborations such as our newest Sanrio Hello Kitty & Friends collection.

Any bestsellers that retailers should know about?

Named “the perfect party favor” by Cosmopolitan magazine, our Champagne Bears, made with Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne, are the perfect sophisticated gummy bear for any celebration. You might also recognize our Sugar Lips — pucker up to these sweet and sour gummy lips in mouthwatering flavors of strawberry, cherry and watermelon. These gummies are gelatin free — perfect for vegans and vegetarians.

How can retailers best tap into the gourmet market and make it giftable for customers?

Sugarfina delivers an upscale experience from the moment customers engage with the brand. By partnering with artisan candy makers from around the world, Sugarfina creates a wide range of products that offer something for everyone: from gummies to cordials, cocktail-infused candies and chocolate bars. Our uniquely fresh approach to gourmet confections has attracted a loyal, coveted customer who is fashion-forward, influential and seeks luxury products that speak to her lifestyle.

COUNTRY HOME CREATIONS

Tell me about your company and its specialties in the Gourmet category.

Justin Gailitis, national sales manager: In 1980, Country Home Creations was launched, and we are proudly celebrating 44 years in business. Gourmet dip, soup and bread mixes; baked and no-bake cheesecakes; drink mixes; pickle mixes; and barbecue sauces are our specialties. “Gourmet Simplified” is our motto, and we’re always in the kitchen creating our newest, most inventive flavors.

What are your newest offerings?

Apricot Wine Cheesespread Mix. Cranberry Jalapeño Spread Mix. Maple Pecan Dip Mix. Texas Caviar Mix. Southwest Bean Soup Mix. Brownie Bread Mix. Sweet Butter Bread Mix.

Any bestsellers that retailers should know about?

Artichoke & Spinach Dip Mix. Garlic Asiago Dip Mix. Pineapple Pecan Dip Mix. Dill Pickle Dip Mix. Loaded Baked Potato Dip Mix. White Cheddar Jalapeño Dip Mix.

What is trending in gourmet as of late?

Sweet Heat is very popular right now. This flavor combination strikes a balance between sweetness and a hint of spice. Keeping this trend in mind, we developed our Hot Honey & Feta Cheesespread Mix, which has been our bestselling new mix this summer.

How can retailers best tap into the gourmet market and make it “giftable” for customers?

These days, everyone is always busy and on the go. You’re setting yourself up for success if you can give your customers a product that’s delicious and simple to make. Almost all of our dip mixes double as recipes, whether it’s for a tasty meatloaf, cookies, or chicken salad, in addition to being simple to prepare. People enjoy entertaining and interacting with others, so when they find a product that tastes fantastic and is simple to make, they will buy it.

DUTCH WAFFLE CO.

Tell me about your company.

Bianca Letens, owner and president: I came to the U.S. as a foreign exchange student in 1988. I was close with both of my host families when I studied here in the U.S. After I returned to the Netherlands, we stayed in touch, and I brought Stroopwafels with me for each visit. I met my husband Patrick in a restaurant in 1993. It didn’t take long to fall in love with his humor and heart. I took him to the U.S. to meet my host families in 1995.

Of course, I brought two suitcases with me — one filled with personal belongings and the other with Stroopwafels.

Patrick and I married in 1998, and both of my host families attended the wedding in the Netherlands. At that time, one of my host parents, Jim Hartman, advised us to start selling Stroopwafels in the U.S. Patrick and I took his advice, bought a waffle baking iron, and got trained at a famous Stroopwafel factory.

By the end of 1999, we completed a 10-week market research project to see if the U.S. was ready for Stroopwafels. We found many businesses eager to work with us. The Dutch Waffle Co. was born and registered in Elkhart, Indiana, by August 1999. Our new dream almost died in the legal process. Moving to the U.S. wasn’t easy; it took time, money and even lawyers to help get the right documents and visas in place.

Twenty years after completing our initial market research, things were finally looking up. In July 2019, we got a “go” from the U.S. Consulate. We sold our house, boarded a plane and started selling Stroopwafels soon after. Today, The Dutch Waffle Co. sells products in hundreds of stores nationwide.

What makes Dutch Waffle Co. Stroopwafels gourmet?

They’re an authentic taste of the Netherlands. We use the traditional 200-plus-year-old Stroopwafel recipe that many competitors can’t replicate. But we’re also unique for our freshness. When companies import their Stroopwafels from overseas, it takes months for them to reach the States. It’s our mission to make Americans aware of what a truly fresh traditional Stroopwafel should taste like. Our Stroopwafels are truly like what you can find in the Netherlands.

Any bestsellers that retailers should know about?

Dutch Waffle Co.’s bestseller is our 8-count package Stroopwafels. We offer classic, gluten-free, vegan and organic options so everyone can enjoy a Stroopwafel. Beside the 8-count, we also have single packages for on the go or to pack in a lunch box, and packages with two Stroopwafels that work great for making s’mores and including in gift baskets.

What is trending in gourmet as of late?

Our No-Bake Stroopwafel Pie Crust. This easy, no-bake pie crust is an elevated pie crust made from real Stroopwafel crumbs. Because the crumbs have been baked already, you don’t need to bake it any more. It is a luxurious replacement for graham cracker crust. It doesn’t get soggy, and it has the same flavor as our Stroopwafels.

What are your newest offerings?

You don’t need to warm fresh Stroopwafels up on your coffee cup, but Stroopwafels are still delicious with coffee. As Patrick and I were here as tourists, we always bought our coffee at a local roastery in Goshen, Indiana, so we asked if she would be willing to make Stroopwafel Coffee for us, and she did. Our customers love the Stroopwafel Coffee. It’s a delicious blend with notes of caramel, cookie, cinnamon and butter. We drink it in the office every day.

How can retailers best tap into the gourmet market and make it giftable for customers?

I’ve also always wanted to offer a variety of products that are gourmet, giftable and reflect Dutch culture, so we added Dutch-designed coffee mugs and tins to our gourmet food and beverage products. All our products are easily mixed and matched, allowing you to create great gifts in every price range.

Dutch Waffle Co. is a flexible, woman-owned business and loves to listen and work with the wishes of our customers. We keep our stock as low as possible so our customers have the freshest products. That being said, our stock sells out fast, so it is best to pre-order your products ASAP, especially with the holiday season coming up, to guarantee delivery.

BOURBON BARREL FOODS

Tell me about your company and its specialties in the Gourmet category.

Hope Oiler, wholesale accounts and marketing: Bourbon Barrel Foods produces a collection of all- natural, award-winning artisan foods that embrace the history and mystique of Kentucky’s Bourbon Country. All of our items are handcrafted in small batches in Louisville, Kentucky. What makes us truly unique is our innovative use of reclaimed bourbon barrels sourced directly from prominent bourbon distilleries in Kentucky. These barrels are employed for smoking and aging, infusing our products with a unique flavor that cannot be replicated through any other method.

Our specialties include a collection of the U.S. original microbrewed, barrel-aged and fermented soy sauces. Our flagship product, Bluegrass Soy Sauce, uses local ingredients including non-GMO soybeans, soft red winter wheat and limestone-filtered water, which are combined with solar-evaporated sea salt to create the soy mash. Each barrel of Bluegrass Soy Sauce ages for a year inside the barrels until it is pressed, and the final product is bottled. Once bottled, each label is hand-numbered by batch and bottle — our nod to the small-batch bourbon makers.

What are your newest offerings?

Our newest offerings include our Barrel Aged Hot Sauce, which features a simple and clean recipe that enhances food with mild heat and tanginess. What makes it truly unique is the flavor imparted through our aging process in reclaimed bourbon barrels, which mellows the sauce and adds aroma, as well as hints of char and oak.

We have also curated a thoughtful collection of gift boxes designed with our market partners and customers in mind. These gift boxes highlight many of our top- sellers and pair products intentionally to create the best user experience that will entice customers to explore more of what Bourbon Barrel Foods has to offer. These gift boxes have a sleek and sophisticated design and make the perfect birthday gift, housewarming gift, Christmas gift or “just because” gift for that special person who loves to bake, cook and indulge in unique artisan foods.

Any bestsellers that retailers should know about?

With fall around the corner, we have to talk about our Apple Butter. This seasonal product is made with Appalachian-grown apples that are handpicked and cooked down slowly, allowing the sugars in the fruit to caramelize to deep brown. Our Apple Butter also features our award-winning Bourbon Barrel Aged Sorghum, which adds a hint of earthy sweetness. This handcrafted product is rich and smooth with a hint of Kentucky bourbon.

Spread this delicious Apple Butter on biscuits, pair it with roasted pork or chicken, or use it in a traditional Appalachian Apple Stack Cake.

What’s trending in gourmet as of late?

As a small soy sauce microbrewery at the start, we have always embraced diverse global flavors. It’s exciting to witness the growing popularity of international flavors. Embracing this enthusiasm for flavors from various regions and cultures, we have developed products that blend global flavors with Kentucky’s culinary heritage. Notable among these are our Bourbon Smoked Curry Powder and Bourbon Smoked Togarashi. Our Bourbon Smoked Curry Powder is a unique spice blend slow- smoked with bourbon barrel staves, infusing a delicate smoky and oaky essence. Ideal for enhancing soups, stews, sauces, meats and vegetables.