Homemade Holiday Corporate Gift Basket Ideas

The holidays are here, and the corporate gift frenzy has arrived. The necessity of sending something for the season is unquestionable, but the high price of store bought gift baskets makes even the most enthusiastic sender shudder. Homemade baskets of food, chocolates, beverages, and gifts can give a great impression to clients if presented nicely. Here is a cost effective plan for this alternative to shipping store bought baskets.

Base

To get started, you are going to need a base for your creativity. You must have a basket, filler, and shrink-wrap. It is time to head to the dollar store. Here you can find a variety of baskets for only a buck. If they are running low on baskets, try thinking outside of the basket, and look into buckets, crates, or any of the other containers that can be found there. Aim for something simple and elegant. Neutral colors are best.

For filler, you can buy a large quantity of pre-made shredded paper, or if you have a crosscut shredder make your own. Another option is simply crumpled tissue paper or brown mailing paper. Whatever you decide to use, neutrals are a must here. If you can find some gold-colored paper, you can make really elegant stuffing. Otherwise beige or brown paper will provide a nice backdrop to your goodies.

Shrink-wrap is expensive. If you are making a large quantity of baskets, buy an industrial sized roll. If you are not making a large number of baskets, check the dollar store for pre-made basket-bags that usually come with ribbon of some sort for sealing the bag off.

Goodies

Pick a theme for your basket. It can be related to your industry or not. It is best when producing large quantities of baskets to make all of the baskets the same. This allows you to purchase bulk quantities and also makes assembly and distribution easy and streamlined.

Some possible themes include coffee or tea, Italian dinner, office snacks, or holiday sweets. If you work for a company that produces, distributes, or sells foods, you can make your theme using your own product. And remember, your theme does not necessarily have to involve food. Barbeque sets, kitchen gadgets, stationary, or spa baskets are very hot sellers.

Lindor truffles make great filler for any basket. The gourmet chocolate has a beautiful wrapper and is delicious yet inexpensive. These can be found at most grocery stores, and can often be found at discount stores, too. Candy canes are festive, inexpensive, and with the many colors available can fit into any design. For coffees and teas, try Break Escapes individual serving sizes. These are available at office stores, and the quality is surprisingly good.

For coffee mugs, trivets, bowls, plates, candle holders or candy dishes to put in the basket, the dollar stores offer a nice variety of brands that fit a range of themes. These items are fairly generic in store bought baskets so dollar store finds can work quite nicely if presented nicely and given thoughtfully.

Assembly

Once you have picked a theme and gathered your baskets and goodies, it is time to put together the baskets. First, decide if you want to pack the baskets full (a generous but sometimes spendy option) or if you will artistically present a smaller amount of stuff, with a lot of filler paper in the bottom of the basket (this is cost effective, and very common in store bought baskets, but not as classy).

Create a prototype of what you want your baskets to look like (complete with stuffing and shrink wrap). Then, arrange an assembly line with your helpers to get the baskets done as quickly as possible.

Distribution

If your customers are local, you should plan on hand delivering them. Be sure to call in advance. If you customers are not local, aim to mail packages as early as possible. Take your basket to the local post office or shipping store and ask for advice on the most cost effective way to ship.

Miscellaneous Tips

Budget carefully and monitor that budget constantly. If you are not careful, homemade baskets can end up costing your company more than the comparable store bought varieties.

Do not send perishables. As nice as apples from the Northwest or oranges from California would be, perishables can cost more to ship, can be subject to inspection, and may not make it to the recipient in the desired condition. It will not leave a good impression with your client, if they receive a basket of moldy fruit.

If you are sending breakables, make sure that they are surrounded by filler paper, and packed tightly into the baskets. Use large amounts of packaging, or if you are using a shipping store, it may be worth it to have the professionals pack it.

Gift baskets are a fun and festive aspect of the holidays. They are also important for leaving a yearlong impression of your company with the recipient. Save money by making them instead of ordering, but be sure your presentation is elegant and that the gift will be well received. Have a safe and happy holiday season!