You can now have pretty much anything selected, packaged, and delivered to your door on a regular basis. No really, there are subscription boxes for razors, dog treats, socks, meals…the list is endless. According to Bloomberg, nearly 2,000 companies have a subscription-style delivery service as part of their business plans, and subscription marketplace Cratejoy estimates this type of commerce generated $5 billion in revenue in 2014. Southern entrepreneurs are thinking inside the box, too, creating gift and subscription boxes full of goods from around the region. So if you’re still looking for a holiday gift, why not let these 8 Southern companies do the work for you?
- Batch Nashville curates gift boxes of locally made, artisanal goods and foods from Nashville, Memphis, Charleston, Austin, and all across the South. They offer pre-selected gift batches, monthly subscription boxes, and a “build your own batch” option categorized by things like coffee, cocktails, and home goods. The company launched in 2013, opened a retail shop in Nashville in 2014, and has been featured in the New York Times, InStyle, and Southern Living.
- Georgia Crafted launched in 2013 to help shoppers find truly local, Georgia-made products. The female-founded company started with a monthly subscription box and now offers themed gift boxes (brunch in a box, anyone?), build-your-own, and custom corporate gifts, as well as an online store featuring over 100 goods made by independent Georgia artisans. Georgia Crafted has been featured in Inc. and is a 2016 Cobb Chamber Business to Watch.
- The Bluegrass Box is a quarterly shipment of items that are uniquely Kentucky, including artisanal foods and hand-crafted goods. Launched in Lexington in 2015, the company themes each quarterly gift package with seasonal goods (think: a fall box complete with a locally-sourced s’mores kit). They’ve been featured by Eat Kentucky and several local publications.
- Need a gift for a Charleston foodie? Charleston Epicurean offers subscription boxes containing 4 to 5 local, artisanal, and gourmet food items made in the Lowcountry. In addition to monthly deliveries, Charleston Epicurean sells curated gift boxes ranging from $35 to $59. The female-founded company launched in 2014 and has been featured in The Post and Courier, The Daily South, and Charleston Magazine.
- My Texas Market helps shoppers discover the best small-batch, artisan goods from farmers’ markets and local Texas businesses. Their subscription and one-time gift boxes are carefully curated around a different theme each month, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Houston Food Bank. The Spring, Texas-based company also offers corporate gifts, a build-your-own box option, and an online market full of Lone Star state goods.
- Launched in Durham in 2014, NC Made seeks to foster appreciation of handcrafted foods within North Carolina and to gain national attention for NC’s thriving food economy. They offer curated, themed gift boxes (the NC beer box has our attention), as well as large gift crates, personalized wedding boxes, and corporate gifts. The female-founded company has garnered press in Durham Magazine, Indy Week, and the News & Observer.
- Southern Favor is a recently launched Charlotte-based startup that creates message boxes for personal or corporate gift-giving. The boxes are hand-crafted with American hardwood and leather in Charlotte, NC, and are fully customizable through laser engraving on the top, front, and inside lid.
- Ok, so this one’s not exactly a “box,” but Charlotte-based BrewPublik, a home and office beer delivery service, now offers curated holiday variety packs for craft beer lovers in Charleston, SC. Buyers can choose between dark, light, hoppy, or all local brews and have them delivered straight to their door. BrewPublik recently expanded to San Francisco and has been featured in Huffington Post, Vice, and BeerAdvocate.
If you’re looking for just one Southern-made item, you might also check out the online shops at Charleston-based Garden & Gun, Franklin, TN-based Made South, or Little Rock, AR-based Bourbon & Boots.
Photo credit: NC Made
