The confetti has settled so now it’s time to get to work on those New Year’s Resolutions. Your Georgia Crafted Peaches have a proposed resolution for you that doesn’t involve the gym. Instead, we want you to make a commitment to shop local more often in 2020.

You might ask yourself, “Why should I make more of an effort to shop local this year?” Well, check out these top five reasons to shop local in 2020 below.

1. You support the local Georgia economy.

Every purchase you make locally makes a difference. Approximately 67 cents for every dollar spent at small businesses stays in the community and supports the local Georgia economy. Instead of sending your hard earned money overseas or to support an already rich CEO, your local purchase makes a difference and supports the businesses that make your town unique.

 

2. You support the dreams of artisans around the state.

Shopping local doesn’t just support the local Georgia economy. Every dollar spent also supports the dreams of community members in your city. Small businesses are founded by folks who have a true passion for their craft or product. From a local veteran who founded a honey business to Georgia Grown pecan farmers who have kept the family business going for generations, behind every small business is a hard-working individual or family with the goal of bringing you the highest quality product you can buy.

 

3. Small-batch products are the best quality.

Because local artisans have a passion for their craft, you can bet your bottom dollar that you are receiving the highest quality product when shopping local. One of the many advantages of supporting local artisans is each product is handcrafted in small batches. When we add another product to our inventory, you can rest assured that we have taste-tested and inspected every cheese straw, gourmet pecan, honey, and any other website addition to ensure you enjoy every bit of Georgia-made goodness in your Georgia Crafted gift box.

 

4. You receive the highest level of personalized customer service.

Why make a commitment to shop local more in 2020? Small businesses have one goal: to make sure that you have the best shopping experience and product. At Georgia Crafted, our number one priority is to provide you with the highest level of customer service imaginable. From making sure your box is packed carefully and shipped promptly to helping you build the perfect gift box for a client, we ensure your experience shopping with us is superior from check out to delivery.

 

5. Every purchase you make ends with a happy dance.

Finally, the top reason to shop local is because every purchase ends with a happy dance. Of course, you do a little jig from excitement when you know you’ve got a great box of Georgia-made goodness coming to your doorstep. You’re not dancing alone, though! Your Georgia Crafted Peaches also do a happy dance with every ding from Shopify and THANK YOU for your purchase. After all, your purchase not only supports our small business but local artisans throughout the state of Georgia.

Convinced that you should shop local but not sure if you will have the time this year to discover new small businesses and local artisans? Let your Georgia Crafted Peaches do the work for you.

Our monthly subscription box makes it easy to shop local, discover new products, and support local artisans from around the state. Every month, we will scour the state looking for the best new Georgia-made products - whether it's food, home goods, bath & body products and more...and ship them right to your door. You can grab a 1-month, 3-month, or 6-month subscription here and get ready to discover the best-of-the-best Georgia has to offer.

The freezing temperatures and shorter days have the Georgia Crafted Peaches craving all things cozy. When we want to make our homes feel (and smell) warm and inviting, we reach for a Jack Be Nimble candle. 

Recently, we had the chance to sit down with Paul “Jack” Bruschi, a former professional ballet dancer and founder of Jack Be Nimble candles. 

In 2008, Paul founded Jack Be Nimble after being dissatisfied with run-of-the-mill, low-quality candles offered in stores. 

“I decided I was tired of buying candles that smelled great in the store just to get them home, and they lost their smell after a couple of burns. I knew there had to be a better way.”

With that, Paul began crafting his own signature formula that would later be the foundation for all Jack Be Nimble candles. 

 “I started experimenting and a year later, I felt I had the formula that would make a candle that smelled amazing from start to finish.  Jack Be Nimble was born and I still use that same formula today in all our candles.”

Jack Be Nimble upholds an unwavering commitment to quality that you won’t find in big box store candles. Hand-poured in batches of 12 in their Atlanta studio, all Jack Be Nimble candles are made using American grown soy wax, all-natural cotton wicks & fine fragrance oils. Plus, each candle has a clean burn time of 50+ hours.

When it comes to the divine smell of each Jack Be Nimble candle, Paul is inspired by smells that ignite nostalgia, like his fond memories of his childhood in Georgia, and his devoted customer base.

“I love developing scents that are nostalgic in some way and recall some pleasant memory from your past. Many of our scents, like Georgia On My Mind, come from things I remember from my childhood growing up in Georgia. Other scent ideas come from our amazing customers who ask if we can make a candle that smells like this or that.”

After coming up with another scent, the real work begins, as the process for creating a new candle scent can take up to a year.

“When I do come up with an idea, it usually takes up to a year to fully develop and test the scent.”

After twirling the top off of any Jack Be Nimble candle, you’ll find yourself inhaling deep and smiling as you breathe in each cozy note. Even before lighting one of these beautiful candles, Paul wants the scents to bring happiness to anyone who smells them.

“I really want the scents to bring a smile to someone’s face. I see it when people pick up a scent and smell it for the first time. Whether the smell reminds them of Christmas morning at their grandmother’s house or a relaxing day at the spa, I want them to make people happy.

With scents like Rustic, Harvest, Nutmeg & Ginger, and Georgia On My Mind, a Jack Be Nimble candle is the perfect way to bring folks together at every gathering. 

As the holiday season gears up, we couldn’t help but ask Paul some of his best entertaining tips. His answer: simplicity is key.

“I say keep it simple. You can’t have fun if you are working the entire time your guests are with you. Prep or buy your food and beverages ahead of time, light your Jack Be Nimble candles 2-3 hours before your party starts, and then relax and enjoy your family or friends.”

What’s Paul’s suggested host or hostess gift to bring along with you to every gathering this holiday season? Give a more thoughtful “Thank You” to your host(s) by choosing a Jack Be Nimble candle. 

“So many people are tired of giving a bottle of wine and are turning to unique gifts like our candles. Candles are a more personal gift and I always think including a handwritten note with the candle is a nice touch.”

Finally, as a Georgia native, Paul has had ample opportunity to explore the Peach State. His favorite Explore Georgia adventure? Visiting old houses that have a unique history to share and provide inspiration for his candles.

“I love exploring old homes whether in South Georgia, the Coast, or the Georgia mountains.  Old homes remind me of my youth and I get lots of inspiration for candles by visiting historic places or homes around the State.”

As the Georgia Crafted Peaches settle in for chilly season in Georgia, you can rest assured that we have a Jack Be Nimble candle lit to warm our homes and our hearts with every sniff.

If you want to bring the cozy feeling from lighting a Jack Be Nimble candle into your home, shop our entire collection here. 

 

Halloween has passed so the holiday season is here, y’all!

As you gear up for the busy season, choosing meaningful holiday gifts for your clients, employees, and partners is on your to-do list along with a lot of other tasks that must get done before Santa comes to town.

When it comes to choosing the perfect client or corporate holiday gifts, your Georgia Crafted Peaches want to help you have a stress-free holiday by taking care of your corporate holiday gifts from start to finish. From placing your order to coordinating delivery, our goal is to ensure you can confidently check “corporate holiday gifts” off of your to-do list and trust your recipients will love their gift box filled with Georgia-made products.

Need another reason to place your corporate holiday gift order with the Georgia Crafted Peaches? Check out our list of 5 reasons why Georgia Crafted is the best partner for holiday gifts.

1. We work within your budget.

At Georgia Crafted, our goal is not to upsell or push the limits of your bottom line. We work within your budget to provide quality gift boxes your customers, partners, or employees will be excited to open. Simply, outline your budget and gift box quantity and we will provide gift box options to fit your needs.

2. We ship worldwide.

When it comes to Georgia-made goodness, the Georgia Crafted Peaches cannot possibly keep these handcrafted, quality products within state lines. To share the artisan-made love, Georgia Crafted gift boxes ship worldwide to ensure your gift box recipients receive a quality holiday gift no matter where they reside.

3. We ensure your holiday gift boxes are on-brand with your business.

Not only do we stick to your specified budget when curating corporate holiday gifts, we also incorporate your company’s branding. With options to customize the box insert with your logo and choosing a crinkle filler that fits your company’s colors, we make holiday gifts have your brand identity (without any added stress).

4. You can support local artisans with your holiday gifts.

At Georgia Crafted, we make it our mission to help you easily shop local and support makers from all over the state. Our small-batch product inventory is the result of the hard work of artisans from around Georgia. Every Georgia Crafted gift box purchase supports the dream of makers around the Peach State and the local Georgia economy. Make your corporate gifts count this season by skipping meaningless branded products and shopping local with Georgia Crafted. 

5. We make corporate gifting fun and easy.

With a team of Georgia Crafted Peaches ready to help you take your gifts to the next level, we make corporate gifting a stress-free experience by proactively working with you to ensure your success this holiday season. We pack every gift box with care and ensure that each order is completed correctly and on time, every time. Your stress-free holiday begins with a phone call or email, and we will take care of the rest. It’s that simple, quick, and easy!

 

To kick off your successful holiday season of corporate gift giving, contact us at hello@georgiacrafted.com or call 404-931-6647 to get an estimate.

It’s Pumpkin Spice season, y’all!

Well, the cold front folks kept telling us about finally made its way to the Peach State which means we’re ready to wear blanket scarves, sweaters, and duck boots while sipping on a delicious pumpkin spice latte.

That’s right! Pumpkin Spice is back and it’s here to stay. Honestly, your Georgia Crafted Peaches don’t care how “basic” people call it. We LOVE our Pumpkin Spice.

That’s why we have curated our Limited-Edition Pumpkin Spice gift box for all the obsessed PSL lovers like us.

This gift box includes everything a Pumpkin Spice lover needs to get through Autumn 2019 including soap, coffee, and a mug to show your PSL love.

You'll Love This A (Pumpkin Spice) Latte

Perky Moose Pumpkin Spice Latte Mix

This box includes a package of Perky Moose Pumpkin Spice Latte Mix, which is the perfect blend of creamy pumpkin, fragrant spices, and the best hint of vanilla. Plus, you can save your bucks and have enough Pumpkin Spice to last you through the whole season instead of grabbing one Venti.

Caffeine and Pumpkin Spice, Please

Jumpin Goat Pumpkin Spice Coffee

Forget about spending your hard-earned bucks at that Star place! With this bag of Jumpin Goat Pumpkin Spice Coffee, you can make your own delicious brew that you can feel good about. Instead of supporting a big corporation, you can support local artisans and the local Georgia economy, all with your daily cup of Pumpkin Spice coffee.

Oh My Gourd! Pumpkin Spice Soap

Belham & Co Pumpkin Spice Soap

Now you can stop and smell the Pumpkin Spice every time you wash your hands! Belham & Co Pumpkin Spice soap is the answer to all of your pumpkin spice prayers. One of a kind, with tons of delicious pumpkin scent, a bit of sweetness and a bit of spice, this soap contains real pumpkin puree for a hint of natural color, scent, and skin-loving beta-carotene.

Give 'Em Pumpkin to Talk About

Sweet Goldie Bee Pumpkin Everything Campfire Mug

If you want to take your PSL to the next level, show your love for “everything pumpkin” with this adorable campfire mug. Hand-lettered and cut into waterproof, permanent vinyl, this mug is the PERFECT cup to sip your Pumpkin Spice out of every morning. We promise it’s ready for your Instagram feed. Just add a comfy sweater and a quote about Fall for a caption. 

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

If you love Pumpkin Spice (or know someone who’s obsessed with everything pumpkin), order our Limited-Edition Pumpkin Spice gift box. We only have a limited quantity so add a little bit of Pumpkin Spice to your life and order this gift box TODAY.

We’re starting our days off with sweater weather which means that Fall has made its way to the Peach State, y’all!

A new season means bringing new flavors and scents into your home and we’ve got the Georgia-made products to help you do just that.

Whether you’re cooking up quick dinners after football practice or just want your yearly pumpkin spice fix, here’s your ultimate list of essentials to make sure your pantry is stocked and ready for Autumn.  

Caffeine for Early Mornings

 

Cooler temperatures = actually wanting to grab a hot drink in the morning.

Forget the Star that’s on every corner! For all of the Pumpkin Spice lovers out there, we have a Georgia-made coffee that’s ready to be brewed right from home.

Perky Moose Pumpkin Spice Latte Mix is the perfect blend of creamy pumpkin, fragrant spices, and the best hint of vanilla. Plus, you can save your bucks and have enough Pumpkin Spice to last you through the whole season instead of grabbing one Venti.

If Pumpkin Spice Lattes aren’t your style, you can have a different flavor of fall with Jumping Goat Coffee’s Southern Pecan blend. With the smooth finish of Georgia-grown roasted pecans, this coffee is like pecan pie in a cup, and you won’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to enjoy it.

Easy Dinners After Practice

As soon as the first leaf touches the ground, we’re ready to scream, “TOUCHDOWN!” If you’re trekking your kids to football and cheerleading practice three times a week, you need Dinner Tonight! Seasonings to help you make easy meals for hungry athletes.

With plenty of variety and multiple recipes that come in each box, even picky eaters LOVE their Black Bean Tortilla Chili, Burger, and White Bean Chili mixes.

Did we mention they can be on the table in thirty minutes or less? Easy, quick, and delicious, that’s a successful play in our book!

Delicious Seasonings with Fall Flair

Fall is not a dull season by any means. Make your dishes as colorful with flavor as the leaves outside by adding delicious seasonings from Beautiful Briny Sea to your pantry.

The new season brings late nights around the campfire with good friends.

Beautiful Briny Sea’s Campfire Sea Salt is the perfect complement to these wonderful times filled with fun and food. Smoked sea salt, cumin, and ancho chili add the same amount of warmth as those crackling logs to any dish that needs to be kicked up a notch.

To put a little kapow into your next meal, grab Flavor of Georgia 2019 Award Winner Gunpowder Salt out of your spice arsenal.

Gunpowder Salt includes Hawaiian volcanic salt with chipotle, black pepper, garlic, onion, sumac and more, the tangy spice mix has a mineral clean finish with smoky, residual heat. This seasoning goes especially well with grilled meats, fried foods, barbecue or any foods lacking deliciousness.

Finally, to add a little sweet to the heat that just won’t leave, Beautiful Briny Sea’s Mexican Chocolate Sugar is the PERFECT garnish for all of your warm fall drinks.

Made with heady spices like cinnamon and allspice, this cacao-sprinkled sugar will amp up the flavor of all of your favorite seasonal drinks, from Pumpkin Spice to Chai lattes.

It’s Harvest Time: Georgia-Grown In-Season Oils

To take your fall recipes from mediocre to gourmet, grab Georgia-grown oils that are bottled right on the farm. Oliver Farms Pecan and Sunflower oils are ready for you to use in all of your dishes this season.

Their Pecan oil has a light, buttery, slightly nutty taste and has numerous health benefits. This delicious gift from Mother Nature contains more than 19 vitamins and minerals and has a low 7% saturated fat content.

Low in saturated fat as well and high in Vitamin E, Oliver Farms Sunflower Oil has a bold, rich flavor with a color as gold as the flowers from which it came.

Both of these versatile oils are great for dips, dressings, sautéing vegetables, and frying with.

A Fall Favorite: A Variety of Pesto for Pasta

Who doesn’t love pasta after a long day in the cool Fall air?

Bella Cucina’s handcrafted pesto are the perfect addition to your pantry when you need some comfort food. Their varieties include Fresh Basil, Sundried Tomato, and Kale Parmesan, just to name a few.

Each jar is filled with only the finest ingredients that are ready to be served to even the pickiest eaters. We promise everyone will think you’re a professional chef making fresh pesto from scratch, y’all!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Now, you’re ready to welcome Fall with open arms and cannonball into the biggest pile of crisp leaves ever.

Shop all of our Autumn essentials here and HAPPY FALL, Y’ALL!

 

With a disposition as sweet as their small-batch spreads, Suzy and Clark Neal, the makers behind Unicoi Preserves, are two of the nicest folks you’ll ever have the chance to meet.

Residing in the North Georgia mountains, Sautee-Nacoochee to be exact, this couple has a passion for creating Georgia Grown spreads that are sure to bring people together whether used in a party food, on a cheese plate, or in an old-fashioned PB&J.

Recently, we had the opportunity to chat with Suzy about everything that’s been going on for the Georgia artisans including their newest product addition, award-nominated pretzel rolls, and much more.

When your Georgia Crafted Peaches first found out about Unicoi Preserves’ newest jar of goodness, we were immensely excited to discuss their sweet with a little heat Cherry Jalapeno spread.

The idea for this sweet and spicy spread came from their love of cherries but with a little twist of flavor.

“Cherry Jalapeno Spread came about from our love of cherries. Clark and I look forward to cherry season every year and think that the bright, tart flavor of cherry is complimented by the spice of jalapeno peppers. Ours is a unique recipe that we have been cooking and taste testing for over a year, working to get the balance of sweet, tart and heat just right.”

As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, this spread is perfect for your holiday recipes and to include in a Georgia Crafted gift box.

“This is a beautiful product for the holiday season and gifting; it's just so festive spooned over goat cheese or cream cheese. We are all about entertaining and Unicoi Preserves Cherry Jalapeno Spread is the perfect pair with Georgia Crafted bamboo cheese boards.”

Adding their newest spread to their collection of other delicious flavors such as Vineyard, Vineyard Fire or Apple Cider Pepper has given Suzy and Clark plenty of new recipes to explore.

“Clark and I have been creating new recipes using Cherry Jalapeno Spread so stay tuned. It’s delicious on a toasted panini sandwich with roast beef and your favorite melty cheese and on bagels with a schmear of cream cheese.”

Not only are the Neal’s talented when it comes to concocting delectable spreads, but they also create delicious recipes to share with all of their friends, family, and followers. If there’s anybody’s get-together your Georgia Crafted Peaches would like to attend, it’s a party at the Neal house because they’ll serve up get-in-your-belly-good food.  

Recently, Suzy’s recipe for Peanut Butter Pretzel Rolls was a top contender at the National Festival of Breads in Manhattan, KS.

“I am very honored to have my Peanut Butter Pretzel Roll recipe chosen from over 300 entries as a finalist at the National Festival of Breads. Bread baking is a hobby I shared with my Mom and I'm always looking for unique ways to spotlight Unicoi Preserves, so a bread baking competition was right up my alley!"

"I created my recipe, took some pictures of my bread and submitted it online following the guidelines of the contest. I was thrilled to get a phone call from the organizers of the event asking if I was available to come to Kansas to compete and immediately said yes.  I competed in the Food Blogger category against three wonderful bakers and while I didn't win my category, I came away a winner with great memories, a lot of nice swag from the sponsors, new friendships and connections.”

Suzy’s Peanut Butter Pretzel Rolls are easy to bake and are best served with Unicoi Preserves Strawberry Vanilla Spread. 

When it comes to Suzy’s favorite recipe to cook up during the hot summer months, she prefers a delicious appetizer that brings the heat as well: Her Jalapeno Poppers glazed with Unicoi Preserves.

“There are never any leftovers when we take them to parties. We usually use Apple Cider Pepper Spread but we've recently tried our new Cherry Jalapeno Spread and its great as a glaze on them too!”   

With so many different flavors of Unicoi Preserves spreads to choose from, you have to wonder which flavors best reflect the personalities of the artisans.

Suzy says, “I'm Salted Caramel Peach Spread because I'm constantly looking at what's trending in the food world and I'm a proud Georgia Grown Peach!”

As for Clark, “He’s Strawberry Vanilla Spread because he's a traditional guy but is always up for an adventure and putting his unique twist on traditional recipes.”

To check out more delicious recipes from Unicoi Preserves, click here. We promise you’ll be hungry as soon as you start scrolling. To add all of their spreads to your pantry, you can shop our Unicoi Preserves collection to ship these little jars of goodness right to your doorstep.

Not sure how to build the perfect Care Package for your college student? Check out your Georgia Crafted Peaches' Guide to building the PERFECT gift box to give your freshman or seasoned student a little comfort from home.

Locally-owned business, Georgia Crafted, opened its first brick-and-mortar retail location within The Little Marketplace in Smyrna, GA. Originally founded as an E-commerce store by Erin Zwigart, Georgia Crafted focuses on selling locally-sourced products and supporting Georgia artisans. 

 

As I pass Forsyth Park with its famous fountain where Forrest Gump dropped notable one-liners, I admire the oak trees with Spanish moss swaying with the Spring Breeze. A businessman is walking down the sidewalk getting to his office, two friends are walking along a path chatting, and tourists are already filling the park to take pictures of this historic site. These individuals have been brought together by the city of Savannah where life never gets old.

Traveling down the cobblestone streets of Savannah, it’s easy to get lost in the beauty of antiquity and history. I turn down West Hall Street in the historic district and find the cottage marked 208.

I ring the doorbell to the Salacia Salts Studio and the walking epitome of Southern sophistication wearing bright colors and pearls around her neck gracefully strolls up to greet me.

A woman of many talents, Cari Clark Phelps, is the owner and founder of Salacia Salts as well as her own design firm, Clark Creative.

She unlocks the front door and we’re transported to a place filled with the sound of seagulls and crashing waves.

 

 

As soon as you walk through the doors of the studio, you inhale the smell of relaxation and the sea, and exhale any worries you had before you walked through the door. The Salacia Salts Studio may be located in the heart of Savannah but the nautical décor and beach vibe makes the spot feel like you’re a few miles down the road on Tybee Island.

 

 

This small business is filled with bath and beauty products made from all-natural organic ingredients locally-sourced and inspired by scents of the South.

Like all other great prophecies, the idea for Salacia Salts came from a dream.

“I have helped brand companies and do packaging design for the past 15 years and in my dream I was helping someone find an economical way to package salt. I was also in the middle of a renovation with my husband in our historic downtown home. In the process, we were finding a lot of cool old things in our backyard including glass bottles.  I think I kind of merged what was happening in my real life at work and at home and had this dream that I was packing salts in a reclaimed bottle. I woke up and told my husband about this crazy weird dream I was having and he said, ‘Did you know that Tybee Island, 20 minutes off of our coast, is the Native American word for salt?’”

After having the dream, Phelps began researching everything she needed to know about salt.

Although most of us view salt simply as a way to season our food, she discovered that there was much more to this mineral.

“Salt is a natural cleanser and can be used as a household cleanser and as an exfoliant. It extracts and helps get rid of different types of dirt from your body and your environment. It’s great to detox and soften your skin and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. I don’t know specifically how many uses there are for salt but I know there are hundreds.”

With that, Salacia Salts was born. Phelps used her knowledge of salt as well as insights from her travels and living in the South to begin experimenting with local ingredients to create her products.

“I find ingredients that are natural or native to this area and try to use anything that’s Georgia Grown. The grits are grown in Lakeland, Georgia. Our pecans are grown in Valdosta. Our rosemary comes from an organic farm in Florida. I always try to use things that you can find in our area so that ends up being the catalyst for everything we’re developing.”

 

 

However, sometimes products don’t go as planned but can still end up working out for the best. After much urging from customers, Phelps started trying to create a foot scrub that would not be as slippery as her moisturizing salt soaks or body scrubs. However, after realizing that all of the ingredients were edible, she ended up making a completely different product.

 

“I had pumice, grits, sugar, salt, and I tried a whole bunch of different things that would exfoliate gently and naturally. When I removed the pumice and I was blending everything, I realized that all of it was edible. Because I’m a foodie at heart, I tasted it and thought this has some potential if I added more sugar. As I did, I realized, ‘Kiss my Grits’ because it had grits in it, it was sugary and I was using it on my lips. No longer was it a foot scrub. Instead, it became our signature product and it’s our number one bestseller.”

 

From your lips to your toes, Phelps has created products filled with natural ingredients to make every inch of your body feel soft, exfoliated, and moisturized.

With inspiration from the South and the sea, Phelps wants anyone using her products to feel relaxed and comfortable like a day at the beach.

 

“I want them to have the feeling at the end of the day when you’ve been at the beach. You’re at peace with nature, relaxed, and calm, but there’s also a comfort side with the fragrances of the South.”

Much like the warmth of the sun on your back or the feeling of sand between your toes, using any of the Salacia Salts products specially crafted by Phelps and her team, from soaps to salt soaks to lip scrubs, you will feel like you’ve given yourself a short getaway if only for a few minutes.

 

To pamper yourself with a gift from the Roman goddess of the sea, Salacia, purchase the Salacia Salts Seaside Citrus Salt Soak, Kiss My Grits Lip Scrub, and Southern Pecan Soap in the Build a Gift Box section of our website. You will feel relaxed and lovely after treating yourself to a wonderful spa day with these products from Georgia’s historic city by the Atlantic.

 

 

From makeup samples to shoes to shaving essentials to even athletic leggings, we’re constantly bombarded with ANOTHER subscription box that we HAVE to try. As your Georgia Crafted Peaches, we’re going to be brutally honest: you don’t need more makeup, razors, or leggings. You need a Georgia Crafted subscription box.

 

 

Our Georgia Crafted subscription boxes aren’t filled with low-quality products that make a CEO’s or celebrity’s wallet fatter. Your subscription with Georgia Crafted funds the dream of a local artisan, helps a small business owner expand their entrepreneurial efforts, and improves the local Georgia economy. Our boxes do good for your best friend, your neighbor, the secretary at the doctor’s office. Our boxes help support the dreams of those that dare to take a chance, put their talents to use, and create a locally made product in Georgia. With your Georgia Crafted subscription box purchase, you don’t support the high rises in midtown. You support small towns and family farms.

 

 

There’s only one subscription box in the entire universe that contains locally made and Georgia grown products and it’s Georgia Crafted. We scout the state, spend our weekends at farmer’s markets, network and connect with others to bring you the best products that the Peach State has to offer. We are proud to live in Georgia, and we are proud to be the exclusive Georgia product subscription box.

 

 

We’re good at keeping secrets, and we usually only drop a hint or two throughout the month to peak your interests. Part of the fun of a subscription box is getting the email that your shipment has been delivered to your front doorstep and the excitement that builds until you can get home and open your Georgia Crafted box. The element of surprise sets our boxes above the rest and allows you to have a little bit of mystery to discover new products every month.

 

 

Because we source products from all over the state, we find products that don’t just fit into one category. The top categories for subscription boxes include beauty, food, and home, and we incorporate all of them into our boxes. Each monthly box contains a variety of products from a new scrumptious snack to a new eye cream that will make your eye bags a distant memory. We allow artisans of all product talents to be featured in our box because our boxes are just as diverse as the state of Georgia.

 

 

Need a gift for someone who’s impossible to buy for? Our monthly subscription boxes are PERFECT for such a person. You can purchase a 1, 3, or 6-month membership based on your budget, and they’ll have a wonderful surprise waiting at their front door each month. We cater to every taste and personality with our diverse lineup of Georgia-made products each month.

 

 

What are you waiting for? Subscribe to our monthly Georgia Crafted boxes before it’s too late! You don’t want to miss out on the incredible opportunity to have Georgia-made locally-sourced products delivered to your front door every single month.

 

I was raised in Southwest Georgia where there were at least two carbs at every meal and a pitcher of sweet tea ready to be poured by family and friends alike at the dinner table.

As I am preparing for my wedding this upcoming November, I realized that this habit would not help me feel my best on one of the most important and most photographed days of my life.

After becoming familiar with the Keto diet from a friend, I decided to give it a try. I will admit that after hearing about this diet I thought it was just another fad such as the grapefruit juice diet or South Beach Diet that was not a day at the beach for lack of a better cliché.

The Keto diet’s premise surrounds a low carb, high fat diet that causes your body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates.

Individuals who swear by the diet have stated that you reach a sense of euphoria after being on the diet for a week or so.

I’m sorry but this idea made me a little skeptical of such a great diet that emphasizes little to NO carbs. However, it’s worth a shot to at least try the diet for a week for the sake of November 10, 2018.

After purchasing a Georgia Crafted Keto Deluxe Box, I had an arsenal of snacks and meal ideas to effectively begin THE KETO DIET.

Day 1: To be perfectly honest, day one was not as bad as I anticipated, but it included a lot of hunger and stomach growling. Unknown to my fiancé, we were in this together so he would be forced to eat the same dinner as my Keto-focused self.

The dinner consisted of lettuce wraps featuring Dinner Tonight! Burger seasoned burgers with a few slices of tomatoes and some special keto sauce. The folks at Wholesome Yum said that this recipe would taste like a Big Mac without the bread. With a sauce combination of mayo, white vinegar, mustard, paprika, and pickles, I must say that I didn’t miss Mickey D’s in the slightest.

Day 2: Day one began with optimism but on Day two the carb withdrawals began to hit. I wanted nothing more than a slice of bread. It didn’t even have to have anything on it. I went to the grocery store for a few groceries and I kid you not I could smell the bread from six aisles away.

However, I persevered and made it through day two with a little help from a Keto-approved fruit dip recipe perfect for strawberry dipping. With greek yogurt, Georgia Grinder Honey Almond Butter from my Georgia Crafted Keto box, and a little bit of honey, I whipped up a dip that tasted almost like cookie butter without the guilt.

Day 3: Because the weekend was over, it was back to work for me and hopefully a space free of carb-filled distractions. With the help of Front Porch Pecans Sea Salt Pecans from my Keto Box sitting beside my monitor at my desk, I could thoughtfully snack and keep myself full and focused without traveling to the temptation riddled break room.

Day 4: Ah! Day four was not a breeze but this no carb thing is getting a little easier. I still daydream about Oreos and find myself drooling after scrolling to a Tasty video on my Facebook feed but I have not broken. I am a Keto-strong warrior! I prepared an “I can’t believe it’s not a chocolate shake” smoothie with Nourished in 5 Back to the Basics Plant Protein powder from my Keto box to get my day off to a wonderful start.

Day 5: When I wake up in the morning, I feel less bloat and more confidence. I head back to the office with Striplings General Store Beef Jerky to help me have a protein-packed snack throughout the day.

My energy has increased, and I feel ready to hit the gym after work. Most of the time, I feel too sluggish to do anything but eat then sleep after a long day at the office. However, after participating in the Keto diet, I feel ready to run on the elliptical for about half an hour.

Day 6: The sense of euphoria has not quite been reached but I do feel better and ready to tackle the day. I enjoy a protein-packed breakfast featuring a sweet potato toast recipe from Little Bits of Real Food and Real Talk covered in Georgia Grinders NaturAlmond Honey Almond butter and a few banana slices.

Day 7: The week is already over? I survived without inhaling an entire row of Oreo cookies?

I am pretty proud of myself but prouder of the Keto diet. Although I felt as if this diet was simply a bunch of hype created by fit influensters and bloggers, I must say that this diet works even for a carb-loving Georgia Peach.

Without the help of the Georgia Crafted gift box for snack and gift ideas, I would not have had the perfect catalyst to begin this healthier lifestyle. I am excited to continue this Keto journey until my wedding in 9 months and plan on getting another Georgia Crafted Keto box to help me reach my health and fitness goals.

For anyone considering the Keto diet, living with little carbs is not an easy feat and the first few days will consist of foggy thoughts and a little hunger.

Research low-carb recipes that fit your tastes and preferences, and check out the Georgia Crafted Keto and Keto Deluxe Gift boxes as well as the Keeping it Keto section of their site.

You’ll gain plenty of delicious snack and meal ideas while also supporting small businesses throughout Georgia including Georgia Crafted.

I drive past the blue city limit sign that indicates I have reached the hometown of Luke Bryan, Buster Posey, Phillip Phillips, and Carly Mathis. This small town in Southwest Georgia is not only home to this big talent but also houses some of the finest people you will ever have the opportunity to meet. Most especially, the Goodson family, who are the proud owners of Goodson Pecans, call this small town home.

Goodson Pecans is a small business located in Leesburg, Georgia that creates and sells shelled pecans, gourmet pecans such as the cinnamon sugar or sriracha flavors, and pecan butters. The idea for this business stemmed from Goodson Farms where all of the pecans are harvested for Goodson Pecan products.

David Goodson, the driving force behind making the dream of Goodson Pecans a reality, said that he pushed for his dad, a farmer since 1972, to bring the pecans grown by Goodson Farms to the internet.

“I had always been telling my dad about two years before we started we need to start getting our pecans online. The internet was a huge avenue already for things. We talked about that for two years and nothing. No traction.”

Goodson then took the business idea into his own hands and started to build Goodson Pecans.

“After that second year, I was like I just have to get out there and try it. We built a website and we essentially started Goodson Pecans at that point. We got a business license, and we were selling shelled pecan halves and pieces. The next year we added some sugar coated pecans and every year after that we’ve just been expanding.”

Goodson started running Goodson Pecans from his home, but as the list of pecan products kept growing, a new facility was needed.

As he sits on a metal stool in the middle of their packaging area, he said:

“We moved from our home into here when we started making pecan butter. We couldn’t do that in our home. We were required by the department of agriculture to be in a commercial facility. It was a big step for us to move from our home into a commercial facility.”

The facility is not incredibly large but allows the Goodson family to create most of their gourmet flavors and all of their nut butters in house. The store smells like warm pecans, cinnamon sugar, and chocolate. As you look around, you can tell that this facility is used to create, pack, and send Georgia grown pecans to people all across the country not just in this corner of Georgia.

One flavor of Goodson Pecans, Mimi’s Sugar Pecans, was created from an old family recipe and some flavors, such as the chocolate covered variety, are made locally. However, most of the delectable artisan products that Goodson Pecans sells are surprisingly created by trial and error.

“I love creating and it drives my wife crazy because I’ll say we need to try a savory flavor and I’ll get in the back and play with it. We’d play with recipes and say it needs a little more of this or a little more of this and we’d go back to the kitchen and work it out. That’s how Sriracha came about.”

The Goodson Pecans Gourmet Sriracha flavor has proven to be a successful savory and spicy flavor for the business, winning the 2017 Flavor of Georgia for the snack category.

“Sriracha won Flavor of Georgia back in March, and it’s been flying off the shelves this year. We’ve been super encouraged with it. We never thought that it would have been as popular as it was.”

Goodson Pecans prides itself on being a family business that creates products that are georgia grown.

“Georgia grown is important because of my product and our pecans are Georgia Grown. Pecans taste different here. They taste better. People say that and I’m probably biased but there’s also a little truth behind that.”

Goodson also knows the importance of georgia crafted products to his business as well:

“It’s valuable to be Georgia Crafted because that’s also who we are. We take what we grow and we craft it into something else. We add value to our product and that’s where I think there is great value in being Georgia Crafted.”

In this small town of Leesburg, Georgia, the taste of a Goodson Pecan reminds you that you’re in the part of the South that keeps it Georgia Grown, Georgia Made, and Georgia Crafted. 

To try Goodson Pecans, you can check out the 2017 Flavor of Georgia gift box featuring Goodson Pecans Sriracha flavor or purchase the Cinnamon Sugar or Sriracha flavors by the bag in the Build a Gift Box section of our website.