Zingerman's Mail Order
Gift basket store · Ann Arbor ·
Artisanal gift baskets with cheese, ham, and baked goods
Artisanal gift baskets with cheese, ham, and baked goods
"A Michigan deli's virtual market that offers a wide array of subscription gifts, including the Reuben Sandwich Gift Club ($375), which "delivers all the essentials to make the deli’s iconic Reuben sandwich at home for three months," and the Snack Club ($115), which sends a different assortment of goodies every month." - Amy McCarthy
"Often described as a culinary Santa’s workshop, this mail-order operation is built around curating artisanal food gifts: a longtime employee, Brad Hedeman (with the company since 1994), travels to meet producers, gathers their stories, and writes the catalog and website copy to showcase those products. Planning for catalogs begins months in advance, but the business concentrates an astonishing share of its sales in the holiday season — roughly 50% of annual revenue in a seven-week window and about 25% in the week before Christmas — so a core team of about 100 employees is boosted by several hundred seasonal hires to handle the surge. The emphasis is on thoughtful selection and storytelling to bring small producers to a wider mail-order audience." - Ali Slagle
"The mail-order baker advises choosing dense, forgiving items—quick breads, bundt and coffee cakes, and pies with crumb toppings—because they withstand transit best. Freezing wrapped goods (tightly in plastic wrap or zip-top bags, even frozen in a desired arrangement) both firms them for shipping and helps preserve freshness; insulated containers aren’t required, and frozen items can simply defrost en route. The team warns against water-soluble packing materials, recommends filling all voids so nothing shifts, suggests labeling packages perishable, and urges sending packages early rather than gambling on last‑minute holiday deliveries; they also budget roughly $10–$20 per package." - Jenny G. Zhang
"A national mail-order operation that ships the community’s specialty foods across the country, extending the reach of the group’s artisanal products beyond the local market." - Amanda Kludt
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