From the Blog

Our Favorite Stocking Stuffers

Allison Gnade, Former New Pi Editor December 1 Category: Featured Products
Wholesome! Candy Canes

I asked our team for ideas for fantastic stocking stuffers (or small gifts), and the response was overwhelming – apparently your Co-op is stocking stuffer central!

We have delicious artificial color- & corn syrup-free Wholesome! Candy Canes (Fair Trade too!

Those are them below!), but that’s just getting started – here’s what’s going in our stockings (names of gifters removed to protect their gifts from being revealed):

Fun & Relaxation:

  • Pacha froth bombs (below!) or beautiful bar soaps
  • Zum Holiday Boxes, soaps, room spray, or face bars, or cute stocking stuffer size soaps
  • Local Sunleaf Aromatherapy items: room scents, essential oils, reed diffusers, and more
  • Local Aura Cacia Aromatherapy bubble bath packets, shower tabs, bubble bath, essential oils, or bath salts
  • Lavender pillow spray and a local Patti Z. eye pillow for winter relaxation.

Winter Care:

  • Badger Balm for Hardworking Hands
  • Local EcoLips Lip Scrub or Mongo Kiss lip balm – especially good for cold weather!
  • Emergen-C packets

Chocolate-lovers:

  • UNREAL Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (above!)
  • Local Sweet Raw Joy Chocolates (vegan, paleo, and wheat free!)
  • Local Noah’s Raw Chocolates
  • Good Day Chocolates, either Energizing or Calming, depending on the recipient!
  • Alter Eco Fair Trade Truffles
  • Any number of our chocolate bars, like Equal Exchange’s Dark Chocolate Caramel Crunch with Sea Salt mmmmm...
  • Chocolove candy bars (we particularly love their Toffee & Raspberry bars!), super addictive almond or peanut toffee chocolates (yellow box below), & peanut butter cups

Festive cuppa-something-good:

  • Celestial Seasonings Peppermint Tea
  • Holiday coffee roasts like local Wake Up Iowa’s Seasonal Happiness Holiday Blend (above)
  • Frico Frizzante Sparkling Wine Cans!
  • Small single serve Freixenet bubbly wine (above)
  • Hibiscus flowers in syrup – stunning in a glass of Champagne!
  • Local beers
  • Cacoco Drinking Chocolate (in a beautiful box – below)

Fun eats:

  • Great River Maple Pure Iowa Maple Spread
  • Clean, delicious maraschino or bing cherries
  • Inka Chips Plantain Chips
  • Bare Banana Chips
  • Dang! Coconut Chips
  • Small bag of Kettle chips
  • Teriyaki Beef Jerky
  • Boulder or Yellowbird Hot Sauces

Male-centric:

  • Badger Beard & Mustache Care items
  • Nick’s Grass-fed Meat Sticks (from St. Nick, or ideal if you have a Nick in your family – above!)
  • So many other items on this list!

Old fashioned & wholesome:

  • organic cara cara or navel oranges, daisy tangerines
  • organic braeburn apples & pears
  • organic kiwi & Fair Trade bananas
  • dried fruit & nuts

For the Co-op lover:

  • New Pi T-shirts (locally-printed by Johnnie 5!)
  • New Pi Sports Socks (below)
  • New Pi Chapstick (minty, organic, & locally-made by EcoLips in Cedar Rapids!)
  • New Pi Gift Cards

Self-care:

  • Aura Cacia Starter 4-pack Kit
  • Collagen Single Packets
  • evanhealy Clay Masks
  • Alba Sheet Masks

Bigger stuffers:

  • Local Handmade Cloth Wine Bags (with wine!)
  • Klean Kanteens (currently on sale!)
  • New Pi Cookie Tins
  • Fair Trade Andes mittens or small stocking caps for kiddos or adults (like the fun owl hat and blue hand warmers, several photos above!)

And so much more, for every person – stop by and ask us for our suggestions! Happy Holidays!

Allison Gnade, Former New Pi Editor About the Author

Allison Gnade, Former New Pi Editor

Allie worked on organic farms in Italy and Sweden through WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms), received her BA in English at Grinnell College, and studied the arts in London and Florence, eating her way across Europe and Scandinavia. Returning home to Iowa, she loved working at Grinnell Heritage Farm with her now-husband as their first farm interns, then moved to Iowa City to work at your local, independent cooperative grocery! She helped coordinate New Pi events and edited the Co-op's local food magazine and blog for eight years. She bakes tarts for Iowa City’s Farmers’ Market, covers communications for the International Writing Program, and volunteers on the Board for Table to Table food rescue.