Christmas Hampers for Corporate Delivery

Christmas Hampers are the perfect delivered gift idea

How Christmas Hampers are great for your business.

After years designing and selling Christmas Hampers, Kacy Fletcher has learned a few things about giving Christmas Gifts in the corporate setting. 

Kacy has been making handmade hampers for Hunter Valley Hampers and shipping them across Australia since 2007. 

Working with so many different clients over the years, Kacy has discovered two amazing secrets about Christmas hampers.  And she shares them with us today.

1 - Doubt.

You know you've had a great year - business is good, you've implemented succesful strategies and made some real progress.  You want to share your joy and gratitude with you clients - but you're not sure how.  Sending Christmas hampers for the first time is a real challenge to your own doubts and feelings of worthiness.  Do my clients really deserve this?  Am I really going to send them a Christmas hamper?

"It still happens every year - we get an inquiry early in November, and put together a quote and some custom options, and everything looks good to go - but then the client stalls and we don't hear from him for weeks - until mid December. when he has finally overcome his doubt and decided to order." 

Kacy explains how clients overcome their doubt and order Christmas hampers to share with their clients, business colleagues and corporates. "And then he places the order and it's almost too late - either a product is sold out, or the shipping won't make it across Australia in time, or we are simply booked out - and the client leaves without his fully completed order.

To overcome this - Kacy urges you to get in early and order with confidence - not doubt - and ensure your good wishes and gratefulness makes it through to the people who count for you.

2 - Your Hampers Reflect your Standards

You're a smart, intelligent business person and you know your business well - but when it comes to Christmas Hampers -let's face it - you're out of your depth.  Here's the tip - see the hamper as a reflection not of how little you paid, or what a bargain you got, but instead of what values and standards you hold.

Too often the best Christmas Hamper gesture is simple ruined by sending a cheap industrial cardboard box with some ordinary, supermarket style products.  Like $7 bottles of wine - you wouldn't even drink - and crackers from the biscuit aisle, and shortbread that - let's be honest - no one ever eats...

You got them on the cheap - from a mainstream site with big advertising and imported products off the pallet...  Such a poor reflection of what you and your business stand for...

It's different when you send a precious, handmade gift.  People actually can tell instantly that this is no ordinary Christmas hamper. 

Australian Christmas Hampers

Christmas symbolizes so much more than just the end of the year, or new beginnings or time away from work.  Christmas is a time of opportunity to connect and share with people - and present yourself, your brand and your image YOUR way. 

And a really impressive, generous gesture drives home how important your respect this relationship as well as how you present your business.  Choosing handmade Christmas Hampers from Hunter Valley Hampers is the right decision.

Green Christmas Hampers

Taste Christmas Hampers

Fruit Baskets for Occasions

Corporate Christmas Gift Baskets

Less Wasteful Packaging for Christmas Hampers

At Hunter Valley Hampers, business owners Kacy Fletcher is crystal clear where her motivation for green-conscious product packaging comes from - reusing! Shortly after specializing the gift baskets and gourmet hamper industry as a ground breaking entrepreneur since 2007, Ms Fletcher knows her work when it comes to delivering a Christmas hamper.

When it comes to packaging and recycling is quite shocking, and the overall state of the industry. In a gourmet hampers Australia first, Kacy explains how the illusion of size and bulk actually works against your value for money proposition. And exactly how some actually simple expert tips and tricks can ensure you get the best pamper hamper or edible arrangements for your dollar this Xmas.

Too frequently gift hampers are developed to appear as bulky as possible basically for visual appeals - with air filled packages and inner containers filling up the vast of the hamper. This brings about an advantageous impression on shipping, when the recipient is certainly surprised with what might appear to be a substantial package sitting on their doorstep.

As the hamper box is opened and the inner packaging and void filler is stripped away, it soon becomes clear that there is just few items of gourmet or Christmas value inside. Unfortunately, this approach simply works because rushed and time poor business buyers simply choose the lowest price and the biggest looking hamper setup. Kacy explains precisely why that will not work and more in this particular insightful interview.

Get Well Soon Gifts

In her time having the picnic gift basket and fruit bouquet business Kacy has seen a few of the worst instances of deceiving customers with huge boxes, loaded with goods like crackers and crisps that are mainly air filled, then saturated in a sea cellulose peanuts. This means when you strip away most of the inner and outer packaging, you end up with a half dozen items on your kitchen space bench top and half a rubbish filled with packaging. Deciding to send a basket should not mean that you are making the choice of more packaging over the right gift hamper.

Thank you gifts and Christmas Hampers for company clients are specifically susceptible to the over packaging complication, as the only people who really see within the hamper are the recipient - typically at a festive, specifically forgiving time of year. The disappointment and head scratching of the recipient is lost in the middle of the noise and excitement of the Christmas Season.

In a recent short article in the South China Morning Post, world famous gift hamper specialists concurred that inefficient internal packaging of hampers is the primary problem. Kacy Fletcher saw this firsthand herself at Australia's home of independent handmade gourmet hampers - Hunter Valley Hamper.com when she had an excess of boxes in a larger size. It was much more price efficient up front to use the large cartons and just revert to even more inner wrapping than to go and source all new closer suitable containers.

Christmas Hampers Australia

Using a bigger than required size package means that freight costs are greater, but with bulk courier discounts, it can nonetheless be better to use the bigger box, pay marginally greater shipping and run out the larger cartons quickly. By doing this the hamper company avoids having to re purchase the smaller box dimension which can be a substantial impost for sending out a fruit basket. Keeping this in mind it simply works to use more inner filler and leave the recipient to have to deal with the excess packaging when the delivery arrives.

"At Hunter Valley Hampers we appreciate the exorbitant wastage that goes with most corporate and business hamper firms," Ms Fletcher states, "We have seen samples where as much as two thirds of the hamper package is loaded with styrofoam blocks - and this is from a big, trusted global firm - it's just not good enough!" Hunter Valley Hampers uses a lightweight but 100 % recycled inner filler, so recipients are not burdened with the problem of disposal of styrofoam blocks.

"One of the worst offenders is those little cellulose peanuts - they just drive me NUTZ when they spill out everywhere all over the place! They might get stuck - so I find myself crawling around on hands and knees picking up cellulose peanuts when in fact I should be relaxing with my gourmet hamper!

It is a real awakening call when rather than sending a many thanks hamper to a valued buddy or client - you are instead sending them the burden of cleaning up and chasing those peanuts around the house when they blow just about anywhere.

Hampers For Men

It is a genuine relief to know you can actually rely on Hunter Valley Hampers for realistic, recycled packing - produced from 100 % workplace paper waste - and also you will be also gifted easy disposal once you open you Christmas Hampers. When you choose other less sensitive suppliers, its a real point of difference and something you won't be blessed with. Choosing Hunter Valley Hampers never felt so good!

And how some really simple insider tips and tricks can ensure you get the best pamper hamper or edible bouquets for your dollar this Christmas.

As the hamper box is opened and the inner packaging and void filler is stripped away, it soon becomes clear that there is just few items of gourmet or Christmas value inside. Choosing to send a basket should not mean that you are making the choice of more packaging over the right gift hamper.

In a recent article in the South China Morning Post, world famous gift hamper specialists agreed that wasteful interior packaging of hampers is the main problem. Kacy Fletcher saw this firsthand herself at Australia's home of independent handmade gourmet hampers - Hunter Valley Hamper.com when she had an excess of boxes in a larger size.

Fruit Baskets with Apples

Australia's Best Apple Fruit Baskets

Fresh Fruit Hamper delivery makes a smiling, stunning impression

Apples are a mainstay of the traditional fruit basket or get well soon hamper and make a bright, crunchy contrast to the other softer fruits.  Apples are absolutely authentic and original when it comes to the fruit world – they do not grow true to seed – which means each and every seed in your apple has a different potential apple variety! 

There have been in excess of 7500 varieties of different apples documented over time and of these, there are still about 150 plus still in commercial production!  That means there are plenty of different tastes, types and textures for you to choose from when you are assembling a fruit gift idea.

There is also the growing movement for apple growers to favour heirloom and ancient apple varieties over the newer variations, so the older classics are constantly evolving for the modern marketplace.  In Australia, commercial constraints like transportability, colour retention and longevity of flavour has strongly influenced the varietals available – which means you are most likely to see these Australian Apples.

Bogle – a miniature Aussie apple with golden red blushed skin – perfect for baking.

Bonza – Crisp eating apple derived from the Jonathan.

Gala – a cross originally from New Zealand, with better tasting strains like imperial, royal and regal making the best for the table.

Golden Delicious – from the US, pale green with golden flecks – ideal for eating and cooking with.

Granny Smith – Originally from a seedling in Sydney, now widespread across the world – a tart green eating apple.

Jonathan – A smallish popular eating apple that is not seen often due to it's poor storage.

Pink Lady – From Western Australia, a cross between the lady William and Delicious apple with good eating flesh.

Red Delicious – the most widely grown dessert apple in the world, with a distinctive crown of ridges around the “freckle” at the base of the core.

Red Fuji – from Japan, the most distinctive feature for this eating apple is the honey core which is a concentration of sugars – highly desirable. 

Sundowner – another WA cross, this apple is a mellow version of the pink lady with simlar long term storage abilities.

Australia boasts the ideal climate to grow apples, with a noted lack of apple pests that plague other continents and an ideal climate to ensure sustained vigorous growth.  We don't have to suffer the scourge of Apple Blight or hard to control pests like apple codling moth. 

It is the buyers perogative to ensure that a diverse range of tasty, appealing apples are brought to market by making strong preferences for these strengths and not buying product that lacks any desirable qualities.  Choosing fresh apples has become very difficult due to the long store time and prevalence of cool rooms for fresh fruit at all major fruit and vegetable markets across Australia.

But in saying that, the long term storage of apples has always been a feature of the fruit – going back centuries earlier people were in need of fresh fruit over the long dark winters.  So it is quite wrong to think that the long storage times of modern fruit are wrong or not expected – it is just part of what has worked for apples and apple growers

I am happy to say that for our Sydney Fruit Baskets we have established trusted relationships with a network of quality assured fruiterers and markets so we can ensure you get the best eating fruit in your gourmet hamper.  After all, when you make the connection with FruitHampers.info you are relying our expertise and professionalism to get the best fruit for your dollar.  And we think that's pretty special...

Christmas Shopping Gift Awards 2013

Award Winning Christmas Shopping Ideas
for sharing with Friends and Family at Home in 2013

MEDIA RELEASE OCTOBER 2013

Announcing the release of the winners of the National Christmas Shopping Gift Awards, as judged by an esteemed panel of foodie and gourmet experts from around Australia.  After an exhaustive judging process, as revealed to our readership and enthusiastic followers by the highly regarded and critically acclaimed leaders in the industry.

Christmas is a Special Time of Year

It is also the time to get a few foodie friends around and put together you gingerbread house, mince pies, shortbread, biscotti, panettone, panforte and whatever other regional delicacies you include in your Christmas Celebration.  Especially in Australia, freeze ahead – one of the best things about most Christmas fare is that it can be made ahead of time and frozen – so on the day you can slowly release the frozen products and they can act as cooling agents around the kitchen.

Christmas Day

On the big day you should be all ready to go with a memorable Christmas Day since you have made the time and effort to put in some planning beforehand.  Remember to allow for those who will not be present at the table by sending them a Christmas Hamper filled with some unique, hard to find regional fare just like handmade so they too can share in your Christmas spirit.  Christmas is a time for people dropping in unexpectedly, so having on hand a ready supply of extra items and fresh produce is always convenient and gives a positive impression that you have indeed prepared for and indeed expected their arrival.  Merry Christmas from the team behind Hunter Valley Hampers and best wishes for a joyous sharing time with your family and friends.

Order A Christmas Hamper Online

Three insider tips to get the best results when you order a Christmas Hamper online.

Insider's Tip # 1 -

Can I get this hamper locally at Officeworks or Myer - if the answer is yes, go and buy it locally. 

Usually they have a big discount the closer to Christmas you get so you can realistically be looking at anything from 25% to 70% Off for in-stock, off-the-floor hampers. 

But remember, they are nothing extraordinary and you can tell immediately that they are from a discount superstore.  And if you're obsessed with low price, and couldn't possibly pay for delivery - this is your best bet.

Insider's Tip # 2 -

If you need to send many hampers out across Australia, to various destinations, choose a store that offers FREE delivery, or a single $8.50 delivery for the whole consignment.  This is simply unbeatable and you will make up for any lost or damaged items by claiming extra hampers to be sent out and if there is any mix ups with delivery.

Free delivery can amount to $1000 or more on a diverse delivery to mulitple destinations, and for a $2000 order, that is nearly saving 35%.  I know it makes no business sense at all to offer FREE delivery except for safe metropolitan deliveries, so take advantage of this offer before the hamper business disappears.  I know of insiders who have switched hamper companies each successive Christmas and still have not paid for delivery to this day. 

Insider's Tip # 3

If you actually are looking for a quality, authentic hamper, filled with unique, regionally relevant food and wine - and trust that your recipient will value these points of difference.  Then - well, there's really only one choice - a brand established in 1988 and still nationally recognised as an indicator of prestige, handmade products and careful classic styling and presentation.

Hunter Valley Hampers.

You're invited to share our work with your friends, family and business colleagues.  Just don't expect free delivery or discount prices filled with discount store products.

How do I send a Fruit Basket to say Get Well Soon?

 You know the feeling - when a member of your staff is off work with a serious medical complaint and you have been given the responsibility of arranging a fruit gift.

You do a quick online search and all you come up with a florists and affiliate sites.  The florists try hard, but the basket is small and the fruit included you can count on one hand, whilst the affiliate sites pass on your order to the nearest local and take a big chunk of your money for the privilege.

So what to do?

Imagine if there was a dedicated fruit basket specialist who ships across Sydney with market fresh fruit?

Imagine if your fruit basket was literally brimming with fresh fruit - you see, we buy our fruit in boxes, direct from the markets and with our best price guarantee, we don't have to be as miserly with the fruit - in fact, we love going overboard a little - we see it as advertising in the hamper you get.  And we all know how powerful word of mouth advertising is.

So keep your options open and make the switch for your next fruit basket or fruit hamper.

 

Fruit Baskets Newcastle

Stallholders Directory

 Firstly, after a long hiatus, we are back at the orifice, err, office.

New approach and attitudes all round have us with a definite competitive advantage.

Something about beer and teamwork

Fruit Baskets Newcastle