If you are loved by the Grass Roots Media team, you will know it.
The Grass Roots Media team is known to fan-girl hard over our favourite products and frequently share them with each other and on our social media pages.
Especially if they involve any of the following: food, coffee, wool, wine/whiskey/gin, agriculture, locally owned, female owned or run, environmental stewardship, exercise, travel, photography, innovation and horses. (The four of us have a lot of shared interests!)
With this list in mind we curated a list of gifts and places to purchase gifts ahead of the coming season.
With no further ado….
….these are a few of our favourite things.
Put these on your list of clever NZ Christmas gift ideas
- Shear Warmth blankets: This company is made up of a mother/daughter duo who work hard to diversify their family farm by making high quality blankets out of their own wool. Love. Love. Love.
- Kate Ivey Fitness: Kate is a farming mum who decided to take control of her own fitness and share it with others who are living in rural areas. Her down to earth, flexible digital personal training extends beyond the rural sector. Most of our team train “with” Kate on a regular basis. We love her honesty and cheering her on as we watch her business grow. Challenge a friend and buy one of her vouchers here.
- AllBirds: Yes, their social media advertising game is strong - we have all seen the ads pop up on our feeds - but we sincerely adore these shoes. Made of wool (or trees) these shoes are actually the most comfortable pair of shoes we own. 3/4 of the team own a pair and are ALWAYS packed in our luggage for a trip.
- Zeffer Apple Cider: Chelsea is known to say she is part-owner to this brand as she was one of the first Kickstarter investors. We may roll our eyes at this audacious claim but when she brought the Apple Crumble cider up to our staff Christmas party - it was was one of the first bottles to go and we all wanted more. Cheers Zeffer!
- AgWomen: This is a product of our own making but we are insanely proud of the book we made to celebrate women, agriculture and stories. We only have one box of books left so if you are thinking of snagging one - you best do it soon!
- Appleby Ice Cream: Imagine the tastes of Nelson region all wrapped up in a bowl of ice cream. mmmhmmmm. We have sampled them all - an embarrassing number of times — and firmly believe this is some of the best ice cream available. We love how they use the products from their neighbours to add value to their product. #loveyourlocal Add a couple of these gift cards to your stocking stuffers and you will have some happy family!
- Horse Trek and Lake Rotokauwau Farm Stay: If you are looking to step away from the grind, into some fresh air and on to some horses, we can HIGHLY recommend our new friends at Pukatea Hill Horses and Lake Rotokauwau Farm Stay.
- Sheep Milk: Chelsea has been promoting Sheep Milk since before it was cool. Not only does it taste good (not wooly at all), it is crazy full of protein and other nutrients. We are also proud of the way this sector is working to diversify itself when wool has had a tough sales season or two.
- Quinoa: Trista and Anna might actually be turning into a quinoa….grain? Our poor families have learned to eat quinoa in every which way, because neither one of us can get enough of it. We can’t actually decide whether we prefer Kiwi Quinoa or NZ quinoa but since both are family owned in NZ, we don’t mind what we grab. {P.S. Send your favourite recipes their way!}
- MicroPod: Wish you could eat a good chunk of your greens for the day in one bite? Enter Micropod, an incredibly clever and beautiful way to grow micro greens on your counter. This is a baby company Chelsea met and helped develop through one of our clients. Trista requested one for her birthday and can attest to great customer service and a great product. Two of her family members are getting them for Christmas.
- Arepa: A purple drink that actually makes us re-think our favourite coffee. This is another baby company Chelsea met through Sprout, an ag business accelerator we support. We think Arepa will soon be a household name. We also love their new formula and glass bottles!
New Zealand Gifts with Heart:
Looking to give something with a little more soul? Here’s what we love.
- Trees That Count: If you were one of our clients in 2018, you received this as a gift from our team. We still adore their mission and fully appreciate their cheesy, down to earth social media humour. Check them out!
- Sweet Louise: This organisation is close to our heart for many reasons. They partner with NZ businesses to offer $500 worth of yearly support to every individual living with incurable breast cancer. They think of every little thing to help their lives shine a little brighter: nails, hair, lawn services, flowers, massage, meals, lashes, and more.
- Reemi: A friend of Trista developed this organisation to support women and address period poverty around the world. Invest in their kickstarter this season and you could even be in to receive a few pairs to gift to a friend!
Manawatu Edition Favourites
We are proud of our local region and we are hope you are proud of yours.
- CEDA: You may not be able to buy anything from them for Christmas but we couldn’t let a nod for our region go by without mentioning the work they do for us. They are strategically building our region to be an agtech hub and we. are. here. for. it.
- BABCO: Hands down our favourite locally owned cafe in town. Their bread takes days to make and you can taste the quality. Their pastries are insta-worthy and as delicious as they look. Oh and they serve Mouthwater Coffee — another locally owned company with GREAT coffee.
- The Factory Lounge: An almost-secret coffee stop based in an old dairy factory near Massey University. A bustling cowering space, there is an inspiring hum and a place that feels like coming home to our team. This was where Grass Roots Media was first born. Also their barista is one of our faves in town!
- Off The Loop: A local dairy farmer transformed a section of their land to create a local wakeboard park by the sea.
- ER Imaging: Do you love the photography on our page? Vicky is a whiz behind the camera and she also offers affordable family photography. You know your mum would love that!
Again, we were not paid or influenced to share any of the above. We simply wanted to share the love. We know we have missed something - be sure to give us a shout out if you think we have missed something!
