Even if you don’t enjoy the heavily commercialized Valentine’s Day, you likely still enjoy receiving gifts of chocolate and wine. A box of chocolate truffles, a bottle of red wine, and a bouquet of flowers are all common (and pretty generic) gifts on this holiday… what if you could give your loved ones unique treats from the food tech space?
Future Foodie rounded up a few food and beverage presents that we believe would make excellent gifts for the loved ones in your life. Here are our picks:
Instead of a basic bottle of red…
Le Grand Verre Single Serving Wine
If February 14th is looking like a lovely day to be outside, why not take your wine to-go? May we suggest a romantic bike ride, or a midday, boozy picnic? Le Grand Verre’s single-serving wine bottles are shatterproof, and perfect for packing in a backpack and hitting up your local park or beach. The company works with mostly female-owned and/or small wineries to offer craft French wines. For Valentine’s Day, Le Grand Verre launched the Le Grand Love Triangle bundle, consisting of a red, white, and rosé.
Ghia’s Alcohol-Free Aperitif
Is your honey sober? Don’t fret – Ghia offers an alcohol-free aperitif infused with plants, heady herbals, and potent botanicals. This vegan, sugar-free booze-free beverage can be sipped on alone, or mixed into a mocktail.
Bizzare Beers from Tavour
Not everyone is a wine lover, and in fact, at Future Foodie, we are some craft beer lovers. Tavour, a marketplace and delivery service for craft beers, shared some of the most bizarre beers of 2021. A few included After School Prrrrt – Fruited Sour Ale from Drekker Brewing Co., Atlanta Banana Pancake Cabana – Imperial Pastry Stout from Listermann Brewing Company and Pontoon Brewing Company, and Kelp! I Need Some Honey (2020) – Barrel-Aged Saison from Oxbow Brewing Co. and Dogfish Head. Yes, the last option is indeed made with kelp, offering ever-so-slight minerality.
Instead of a bouquet…
Loria Stern’s flower-infused baked goods and chocolates
Flowers are nice, but we think chocolate infused with flowers is even nicer. If you haven’t heard of Loria Stern before, you’re missing out on a dazzling, near-psychedelic array of cookies, buns, bread, and chocolate that are embedded with flowers. Trust us – your lover would be way more ecstatic to receive a dozen floral shortbread cookies over a grocery store bouquet.
Instead of Russel Stover’s chocolate boxes…
HU Chocolate Bars
We’re going to assume you know a vegan, Keto-person, or someone who is dairy-free, and therefore, recommend you purchase them some HU bars. Even if your BAE or boo is none of these things, we believe that every chocolate lover will find HU absolutely divine. Our favorite? The Crunchy Mint bar or the Cashew Vanilla Bean Hunks.
Vosges Chocolate
Manchego and Cherry. Matcha Green Tea and Spirulina. Black Salt Carmel. Yes, these are all exotic chocolate bar flavors offered by Vosges Chocolate. The haut chocolatier also offers uber-fancy (and super expensive) truffle boxes specifically made for Valentine’s day. A Sacred Hi Vibe Chocolate Collection that goes for $165 seems worth it …right? According to the company: “Our chocolates are infused with a healing sound frequency, 528 Hz which is the same frequency as the sistrum, a musical instrument from Egypt used for ceremony and healing.”
