From local chocolate to candles with cheeky scents and everything in between, here are our Editors’ picks for subscriptions that make the perfect last-minute gift or way to start your New Year off right.
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In search of a thoughtful, local and perhaps a little last-minute gift idea? We’ve got you covered. Check out these subscriptions for chocolate, coffee, wine, books and more from Northern Michigan businesses.
Your friends and family will thank you. (Any “Everybody Loves Raymond” fans out there? We promise, no Fruit of the Month Clubs here.)
Subscription for Your Sweet Tooth
Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate just launched its new chocolate subscriptions, and to say we’re excited is an understatement. Each month you’ll get a themed box of favorites and limited-run items. A few treats in upcoming boxes include a black tahini chocolate bar in January and smoked butter caramels in February. You can choose a 3-, 6-, 9- or 12-month subscription, which range from $175 to $700.
Read Next: How to Make Perfect Grocer’s Daughter Drinking Chocolate.
Subscription for the Home Cook Who Needs a Break
In a world where New Year’s resolutions are all about denial—no alcohol, no carbs, no fat, no fun—you could resolve to eat really, really well with a meal subscription service like the one Leelanau caterers Mel & Fell (short for Melanie and her fella) offer. Each week they’ll deliver healthy, homemade meals, made with as many locally sourced ingredients as possible, to your door. No mess. No fuss. No resolution needed to sit down to that meal.
Read Next: Mel&Fell Recipes to Inspire Your Perfect Summer Picnic.
Photo by Tim Hussey; Styling by Sarah Peschel
Photo by Tim Hussey
Photo by Tim Hussey
Subscription for the Cheesy One
I can’t think of a better way to weather the cold months ahead than having local cheese delivered straight to my front door. Luckily, Sue Kurta, owner of Kingsley-based Boss Mouse Cheese, offers a Monthly Cheese Club, where you can choose between 3 or 12 months of deliveries. In addition to the cheese of the month, you’ll also receive a block of Sue’s smoked butter (which has endless uses, but we especially love it on these radish tartines). Add it to your rosemary Montasio grilled cheese, mix it into a dish of sharp cheddar mac & cheese, or use it to caramelize onions for a batch of French onion soup topped, of course, with melty smoked Swiss.
Read Next: Meet Sue Kurta, Owner and Maker of Boss Mouse Cheese.
Photo by Dave Weidner
Subscription for the Highly Caffeinated Coworker
Keweenaw Coffee Works in Calumet roasts small batches of sustainably and ethically grown coffees beans sourced from artisanal farms around the world. We especially love their Great Lakes Collection, with coffees like Borealis (a light roast with notes of wild berries) and The Straits (medium roast, half-caf blend). Choose a 3-, 6- or 12-month subscription.
Subscription for the Flower Child
Ya know those people who can’t help but bring the outdoors in? They get lost picking wildflowers and can’t walk by a lilac bush without stopping to sniff. Maybe you’re that person (with bundles of dried flowers hanging from your kitchen rafters at this very moment). Moondance Flower Farm on Old Mission Peninsula is offering the perfect full-season subscription for the anthophile in your life. Enjoy 20 weeks of gorgeous, fresh-cut bouquets (or 10 weeks, every other week) featuring rotating blooms like tulips, peonies, irises, dahlias and sunflowers. Each subscription comes with some sweet perks—grab a photographer friend (or just grab your iPhone) and roam their flower fields for a free 1-hour photo shoot. Pick-ups start May 8 (weather dependent) and if you can’t make it to the farm, you can pick up your weekly bouquet at Mundos HQ or Mundos 305.
Photo by Allison Jarrell
Subscription for your Brilliant Book-Loving Friend
Wouldn’t we all read more if we had that smart, literate friend handpicking the perfect books for us? Sure would. Even better if it’s from a tiny main street indie bookstore, wrapped up and sent to your door. A Brilliant Books Monthly book subscription from Brilliant Books in Traverse City will start you out with a gift box full of bibliophile goodies and a preferences card—fill it out, send it in and one of their booksellers chooses books you’ll love. Subscriptions are customizable—six months or annuals for every level reader from picture books, large print or audio books on up to hardcovers.
Subscription for the Host with the Most (Or Your Own Wine Cooler)
Many Northern Michigan wineries have a wine club. You’ll get bottles sent to your door, along with extra perks like tasting room discounts and exclusive event invites. A few to check out: Aurora Cellars, Black Star Farms, Boyne Valley Vineyards, Left Foot Charley and Petoskey Farms.
Photo by Allison Jarrell
Subscription for the Candle Lover in Your Life
Featuring cheeky scent names, the Evil Queen monthly box subscription is the perfect gift for the candle lover, or humor lover in your life. While we love her scents like “winter witch” or “can’t adult today” the exciting part about the subscription is receiving one brand new, limited edition candle monthly that you won’t find anywhere else.
Read Next: Visit Evil Queen Candle Shop in Traverse City.
Photo by Dave Weidner
BONUS! Subscription for the Person Who Loves Northern Michigan
Traverse Northern Michigan magazine is a timeless gift that thousands of subscribers have been enjoying for decades. You’ll get 12 issues featuring stories about Up North places you know and love—and some you haven’t explored yet—delivered to your mailbox each month for less than $40.
More Ways to Celebrate Northern Michigan