GrepBeat 2023 Holiday Gift Guide

You’ve made your lists and you’ve checked them twice. And then there are the other lists that you forgot to check—or didn’t know about.

We’ve all been behind on our holiday shopping before. To help, we’ve put together these gift ideas from Triangle startups that we’ve previously written about. There’s something to satisfy everyone on your list, from your foodie friend to your curious children. 

For Foodies 

• Macalat Chocolate Bars use a unique mushroom extract as an alternative to sugar. (2023 feature)
• Southern Snacks creates “better-for-you” potato chips from “ugly” potatoes, aka those that are discarded and never reach stores. These chips can also be purchased in select grocery stores in addition to online. (2023 feature)
• Bake Eat Love offers subscription kits which teaches bakers of all experience levels—from

  

  tweens to adults—how to bake a different gourmet dessert each month. Give a kit or a gift card to those aspiring bakers! (2022 feature; Co-Founder and CEO Kristen Baileys is also a former Friday Nooner guest)
  

• Spring & Mulberry uses dates to sweeten their chocolate bars instead of sugar. They currently offer flavor combinations such as “pear, ginger, rosemary,” “coffee bean and banana,” “white mulberry, almond, fennel,” “lavender, bee pollen, rose petal” and more. Get them individually or packaged in groups. (2022 feature)
• Offline is an online membership community dedicated to uplifting local restaurants and bars. They currently operate in Durham, Raleigh, Charlotte, Nashville, Tampa, Atlanta and Richmond. Gift some memberships to your friends and family to get some free food, swag and more! (2022 feature; Offline was named to GrepBeat’s 2022 Startups To Watch list)
  

For Beverage Connoisseurs

• Nuba is a ready-to-drink beverage startup that uses dried hibiscus flowers imported from small farms in Egypt. They offer bottled drinks, packaged hibiscus flowers and, recently, chocolate bars. (2022 feature)
• Jabin Beverage Co. creates a Persian sports beverage with natural ingredients that hydrates and accelerates recovery after exercise. One of its key ingredients that other hydration and sports drinks don’t use is apple cider vinegar. (2022 feature)
• Mosi Tea sells packaged tea and portable tea infusers for your on-the-go tea enthusiasts. They offer individual products or gift sets. (2021 feature)

For Curious Children

• Tiny Earth Toys offers high-quality wooden toys for all ages, tailored based on the age

  

  group’s interests and motor skills. Bundle and save an extra 25% on five toys this holiday season. (2021 feature; Tiny Earth Toys was recognized on our 2021 GrepBeat Startups To Watch list and CEO Rachael Classi has been a Friday Nooner guest, Download Q&A subject and twice an In The Soup guest)

• GameFlo strives to help kids and teenagers learn social-emotional life skills through tabletop games. They currently offer a basketball-themed card game called “Pick Up” that teaches players problem-solving and decision-making skills. (2023 feature) 
• Beeloo uses artificial intelligence to make unique printables that range from coloring sheets to puzzles and mazes. You can either use the printables listed on the website or order the NYC Activity Book, which is sold on Amazon. (2023 feature)
• Keepsake Tales creates book templates that enable customers to use photos of their child to adorn the cover and story. Children can read a book that features their name and image throughout the story. (2020 feature)

For Fashion and Beauty Mavens

• Made Trade is an e-commerce platform that features ethically sustainable goods from local artisans. They sell all sorts of goods ranging from clothing to houseware. They are currently running a gift catalog featuring discounted clothing items and other cute gift ideas. (2023 feature; Made Trade was a 2023 GrepBeat Startups To Watch pick, and Co-Founder and CEO Cayley Pater was a Friday Nooner guest)
• Sani creates high-quality clothing—everything from formalwear to loungewear to casual top/bottom sets—inspired by South Asian cultural designs. (2019 feature)
• Prept is an online platform that connects users to over 50 personal stylists, makeup artists and more for live, virtual style consultations. Give the gift of style with their individual or membership services. (2022 feature)

For Those Focused on Wellbeing and Care

• BOA Nutrition’s nutrient-propellant technology brings next-level performance to

  

  competitive athletes and gym enthusiasts. Their two products—Endure Blast and Ignite Blast—are designed to be quickly deployed during training and competition by “blasting” the liquid into your mouth. (2021 feature)

• Plantnrgy is a unique protein mix that uses only pure and basic nutritious ingredients like pea protein, pumpkin seeds and hemp. Their mix can be used in smoothies, oatmeal bowls and everyday baking. (2021 feature)
• Near is an online services platform dedicated to uplifting resources focused on end of life care. They offer anything from planning services to physical care gifts. They just announced their holiday gift guide, perfect for those going through some difficult times—including caregivers. (2023 feature)
• Fillaree aims to fight both plastic waste and synthetic toxins in bath and cleaning products that are linked to cancer. They offer refillable soap and skincare products, with the option to have bulk refills sent right to your door. (2019 feature)