Artisans from the Heart of Alberta

In Alberta, there is a burgeoning local business movement. The momentum is driven by awareness, trend, logic and an appreciation for good products made by good people. The folks at Launch Calgary are promoting knowledge to empower shoppers through their Made in Calgary campaign (below).

When you "spot the dot", you know you are supporting a business that is born and raised in Calgary. When you shop locally, up to 25% more money stays in the local economy. This campaign gives local businesses "a home ice advantage". Their website is full of fascinating facts and great resources, such as the info below. You can check out the made in Calgary campaign: www.madeincalgary.org and follow their movement on Instagram: @launchcalgary

At Saul Good Gift Co., we also love shining the spotlight on brilliant local talent and strengthening local economies. We are excited to celebrate some of Alberta's best artisans with two newly-curated gifts: The Calgary confidential and Big sky Alberta. Each gift shares a story of passionate artisans who are contributing to the momentum of Calgary’s local business community. In this post, we are highlighting three women who create delicious products for our Calgary gift baskets.

Canada Sweet Shop

Dannah knows that her calling in life is candy. She started out when she was six years old. She has vivid memories of making candy with her mom at Christmas time. She would help butter the pans, measure ingredients, sort the peanuts, and of course taste the finished product!

When the recession hit in 2008, candy became a necessary source of revenue for her family. By the age of eighteen, Dannah dove into the business component of artisanal livelihood and soaked up all necessary knowledge she needed to get to the next level.

Over the years, the Canada Sweet Shop has grown. Dannah now has a commercial kitchen in Strathmore, Alberta and a solid crew of amazing staff. The products she makes include the old fashioned Peanut brittle and English Toffee that are featured in our Calgary gift baskets and Canada gift baskets. She also makes old-fashioned buttery caramel popcorn and many varieties of peanut brittle and nut free brittle. Dannah’s commercial kitchen produces candies that cater to food sensitivities.

Real Treat Kitchen

Jacqueline is keeping it real in the Rocky Mountains. Her talent for cookies is flourishing with Real Treat Kitchen. These scrumptious morsels are packed full of whole organic ingredients that are locally sourced whenever possible.

From Highwood Crossing flour to Vital Green Organic dairy, each handmade cookie tells a delicious local tale. She takes inspiration from “fond memories, places travelled, and pure fantasy, playing with flavours and textures, telling a story with every cookie”.

Real Treat cookies are thoughtful creations that are delightfully different: Salted caramel shorties with fennel, Dark chocolate with smoked pecans, Lemon sablés with herbs de Provence and Breakfast cookies. In our gift baskets, we feature the Double dark chocolate with a twist (house-candied lemon).

Crave Cupcakes

Carolyne McIntyre Jackson and Jodi Willoughby are sisters who created Crave together. Their decadent creations are inspired by fresh ingredients and family recipes. They learned the art of baking on their family farm in High River, Alberta. Growing up in a busy kitchen inspired an appetite for simple, sweet indulgences made from scratch. It also inspired the creation of Crave Cupcakes.

The first Crave Bakery opened in the Kensington neighbourhood of Calgary, Alberta. Using their Grandmother's chocolate cake and their Mom's Vanilla cake recipes, they went to work serving the best cupcakes they knew how to bake. They use only real butter, they crack every egg by hand and they bake fresh every day. You can find their delicious caramel popcorn in our Calgary gift baskets.

Calgary Gift Baskets

Calgary confidential

This gift features some of Calgary’s finest candies and confections (and one from Edmonton for good measure). It was put together for people who like to keep tabs on the lesser known gems in the town they call home.

Big sky Alberta

It seems like everything in Alberta is a little bit bigger. So we filled this Rocky Mountain-sized gift basket with a massive selection of perfectly crafted confections from Calgary and Edmonton.