Island Treasures: Hawaii’s Gift Baskets
Hawaii’s Gift Baskets offers local arts, crafts, and food items made by people who live on Hawai‘i Island, contained in fun, reusable packaging.
The inspiration for Hawaii’s Gift Baskets (HGB) came in 2008 when owner Tamarra Sullivan was working at Kona Village Resort. She was speaking with a guest who came back often. The guest was saying how they missed the things they loved from Hawai‘i Island when they went back home, such as poha jelly and macadamia nut pancake mix. They said they’d love to have those things available when they got back home. Tammy said she “ran with the idea, because I loved being able to send aloha from the island.” Her goal was, and still is, to include items that people experience while they’re here and they want to reproduce that feeling just by tasting the delicious food offerings and viewing local artisans’ creations.
Tammy shared, “There’s a lot of people who don’t make it back here but are in love with the islands and they like to experience a gift basket that’s decorated with island flair and filled with items that are made right here on our island, including things that will last after the goodies are gone, like decorative tiles, wood bowls, and Hawaiian print insulated bags.”
The types of products Tammy carries are all made by small local businesses. Tammy estimates there are at least 50–75 different types of manufacturers on this island that sell everything from nuts to jams to chips: BBQ sauce, syrups, pancake mix, candy, cookies, spa products, tiles, and other types of artwork.
Tammy creates custom gift baskets for weddings, showers, anniversaries, birthdays, or any other occasions. Baskets that contain locally made products make wonderful alternatives for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s and Father’s Day, graduations, housewarmings, Realtor closing gifts, or anytime for any reason!
After several retail locations in Kailua-Kona and Waikoloa, Tammy chose to transition to a home-based online store. HGB offers free delivery in West Hawai‘i, and ships to other parts of Hawai‘i, the US mainland, and internationally.
All over the world, people seek out aloha and one easy way to is to receive a box from Hawaii’s Gift Baskets. The packages that Tammy ships are large enough that the basket inside arrives as if it was hand-delivered.
Tammy is also considering other ideas. One of them is to offer items without the gift basket for those who only want products. If you’re reading this and you like that idea, contact Tammy and let her know. She’s also looking to find more vendors on the island, such as someone who makes coconut syrup. If you know someone with unique products, they can also contact Tammy.
Hawaii’s Gift Baskets also provides the fulfillment services for Ke Ola Magazine’s Gift Package Subscriptions. These deluxe subscriptions contain each new issue of Ke Ola along with some island made products from the magazine’s advertisers. Ke Ola has been doing this for two years now—it’s a very popular gift item that lasts all year!
Contact Tammy for any occasion and she’ll come up with the perfect basket for your gift-giving needs!
808.333.9444
HawaiisGiftBaskets.com
KeOlaMagazine.com/subscribe
