'Tis the season! Of course, along with all the merriment, there are some challenges. One of the most difficult of these challenges is answering the question: How do I find the perfect gift for everyone on my list?
With so many hard-to-please people, plus others who seem to already have everything, the gift-giving season can seem overwhelming. That’s where CMTC’s gift-giving guide can help! If the people on your shopping list are as diverse as the state of California (which is as diverse as it gets), then we’ve got you covered.
Fill your 2020 holiday shopping guide with California-made goods so you can deliver the highest quality gifts while also supporting the CA economy. We promise there’s something for everyone on your list!
Here is why you should consider buying gifts made in California this holiday year:
Quick Links:
- Why You Should buy Made in California Goods this Holiday Season
- Shopping Online Now and in the Future
- Made in California Gifts for Everyone on Your List
- About CMTC's Made in CA Program
Why You Should Buy Made in California Goods this Holiday Season
Whether you’re buying for a friend who is a Cali aficionado, or someone who loves supporting small or local businesses, California offers plenty of gifts for everyone. And, there are plenty of reasons to consider buying gifts made in California this holiday season!
California is full of diverse small businesses, such as craftsmen, artisan wine makers, and fashion-forward designers – and many could use customer support this holiday season. By buying gifts from them, you help support "the little guy," which is more important than in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The good news is that a recent Union Bank survey found that 51% of California respondents said they'd spend $20 more on an item to support a small or local business, as opposed to saving $20 by purchasing from a large retailer.
Further, a Deloitte study found that apparel (26%) and food & beverage (20%) account for nearly 50% of the share of total holiday spend on retail, with clothing being the top purchased item of the holiday season. There are plenty of apparel and food & beverage manufacturers in the Golden State that provide everything from hand-crafted bathing suits to organic coffee and locally made chocolate.
Shopping Online Now and in the Future
Holiday shopping typically impacts business growth, but 2020 is different. This year, more brick-and-mortar stores began providing online shopping options, and a new forecast predicts that two years' worth of eCommerce growth will be packed into just this one holiday season. Online sales are predicted to surge 33% year over year to a record $189 billion, according to the latest study from Adobe Analytics.
A recent study from Deloitte found that more than half of all holiday shoppers feel anxious about in-store shopping amid the pandemic. With the coronavirus steering people away from stores, many small businesses have had to adapt quickly to provide online shopping options. That means online shopping will become a mainstay of this holiday season, and small businesses are delivering by providing more of their goods online than ever.
Made in California Gifts for Everyone on Your List
CMTC offers an exclusive club that is dedicated to supporting and growing small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in the Golden State, called the Made in CA program.
CMTC has listed some apparel and food & beverage gift ideas from manufacturers listed in the program, so you can do your holiday gift shopping while supporting California businesses!
Apparel Gifts
Whether looking for unique bathing suits or kid’s clothes, California businesses have you covered for all your fashion needs.
ACDC Apparel
This clothing design and manufacturing company is based in the Los Angeles area. ACDC Apparel caters to large volume corporate customers and chain store retailers. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, ACDC apparel has been focusing on reusable fabric face masks and reusable isolation gowns.
Almack Liner
This full package apparel lean manufacturing company is based in Southern California and offers services such as design, pattern making, cutting, sewing, and more. Some of the products Almack Liner manufactures include women's and men’s sportswear, handbags, outerwear, evening gowns, swimwear, volleyball and running shorts, and Army, Air Force, and Marine physical fitness uniforms.
Armen Tulano
An apparel manufacturing company that strives for putting local Los Angeles businesses on the map, Armen Tulano also strives for sustainability, fair trade, and green practices. They produce everything from handmade couture gowns and costumes to women's clothing, lingerie, and accessories.
Astrologie California/AJG, Inc.
Founded in 2003, Astrologie’s mission is to provide trendy designs, unsurpassed quality, and affordable pricing and offer everything from fashion tops, screen printing, tie-dyes, and much more.
Benchmark FR
This Santa Ana-based company has been manufacturing arc and flame resistant clothing for the energy industry since 2020 and is dedicated to making safety products you want to wear.
Birdwell Beach Britches
This Santa-Ana based manufacturer has been hand-making board shorts, jackets, totes, towels, and other surf accessories since 1961 for the surfing lovers in your life.
Buy Insta Slim Inc.
Buy Insta Slim Inc. designs and manufactures original men's compression shaping solutions and support products, but unlike similar companies, all of their products are made in California! For muscle tanks, crewnecks, and other sports activity wear, Buy Insta Slim Inc. has you covered.
Delicate Illusions
Based in Laguna Beach, Delicate Illusions creates unique, bold, and high-quality dance wear and girls' gymnastics attire. The company has also been featured in several publications!
Flap Happy, Inc.
Your go-to casual kid’s clothing, Los Angeles-based Flap Happy produces chemical-free hats, clothing, and swimwear for boys and girls, including infant, toddler, and kids' sizes through 10. All of their high-quality fashions are proudly made in the USA.
Fresh Peaches Custom Swimwear
This clothing design and swimwear brand is based in Los Angeles and has been named the best women's boutique in the IE many times and has been featured in numerous publications. They design and manufacture their own swimwear line and every swimsuit is hand-cut and individually made.
Gypsy05
Gypsy05 manufactures clothing for women, men, and children that celebrates the Southern California lifestyle. Gypsy05 holds environmental awareness as a core philosophy, incorporating organic fabrics, soy softeners, low-impact dyes, and seaweed extract printing and was the first completely solar-powered dyeing, printing, and manufacturing facility in Los Angeles.
Heart of Haute
This Cali company manufactures pinup/retro/rockabilly style women's clothing and makes a top-of-the-line product at an affordable price point. They offer everything from tops to skirts – even wedding dresses.
iHeartRaves
Since 2010, the mission of iHeartRaves is to inspire individual creativity and self-expression. For the festival-goers in your life, iHeartRaves creates unique, high-quality rave clothing with eco-friendly ink from tank tops, T-shirts, hoodies, shorts, joggers, bodysuits, thigh highs, leg wraps, shoes, accessories, and more.
InstantFigure.com
A woman-owned business, InstantFigure.com designs and manufactures compression and support products. Unlike competitors, all of InstantFigure.com’s products are made in California! Products include everything from tops to skirts, bodysuits to curvy shapewear, and much more.
Intimo Industry
An innovative seamless manufacturer, Intimo Industry is based in Los Angeles and offers a wide variety of uniquely designed seamless garments for comfortable, fashionable apparel and value.
This graphic clothing manufacturer produces handcrafted products that are visually stunning and designed to last. From hoodies, joggers, t-shirts, tank tops, headwear, accessories, and more, INTO THE AM uses premium microfiber polyester, original designs, and vibrant eco-friendly inks to create high-quality, durable clothing.
Kai Bean Kids
Kai Bean Kids offers is a fashion-forward line for boys that combines the latest trends in contemporary menswear with a laidback California lifestyle. Based in Southern California, Kai Bean Kids offers clothing consisting of the softest garment-dyed cottons available in a variety of styles including tee shirts, shorts, pants, and hoodies.
Mystic, Inc.
+MYSTIC+ Los Angeles has been established as a leader in women's apparel. From the conceptual stages of design to the finished product, Mystic, Inc’s clothing is hand-crafted at their own facility in the Fashion & Arts District of Los Angeles.
New Generation Sport Designs
A modern apparel manufacturing company, New Generation Sport Designs focuses on the production of sportswear/swimwear rash guards, wetsuits, compression shirts and shorts, bags/backpacks, MMA apparel, and high-performance sport apparel. Located in Santa Ana, all of New Generation Sport Designs are from quality material made in the USA.
Rochie's Inc.
A woman-owned company, Rochie’s Inc. designs new and innovative products to help promote the client's brand, including career, corporate, and collegiate apparel, safety, and hi-visibility uniforms, as well as promotional incentives.
Sarabia's Cutting Service
Sarabia's Cutting Service is based in Santa Ana and provides cutting and sewing of custom apparel including aprons, costumes, and pet accessories. From prototypes to production, Sarabia’s can transform your ideas and projects into one exciting reality.
Sewing Incubator
With their main focus being technology integration within sewing product manufacturing, Sewing Incubator opened their first American location in California back in 2008. Besides working with consumer brands requiring the manufacturing of sewn products, Sewing Incubator also provides an educational platform to guide the next generation of sewn product manufacturers.
Third Degree Sportswear
A premier sports apparel manufacturer in California, Third Degree Sportswear sells active and sports apparel designed to be fashionable and functional. Besides distributing leading brands, such as Mizuno, Asics, Molten, Spalding, and Wilson, the sportswear manufacturer also custom makes team uniforms.
Gifts for Food Lovers
Here are some unique food & beverage items sure to please any gourmand.
AFC Trading & Wholesale, Inc.
AFC is the premier brand for soy products and produces more than eight tons of tofu daily, along with its other popular products, baked tofu, and soy pudding. AFC uses only the freshest and highest quality ingredients in its products and sources non-genetically modified organisms (NON-GMO) soybeans grown in the United States.
Almas Food
From Mediterranean-style delicacies, healthy products, and ready-to-eat foods, Almas Food does it all! All of Almas Food products are sourced from premium quality raw materials and only the finest and freshest ingredients and are the one and only producer of Halal deli meats in the USA. Their products are flavorful, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, gluten-free, and MSG-free.
Annabelle Candy Company
Originally founded in San Francisco in 1950, Annabelle Candy Company currently manufactures ten different candy bars, with its most popular, the Rocky Road candy bar, currently ranked among the top 35-40 best selling chocolate bars on the West Coast of the United States.
Apffels Fine Coffees
Established in 1914, Apffels Fine Coffees manufactures coffee and tea products and produces unique flavors to provide great taste.
Baked in the Sun
Baked in the Sun manufactures high-quality, fresh and frozen yummy snacks, including bagels, muffins, pastries, cookies, bars, crumb cake scones, and loaf breads. Additionally, Baked in the Sun is certified kosher by the rabbinical council of Kosher LA in Southern California and is certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the California Unified Certification Program (CUCP).
Balance Foods, Inc.
Leading the development in the growing category of great-tasting, better-for-you snacks, Balance Foods, Inc. has a wide range of Kosher snacks that are low in low sodium and gluten-, MSG-, and cholesterol-free. For top-quality branded snack foods, Balance Foods offers healthier alternatives.
BF Suma Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Looking for dietary supplements? BF Suma Pharmaceuticals Inc. has you covered. As a manufacturing company of dietary supplements and functional beverages, BF Suma Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a wide variety of high-quality products.
Boyd Specialties Manufacturing
The Boyd family has lived in the Heartland of Southern California for more than half a century, manufacturing quality meat snacks with over 20 flavors of beef, chicken, and bacon jerky to choose from. Made with beef raised with no hormones, Boyd Specialists take great pride in knowing that all the ingredients going into their jerky are locally made and high quality.
Bread Los Angeles
Proudly serving Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and surrounding areas since 1991, Bread Los Angeles bakes artisan, all-natural bread with no preservatives. Whether you prefer European-style gourmet artisan bread, like baguette, ciabatta, focaccia, campailloux, and brioche, or American-style products including sourdough loaves, buns, pullman, and country loaves, Bread Los Angeles has got your dough!
Buddha Teas
Buddha Teas understands the importance of purity. All of their teas use fresh, organic herbs to keep their teas natural and free from chemicals, preservatives, and added flavoring. With minimal processing and eco-friendly packaging, you can feel good about every purchase!
Caljava International
Caljava International offers all the high-quality cake decorations and tools needed for bakers and cake artists, ranging from cake decorations, tools, and ingredients to pre-made rolled fondant.
Casa Sanchez
A Mexican-style salsa and tortilla chip company based in San Francisco, Casa Sanchez can trace its roots back to 1920 as an industry leader in the Mexican-style snacks market. They currently make over a dozen different salsas, five varieties of tortilla chips (two of them certified organic), and other traditional Mexican foods like gorditas and tamales.
Cabo Chips Gourmet Foods
Cabo Chips are made from handmade real tortillas, kettle cooked in batches, and untouched by fake flavorings and dust. The flavors come from fire-roasted tortillas and ingredients, fresh real lime, and fire-roasted herbs and spices. As in the spirit of Southern CA health consciousness, Cabo Chips are gluten-free, non-GMO, Kosher, and cooked in Rice Bran Oil.
Chuao Chocolatier
Chuao (pronounced chew-WOW) is the first Venezuelan Chocolatier based in the United States and Southern California's premier artisan chocolatier. Their confectionary menu features everything from chocolate bars, bonbons, and truffles to numerous chocolate drinks, espresso beverages, gelatos, and seasonal creations.
Cookies Con Amore
Fernanda and Angelo Capraro were childhood friends from the village of Sant Elia in the south of Italy and both had grandmothers who loved to bake cookies. While they eventually moved to California, this tradition stayed with them. This love of cookies led them to start the Italian bakery Cookies Con Amore in 2005. You can order directly from the Cookies con Amore online shop where the entire line of classic, gluten-free, sugar-free as well as seasonal cookies are available.
Culinary Specialties
Based out of San Marcos, Culinary Specialities offers fresh, handcrafted foods prepared using chefs’ unique recipes - not generic recipes! This includes canapes, appetizers, boxed lunches, entrees, pastas, breakfast sandwiches, wraps, sausages, and tea sandwiches.
CytoSport, Inc.
CytoSport products provide what you need to successfully complete and recover from the most intense workouts and daily events. A family-run business with a line of high-quality nutritional products for professional and amateur athletes, CytoSport powders and bars help you recover from life and exercise-induced stress quickly while maintaining your ideal body weight.
Dainichi Fish Food
Dainichi Fish Food believes that "just as you are what you eat, your fish are what you feed them!" The company produces the highest quality, freshest fish food in the world. The food is made to order so customers receive food which was freshly made just days ago, satisfying them and their fish!
Debbas Gourmet
Forty years ago, the Debbas family brought the great heritage of byzantine art, food, and culture across the sea and began hand-crafting gourmet chocolate truffles in their kitchen using only the finest ingredients. Today this artisan tradition is continued with Debbas Gourmet, which crafts the finest chocolate and gourmet fare.
Diamond Foods
San Francisco-based Diamond Foods is an innovative premium snack food and culinary nut company with well-known brands such as Kettle Brand Chips, Emerald snack nuts, Pop Secret popcorn, and Diamond of California nuts.
Dudley's Bakery, Inc.
Dudley's is a 50+ year old commercial bakery that produces 26 different breads and fruit bars. With unique proven recipes and products baked locally by skilled artisans, Dudley's Bakery sets itself apart in the market.
Florentino Ice Cream
For over 30 years, Florentino Ice Cream has been the premier manufacturer of superior ice cream, gelato, and sorbet in Southern California. It's the taste people come back to time and again!
Foodies Urban Kitchen
Besides offering consulting services, Foodies Urban Kitchen also produces delicious freshly prepared foods such as sprouted garlic hummus, sprouts original hummus, sprouted chipotle hummus, lettuce wraps, vegan mayonnaise, vegan marinara sauce, and much more.
G.L. Mezzetta, Inc.
For more than 75 years, the Mezzetta company has brought delicious and healthy foods from the Mediterranean to the American table. Whether you are looking for a quick healthy snack or gourmet ingredients for your favorite dishes, Mezzatta's has everything from glass-packed peppers and olives to other specialty foods.
Galaxy Desserts
Galaxy Desserts handcrafts a fine range of French-inspired desserts. Founded by celebrity pastry chef Jean-Yves Charon and dessert addict Paul Levitan, Galaxy Desserts are all-natural and flash-frozen to seal in the just-baked flavor, so they taste amazing on your table.
Galeos
Galeos is a salad dressings manufacturer with a wide variety of dressings to fit everyone’s unique preferences. Many dressings are organic, vegan and light, perfect for pouring over salads or drizzling over veggies.
Gold Mine Natural Foods
Gold Mine Natural Foods caters to the healthy eaters out there with their range of macrobiotic products, lentils, nuts & seeds, grains, and much more! Plus, none of Gold Mine Natural Food products contain or are derived from genetically engineered ingredients (GMO's or GEO's), irradiated foods, or foods that contain pesticides, chemical additives, colorings, preservatives, artificial ingredients, trans-fats, refined oils, flours or sweeteners.
Golden Island Jerky
A third-generation, family-owned and operated business, Golden Island produces over 20 varieties of gourmet, gluten-free pork and beef jerky including Hickory Black Pepper, Teriyaki, Chili Lime, Mandarin Orange, and the # 1 selling Griller BBQ Pork.
Great River Food
A family-operated food manufacturer, Great River Food makes everything from meatballs, sausage, meatloaf, beef jerky, and much more! They also offer demos in select supermarkets throughout Southern California to share recipe ideas and allow tasting of their products.
It's Delish
A woman-owned business, It’s Delish is a manufacturer of spices, spice blends, nuts, dried fruits, chocolates, confections, snacks, bakery goods, and gourmet popcorn. All products are kosher, and along with their regular product line, It’s Delish also produces a line of organic, gluten-free, lactose-free, and health products.
Jackie's Jams
Jackie’s Jams crafts jams and jellies the old-fashioned way, by hand and using only natural ingredients. All the jams are created with locally grown fruits, whenever possible, from farmers throughout Southern California and are never made with any artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup.
JC Snacks
A snack company based in San Diego, JC Snacks offers a variety of flavorful and unique snacks with natural ingredients. For adventurous snack flavors, JC Snacks has got it all!
Jericho Foods
Jericho's condiments, sauces, dressings, and ingredients are sure to provide you with effortless flavor in every spoonful of hummus or eggplant salads. All of Jericho Food’s flavorful Mediterranean dips and products are SQF Certified and made with non-GMO ingredients.
Kween Foods
Kween uses the highest quality, nutrient-rich ingredients with no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners. This includes their Granola Butter, the world’s first-ever spreadable granola, which is also non-GMO, preservative-free, and contains no refined sugars.
La Tapatia Tortilleria Inc
The California based manufacturer La Tapatia produces authentic corn and flour tortillas using the highest quality ingredients. Their product line includes tortillas in a variety of sizes, tortilla chips, wraps, flavored wraps, tostadas, strips, taco shells, and tostada bowls.
Gifts From Wineries, Breweries, & Coffee Roasters
For the wine or craft beer connoisseur in your life, check out these California manufacturers!
Cafe Virtuoso
All of Cafe Virtuoso’s coffee is 100% organic and locally-roasted - the only coffee roaster in San Diego to do so. Besides coffee, they also sell an assortment of nitro cold brew teas, new and refurbished coffee equipment, and more!
Cedar Mountain Winery
Cedar Mountain Winery features not only award-winning wines, but also sculptures, paintings, and cuisine. Cedar Mountain features Livermore grown and produced wines and ports.
Cutwater Spirits, LLC
Cutwater Spirits feature award-winning spirits to create innovative cocktails. As a venue connected to its production facility, you can also tour the distillery, explore the spirits process, and meet the Cutwater Spirits team to share some warm Southern California hospitality.
Klatch Coffee
Based in Los Angeles, this family business started out of a love for great coffee with one retail store and has evolved into a global wholesale roaster and retailer with its coffee featured daily on three continents. Klatch Coffee has won numerous awards and has many blends available.
Left Coast Brewing Co.
Left Coast Brewing Company is an independent brewery, producing six beers full-time with their flagship beer being Hop Juice Double IPA. The brewery also offers four seasonal beers throughout the year.
Mission Brewery
With 26 National and International awards under its belt, Mission Brewery is considered one of the top craft breweries in San Diego County. If you’re in the area, go check out the bottle viewing area or play on the brewery’s competition length 1930's shuffleboard.
St. Supery Estate Vineyards & Winery
A family-owned estate winery in Napa Valley, St. Supery Estate Vineyards & Winery is home to 500 acres of grapevines, 1,000 heirloom fruit trees, honeybee hives, various livestock, and close to 1,000 acres of natural land teeming with wildlife. The vineyard specializes in Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Moscato, and much more. Besides wine, the vineyard also sells honey, peach preserves, and apple butter from the estate.
About CMTC's Made in CA Program
These businesses are just a sampling of the many other California manufacturers part of CMTC’s Made in CA program! The program strives to help local California businesses better market their products to consumers, helping to grow their businesses, the California economy, and the manufacturing industry as a whole.
Looking to discover other Made in CA businesses? Check here for the long list! Or, if you're interested in joining the other 2,000+ Made in CA members in this exclusive club dedicated to supporting and growing small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in the Golden State, then don’t hesitate - apply today!
Leave a Comment