Juli MacHattie was looking for an easy and unique gift for family members when she came across the idea of a subscription box - a recurring delivery of products based around a theme.
Over the past seven years, the Kentville, N.S. woman has sent a handful of these boxes as gifts to people. Based on the recipient's interest, she's chosen boxes around the theme of science, building, tinkering, dogs, and art - "There’s something for everyone," she says.
For the most part, MacHattie uses a company called Kiwi Crates - it appeals to her, she says, because they are mostly sustainable as well. The box the items come in is part of the project and lots of parts are made from wood or paper and cardboard rather than plastic, she says. It’s what draws her back to the company.
Subscription boxes like these are becoming increasingly popular, with entrepreneurs from across Atlantic Canada starting businesses to meet the demand.
“Who doesn't love the experience of receiving a gift from someone, knowing they've hand-selected items that they know you'll love and use in your everyday life?” ask Thanh Phung and Priya Shukla, who recently began a subscription box called Blushco, based out of Halifax, N.S.
The mystery and suspense of what will be in the box adds to the excitement of it, they say.
Blushco Subscription Box
Phung and Shukla are both immersed in the maker scene in the region with friends and family, making their livelihood from selling items they create with their hands.
So, when the pandemic hit earlier this year, they saw the uncertainty their circles were facing, with farmers' markets being cancelled and a shift in how consumers were choosing to spend their dollars closer to home than ever before.
This prompted the creation of Blushco, with the aim of bringing makers directly to consumers through a curated lifestyle box.
“Not only is the box a mechanism for these makers to distribute products but a means to promote their talents and find new audiences,” Shukla said.
Each Blushco box is filled with handmade artisan lifestyle products, all made locally on the East Coast. Their hope is to introduce customers to local makers and highlight the talent that's abundant in this region.
A new, curated box comes out quarterly - one per season- with local pick-up options for those close to Halifax, as well as shipping within Canada. Already, their winter boxes are sold out and are taking orders for spring boxes.
Best of Box featuring Nova Scotian Treats
Justin and Allison Abernathy, a brother-sister duo who grew up in Port Williams, N.S., also started their business, the Best of Box, as a result of COVID-19.
Allison, now living in Toronto, Ont., noticed a lack of Nova Scotian products available outside of the Maritime provinces. While living in Ontario, she found it hard to acquire many of the products that were flourishing in Nova Scotia. Since moving away, she missed her favourite food items.
Now with travel restrictions in place, it’s more challenging - if not impossible - to visit home, so the Best of Box was born as a way to send favourite Nova Scotian products. Filled with items like alcoholic beverages, sweet snacks, and tasty treats, the boxes are delivered to those who miss it the most or who want to support Nova Scotian small businesses.
While Allison is located in Ontario, Justin is in Wolfville, N.S. and works to acquire products and package items there. This ensures the products are as fresh as possible and are shipped from Nova Scotia. Every product in each Best of Box is selected after a lot of research, only selecting the highest quality products from local producers, highlighting the best Nova Scotia has to offer, says Justin.
Most of their customers, says Justin, are Nova Scotians living abroard or friends and family members purchasing boxes as gifts for their Nova Scotia companions who are missing a taste of home.
“Even though the products within the box are all Nova Scotian, it’s still popular with customers within Nova Scotia, as the Best Of Box makes an excellent gift for anyone who wants to support small businesses across the province,” he says.
Customers can select from a monthly subscription or a one-time option.
In the future, Justin says, they would love to offer more premium boxes with fresh produce and more perishable items using refrigerated packaging materials.
Experience P.E.I. in a Box
Experience P.E.I. is sending a taste of the Island to those who miss it the most.
Bill Kendrick, co-owner of the business, says normally, Experience P.E.I. is the Island's leading provider of cultural experiences and food tours, working with cruise ships, conventions, motorcoach tours, and tourists.
“In May, when it became clear all our regular markets disappeared because of travel restrictions imposed due to the pandemic, we thought that since people weren’t able to come to the Island, we’d ship the Island to them,” says Kendrick.
There are two versions of the Experience P.E.I. boxes - one featuring lobster meat and the other clams. Each box contains a variety of food items produced by six different Island producers. It also comes with a link to a virtual guidebook containing cooking videos by local chefs, showing how to prepare lobster rolls, hand-cut French fries, and clam chowder, as well as video performances by a couple of Island musicians, explains Kendrick.
The reception, says Kendrick, has been extremely positive by both the senders and the recipients. So far, they’ve sent the boxes across Canada including Manitoba, Alberta, and Vancouver Island.
“People have told us it’s like opening a Christmas present. They tell us how disappointed they were they couldn’t come to the Island this year, but the box made them feel better,” he says.
In the future, Kendrick says they hope to offer a build-your-own box with a wider variety of items, and possibly making it subscription-based, rather than a one-time box.
The challenge is sourcing foods produced in federally-inspected facilities so they can be shipped nationally, he says.
"We’ve had a lot of requests to be able to ship to the US but haven’t been able to do that yet."
Stogged-ful Newfoundland Box
Unfortunately, not every subscription box was able to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tony Lucas had started his Newfoundland-themed subscription box, Stogged, in February, but had to put it to rest for the time being because of the financing required to keep it rolling for the first few months.
It is something, he says, he hopes will return again some day, but is currently in limbo.
