Welcome to My Story
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"Gourmet Gift Connection is the solution to Gourmet Gift Giving!"
A round trip to Orange County...
I'm an Orange County native, graduated from San Francisco State University, traveled the world, and lived in Seattle for nine years.
In Seattle, I became instantly aware that the community as a whole was very supportive of their local artisan makers.. grocery stores carried local artisan chocolates, cookies, jams, coffee, and other treats. I had never seen that level of local support before in other places, with the exception of small towns. I was noticing the products in a standard gift basket weren't supporting local artisan makers and were heavy on the shelf-stable products loaded with preservatives. This wasn't appealing to me, nothing looked appetizing, or exciting, or unique; it was all the same kind of thing!
Gourmet Gift Connection was started years ago to fill the niche of exceptional gourmet gift giving!
Therefore, trusting my innovative instincts, creativity, and combined with my passion for entrepreneurism, I ventured into the gift basket business. I vowed to never carry anything that you would find in a typical gift basket. My mission was to source the best of local artisan makers that produce products that were unique, exciting and impressive, and to source the best that you've ever tasted! I also designed the business to customize for each client, therefore, when an opportunity was available for me to give a presentation, I always bring samples so that you can try the products and judge for yourself. My business became a success, not just for myself, but for my clients, because they have the opportunity through my services to give the best gourmet gifts. This translates into elevated and thoughtful gifting to your clients, employees, friends and family. A thoughtfully chosen gift creates a lasting impression and there's something special about giving a gift that makes someone feel truly appreciated.
I enjoy the challenge to source exceptional products that are of the highest quality, unique and impressive.
After six years of operating a thriving business, I decided to move back to Orange County for family reasons and have since settled back into my hometown of Irvine. I bring back with me the expertise and sophistication that I have acquired from my travels, experience, and knowledge in operating a successful gourmet gift business.
Years later, I'm fortunate that most communities are now recognizing the importance of supporting small business', and locally sourced products, and with the growth of more artisan makers, it gives me the opportunity to expand my line of products. I continue to select vendors and makers that have the highest standards, that source the best ingredients, such as, organic, sustainable, fair-trade, hand-made, small-batch, bean-to-bar, etc. I've met with many amazing artisan makers in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Tucson, New York, Santa Barbara, and I am always energized by their passion, enthusiasm, and commitment to quality.
I also recognize the status of awards given to the products that I select, it does make a difference! There are gift basket industry awards and then there are the real gourmet food awards that are internationally recognized as the most prestigious. That's true for all food and beverage products, coffee, tea, chocolate... buyer "beware of marketing" and that's why I continue to educate myself in the food industry. I attend food trade shows, events, visit gourmet markets, specialty stores, farmers + makers markets, and cheese shops. I want you to trust that what I'm presenting is truly the most exceptional products.
I demand superb quality control from my makers and select products with only the finest ingredients
Though I continue to create beautiful gift baskets, I've also been successful with adding a selection of gift boxes. I like the idea that gift boxes can be recycled, easy to stack, easy to ship, and even reusable! We have a variety of boxes, baskets and many other packaging ideas. I'm fortunate that I have loyal clients. Often, my clients start with ordering client gifts, then when they receive amazing feedback, they order for employees.
If we have the opportunity to meet and when we are curating gifts, I bring samples and give you insights on the makers behind the artisan treats and products. We can work together to create a customized gourmet gift that meets your budget. We curate holiday gifts for individuals to shared office gifts, for events, and hotel room drops.
I love working with and supporting the artisan small-batch makers, and also enjoy meeting with new and familiar clients. I'm fascinated to meet people of all sectors, whether it be corporate, healthcare, hotels and resorts, universities, entertainment industry, law firms, real estate to the financial industry. I enjoy sharing the level of quality of my products and hearing the positive feedback. You are welcome to check out my Yelp + Google reviews where I continue to receive supportive feedback for my exceptional quality, attention to detail, and caring customer service.
When supporting my small business, you are also giving back to all of the amazing makers that I support and for that, we thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and hope to work with you in curating your gourmet gifts!
We currently do not offer online shopping, but please call or email for more information.
Warmest Regards,
Lydia Jenks
small business owner, Gourmet Gift Connection