By: Yelin Gemma Lee, Peak Associate
Mumgry is a Black-owned business that sells nutritious and ethically sourced nut butters. Their target audience is moms, and their goal is to take the stress out of nutritional snacks during every stage of motherhood. But you know who is also super snacky all the time and struggling to nourish themselves? Me. Students. Trust me when I say, their pistachio chocolate almond butter is the perfect consolation after a good stress cry over your impossible workload.
If you don’t feel like ordering online, you can find Mumgry’s products for sale at Old Crow Coffee. Everyone that works at Old Crow is an absolute gem, especially Steph — the powerhouse queer Asian owner. They also carry lots of other BIPOC-owned pantry goodies as well so it’s worth a gifting visit — also their vegan grilled chez is to die for.
Found in New Westminster, this business is owned and operated by two Indigenous women. Everything in their shop “is handmade; from the products themselves to cutting the logos out. Everything is made with intention, love, and in ceremony.” Sounds pretty sweet, right? They specialize in affordable medicinal wellness products including candles, massage bars, lotions, roll-ons, bath teas, and more. They also sell some gorgeous handmade jewelry and offer a gift wrapping option — so your busy ass drowning in finals for most of December won’t have to do it the night before, like you do with most things.
This shop is Chinese-owned and focused on modern Chinese herbal medicine to take care of your family and friends. What better time to give gifts that protect your loved ones with herbal products that aid in optimizing health? kyth + kyn prides itself in “using only premium and organic quality herbs without harmful pesticides [ . . . ] [and] are lovingly handcrafted by a Holistic Nutritionist and Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor in Vancouver, BC.” They carry herbal soup and tea blends, as well as convenient bundles perfect for gifting.
The simplest gift to give is coffee. Many of us rely on this coffee bean nectar to the point where we are always running out and having to get more. Why not support Indigenous-owned Spirit Bear Coffee based in Port Coquitlam? They have a strong environmental mission focus, supporting and collaborating actively with social initiatives such as Ocean Alliance, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, and several more. They have a wide variety of coffees and compostable coffee pods available, as well as office bundles which I don’t think are too shabby of an idea for that coffee addict in your life working from home. My personal favorite blend is Thunderbird: Dark French Roast, although I have yet to try all of the blends they offer.
