A regional economic development nonprofit has launched an online platform they hope will make it easier to give unique, West Virginia grown gifts this holiday season.
Taste of Appalachia is an online shopping portal that offers value and deluxe gift sets comprised of West Virginia-grown products. Items include wildflower raw honey, bourbon barbecue sauce, apple pie moonshine pecans, sour dough pancakes and butter pecan granola.
The “Mountain Made and Veteran Raised” gift set, for example, includes Tipsy Roo’s Plastered Peach Barbecue Sauce, Sugar Bottom Farm Raw Wildflower Honey, Harvest Trail’s Freeze-Dried Cinnamon Apples and Jarhead Farms Artisan Jam.
There’s also a “West Virginia Cocktail” starter gift set, a “Brunch Essentials” gift set, a “Tailgate Trio” gift set and more.
Terrell Ellis, president and CEO of Advantage Valley which organized the platform, said the idea is to encourage sales for locally produced gift items.
“Many times when we’re gift-giving during the season, we hop online and we order food products, maybe from some big, national company, and ship that off to our family, friends and clients,” Ellis said. “We want to give people a different option.”
Orders will be taken Sept. 1 through Oct. 17 to ensure timely delivery for the holidays.