With supply chain issues affecting businesses worldwide, a great solution for consumers is to shop local when gift hunting this holiday season.
Consider supporting the endeavors and small businesses of College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) alumni — and forgo the rush and bare shelves you may find during this year’s Black Friday sales.
The Office of Development and Alumni Relations has compiled the college’s first annual holiday gift guide featuring amazing items created by CAES alumni.
1. Share the Love Fix-n-Mix Gift Box – All the Fixin’s
Alum Brett Tucker (BSA – Agribusiness, ’05; MAL – Agricultural Leadership, ’08) invites you to share love through pecans with this gift box full of pecan goodness.
This box includes three 5-ounce bags of our flavored pecans, a 10-ounce bag of plain, six mini candies such as their Ruckus Maker turtles, Sweet Thang pralines, Heaps ‘a Good chocolate-covered pecans, or their Round Up pecan butter cups. To top it off, a 5-ounce spiced pack of Gimme a Hint pecan butter is included.
By purchasing this box, you can share the love with the community too as this box produces six food donation items for children in need.
To learn more or purchase a gift, visit allthefixings.net.
2. Brasstown Gift Set – Brasstown Beef
Purchase a gift box or certificate from Brasstown Beef in support of alum Bud Whitmire (BSA – Agricultural Communication, ’10).
A gift box from Brasstown Beef is the perfect item for the home chef who appreciates the finest quality beef for an exceptional cooking and eating experience. Extraordinary care = extraordinary beef.
It’s a gift you can feel good about as all their products are from humanely raised, grass-fed, all-natural Brasstown beef cattle, free of all antibiotics and growth-promoting hormones as verified by the Global Animal Partnership (GAP).
To learn more or to purchase from Brasstown Beef, visit brasstownbeef.com.
3. 2021 Chimney Noel – Cartecay Vineyards
Alum Larry Lykins (BSA – Animal Science, ’96; MS – Animal Science, ’98) invites you to try Cartecay Vineyards’ holiday wine, Chimney Noel.
A Christmas wine just in time for the holidays.
Chimney Noel is a sweet nouveau wine with flavors of Christmas berries, candy canes and peppermint sticks.
To learn more or to purchase from Cartecay Vineyards, visit cartecayvineyards.com.
4. “Bright Star: The Meridian Trilogy, Book One” – Dallas Anne Duncan LLC
Preorder a signed hardcover first-edition of Ag Dawg Dallas Duncan’s (BSA – Agricultural Communication, ’11; BSA – Animal Science, ’11) debut novel Bright Star.
“Bright Star” follows Bridgette as she begins to tackle an uncertain, constantly changing present based on a past she didn’t know was hers to claim.
The world in which Bridgette grew up is very different from the possibilities she’s now presented with — if she is willing to join forces with elves and fairies, witches and Sanguisuge coteries, Tieflings and Baetalü, to make possibility reality.
To learn more or to purchase this book, visit dallasanneduncan.com.
5. Peanut, Pecan, Almond, Cashew and Hazelnut Butters – Georgia Grinders
Alumni Jaime Foster (BSA – Animal Science, ’99) invites you to try Georgia Grinders’ nut butters.
From savory to sweet and creamy to crunchy, Georgia Grinders’ premium nut butters are perfect for anyone who is looking for high quality, clean foods to fuel their adventurous life.
With no added sugars or oils, it is perfect to grab a spoon and dig in. You will never find palm oil, stevia, lecithin or any unnecessary ingredients in our nut butters.
To learn more or to purchase from Georgia Grinders, visit georgiagrinders.com.
6. Hardy’s Peanuts Inc. Party Peanuts – Hardy’s Peanuts Inc.
Support the Hardy family business by trying out Brad (BSA – Agricultural Communications, ’96) and Ken Hardy’s (BSA – Entomology, ’93) Party Peanuts.
Hardy’s Party Peanuts come in four unique flavors. Simply Salted, Sweet Southern Sriracha, Crushed Black Pepper and Delicious Dill Pickle.
They are freshly oil roasted and tumbled to add the perfect amount of flavor.
To learn more or to purchase from Hardy’s Peanuts, visit hardyfarmspeanuts.com.
7. Mango Thai Basil Pepper Preserves – Piedmont Provisions
Support alum Heather Russell (BS – Ecology, ’00) by purchasing preserves from Piedmont Provisions.
Mango Thai Basil Pepper is one of their most interesting pepper jellies and it’s a real crowd pleaser paired with blue cheese.
Pair with poultry or seafood for a dish you won’t forget or try our favorite appetizer: a slice of green pear, a bit of chorizo, blue cheese and a dollop of this preserve. Delicious!
To learn more or to purchase from Piedmont Provisions, visit piedmontprovisions.com.
8. Organic Herb Gardening Kit – Hortiki Plants
Alum Victoria LeBeaux (MS – Agricultural and Applied Economics, ’08) invites you to check out Hortiki Plants’ Organic Herb Gardening Kit.
Hortiki Plants Organic Herb Gardening Kit makes a great gift for everyone. This kit includes seeds for three kitchen classics — basil, chives and oregano — perfect for everyday cooking.
Easily create a productive kitchen windowsill garden with this all-inclusive kit that comes complete with simple step-by-step instructions.
Plus, every Hortiki Plants’ kit comes with their Lifetime Plant Health Check-Ups where customers can get text, phone and video support for any stage of their plant’s growth. Moreover, every kit is backed by our 100% Fearless Gardening Guarantee with free seed replacement if plants don’t grow.
To learn more or to purchase this kit, visit hortikiplants.com.
9. Frosted Acrylic Dog Bone Ornaments – Hull Design Company
Support alumni Anna Hull (BSA – Animal Science, ’17; MS – Poultry Science, ’20) and show love for your furry friends by purchasing one of her handmade ornaments!
These acrylic dog bone ornaments are a perfect way to incorporate your furry friend into your holiday decorations.
These are frosted ornaments, which means the clear backing is textured and slightly opaque for a frosty look. The name of your pet is hand-lettered onto the ornament for a fun and unique effect.
To learn more or to purchase an ornament, visit etsy.com.
10. “THEY INSPIRED ME: My Life Journey from Gardi to Tomahawk Mountain” – The Hill Group Inc.
This is an engaging and inspiring book about Jimmy L. Hill (BSAE – Agricultural Engineering, ’71), a CAES graduate who made a positive difference on Georgia agriculture during a career spanning over 50 years.
He is a master storyteller and his engaging writing will keep you glued to the book. Jimmy is funny, serious and you will want more after finishing the book.
Enter code CAES at checkout.
To learn more or to purchase the memoir, visit jimmy-hill.com.
11. Leaping Goat Soaps – Latimer Luck Acres
Support Amanda Latimer buy checking out Latimer Luck Acres’ goat soaps.
Latimer Luck Acres offers handmade goat milk soap scented with a variety of essential and fragrance oils. Each bar has an ounce of goat’s milk and includes local honey.
These bars are made with charcoal, clays, salt and even grits. All of the soap is all natural with no added preservatives or colorants.
To learn more or to purchase a soap, visit llacresgoats.farm.
12. Pearson’s Classics Gift Box – Pearson Farm
Support Al Pearson (BSA – Horticulture, ’72) and Pearson Farm by purchasing a gift box.
Each set contains a 12-ounce bag of ‘Elliot’ halves, a 12-ounce bag of signature toasted and salted pecans, a 10-ounce jar of peach preserves and an 8-ounce tin of chocolate covered pecan halves.
To learn more or to purchase a gift box, visit pearsonfarm.com.
13. Gift Box of RealSweet Peruvian Sweet Onions – Shuman Farm
Alum Mason Goolsby (BSA – Agribusiness, ’19; MAB – Agribusiness, ’19) encourages you to purchase an onion gift box for the chefs in your life.
Sweet onions are the perfect ingredient for all your favorite comfort foods and holiday dishes! Order a box today to ship directly to the cooking enthusiasts in your life, no matter how near or far.
Peruvian sweet onions are grown using the same processes and standards as the Vidalia onions that we all know and love. Importing these sweet onions through the Port of Savannah each year also helps to support more than 440,000 jobs in the Southeast, including year-round workforces in Shuman Farms’ own Vidalia-area packing facilities.
To learn more or to purchase a gift box, visit shop.realsweet.com.
14. teXga Beef Box – teXga Farms
Alum Caroline Lewallen (BSA – Agricultural Education, ’11) invites you to splurge on the teXga Beef Box.
Each harvest season they put together a variety of their premium meats.
The teXga Beef Box includes ribeye, New York strip and sirloin steaks with their ground beef, cube steak, stew meat, roasts and short ribs to create a flavorful, grill master’s dream package.
To learn more or to purchase a box, visit texgafarms.com.
15. Natural Goat Milk Shampoo – Lavender Mint – Yellow Rose Farm Soap Co LLC
Shannon Lawrence recommends you purchase some natural goat milk shampoo from Yellow Rose Farm Soap.
A natural shampoo made on the farm, this shampoo contains no sulfates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oils or alcohol.
Fresh, raw goat milk from Lawrence’s herd of healthy, happy Nigerian dwarf dairy goats provides the base for this product. Goat milk has the same pH as our skin, so it absorbs and delivers gentle cleansing.
This formula is scented with an essential oil blend that is also beneficial to your hair and scalp.
To learn more or to purchase this shampoo, visit yellowrosefarmsoapcompany.com.
16. CAES Brick – University of Georgia
Support our college by purchasing a brick! Your personalized brick will be placed outside the CAES Activity Center, located on the east side of the Athens campus in front of the Four Towers Building. The Activity Center is home to the CAES student lounge and the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame, a perfect location for alumni and friends to showcase CAES pride.
Sponsor a brick and have it engraved to your specifications. Consider personalizing a brick to honor a current or former CAES student, to highlight your business or industry or to remember a loved one.
To learn more or to purchase a brick, visit caes.uga.edu.
Be sure to check out all of our talented alumni’s products this year. And don’t forget local agribusinesses when shopping for loved ones — or even yourself!
For more information on these items, check out the complete Ag Dawg Holiday Gift Guide. We also welcome you to check out the Nov. 30 Takeover Tuesday on the Ag Dawg Alumni Instagramaccount and register for the next CAES Chats event at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, both of which will feature CAES alumni who submitted products. Tune in to hear about alumni businesses, products and how CAES prepared them for their current endeavors.
