Monika Sofrenovic is the Marketing Specialist at CIRA. She is a recent graduate of Carleton University with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Marketing.
You could say we’ve really set the table this year by assembling our greatest-ever guide to the best in Canadian sweets, flavourful eats, artisanal snacks, wine, beer and spirits.
So, go ahead: dig in, spoil all the special people on your list and hey—maybe even sneak a few sips and bites for yourself, right? ‘Tis the season, after all. As for us… we’ll be over here tucking into a few of these amazing treats. You know, for research…
avanaa.ca
Using an old-school, painstaking process, Montreal-based Avanaa crafts award-winning dark chocolate that’s bursting with unique flavours. They use only the finest, hand-picked organic ingredients and source everything via direct trade with cacao producers and cooperatives. It’s true “bean-to-bar” chocolate!
Price range: $$
chandlerhoney.ca
Chandler Honey, from small town Scandia, Alberta, has been in the beekeeping business for generations. So, you might say they’re experts on all things buzzy and sweet. They infuse their signature white, creamy honey with several mouth-watering flavours—like real vanilla bean, apples and orange zest. The end results? Decadent, rich…and unforgettable.
Price range: $-$$$
cornpopper.ca
Ah, movie theatre popcorn. Often imitated, but never quite replicated in all its salty, buttery glory. Until now, that is! Ditch the second-rate microwave stuff and get on the gourmet popcorn train with Corn Popper. This family-owned business supplies the killer kernels, seasonings and—yup—REAL movie theatre popcorn oil to help anyone achieve popped perfection. Perfect for all those holiday movie marathons.
Price range: $-$$
Oi! Mate! Fancy a good nosh? Okay, okay—we’ll stop with the accent. But do be sure to have a butcher’s (Cockney rhyming slang for “look”) at the British Store. They’re a BC-based, online emporium of imported British snacks, treats (hello, Turkish delight and Walker’s crisps!), drinks and other grocery staples. It’s a bloody brilliant way to bring the flavours of Dear Old Blighty to a special someone’s doorstep.
Price range: $
nanisachar.ca
If you’ve dabbled with kimchi or are passionate about pickled veggies…then achar is a must-try. For the uninitiated, achar is a South Asian pickled food, made from a medley of fruits and veggies along with aromatic spices. Nani’s Achar hand crafts all their achars, using farm-fresh ingredients and traditional techniques. But the most important ingredient of all? Nani’s (grandma’s) love. An excellent stocking stuffer for the flavour-obsessed.
Price range: $
theorganichouse.ca
The mother-daughter duo behind the Organic House creates artisanal gluten/dairy free, vegan chocolates that deliver all the same silky smoothness and richly satisfying flavour as conventional chocolate. Everything is hand crafted in small batches to ensure maximum, painstaking attention to quality, while all their cacao beans are ethically sourced, organic and fully traceable.
Price range: $$
rvegan.ca
If you know someone that’s tried on vegan eating, but maybe can’t quite commit, Rvegan Tour is here to make the jump that much easier—and delicious. Inspired by their favourite Persian dishes, Rvegan creates 100% plant-based, healthy, ready-to-eat prepackaged meals. Perfect for any plant-based connoisseur craving bold(er) flavours!
Price range: $
ravenrising.ca
Located in Sudbury, Ontario, Raven Rising makes and sells chocolates and pastries with a focus on traditional, fair-trade ingredients sourced—whenever possible—from Indigenous people and businesses in Canada and throughout the world. They offer a variety of assorted chocolate boxes as well as three or six-month chocolate memberships for a truly decadent treat!
Price range: $
smartsweets.ca
Your love affair with candy shouldn’t come with a big sugar hangover. Vancouver-based Smart Sweets creates delicious gummies and lollipops without excess sugar—so you can indulge (nearly) guilt-free!
Price range: $
palmbites.ca
Palm Bites is where you go for the tastiest chocolate covered dates around. They’re healthy, light, super-tasty and made from all-vegan ingredients. What’s not to like? Pick up a gourmet variety pack as a stocking stuffer for your special someone!
Price range: $
maplebluff.ca
Relive those childhood field trips to the sugar shack with treats from Maple Bluff Farms. Based in Huntsville, Ontario, they produce high quality maple syrup and sweets, along with maple-infused BBQ sauces, mustards and spice blends.
Price range: $
The path from hive-to-plate doesn’t get any more direct than this! Huckleberry Hives produces raw, unfiltered small batch honey products from their 50 hives in Perth, Ontario.
Price range: $ – $$
rousseauchocolatier.ca
Rousseau Chocolatier is what happens when you elevate chocolate to an art form. Delicious artisan bars, stunning gift boxes and even chocolatey advent calendars are just a few delights you can expect to see. All chocolate is skillfully handcrafted by master chocolatier Julian Rousseau with sustainable, wholesome ingredients.
Price range: $ – $$
madebybees.ca
With these stunning beeswax food wraps from Brockville, Ontario’s Made by Bees, you can finally cleanse your kitchen of single use food films. Not only do beeswax wraps keep your leftovers fresher, longer—they’re a completely natural and sustainable solution.
Price range: $ – $$
cheesemaker.ca
Bring the art of cheesemaking straight to your loved one’s kitchen. Cheesemaker’s DIY kits make it fun and easy to create gourmet cheese—from cheese curds to mozzarella and ricotta.
Price range: $$
Coffee and tea
canapalmacafe.ca
Cana & Palma Café’s mission is a flavourful one: to bring you (and the coffee connoisseurs in your life) the finest—and freshest—Columbian java. So fresh, in fact, you’ll swear you were sipping a cup in the Andes Mountains! Every speck of coffee Cana & Palma carries—from their bold dark roasts to their unique green beans—are 100% single sourced from small Columbian farms and then freshly roasted here in the Great White North.
Price range: $
goldentrianglecoffee.ca
For the coffee lover in your life that’s craving a new twist on their daily cup of joe. Golden Triangle Coffee serves up several of the most unique and beautiful flavours from Southeast Asia. For instance, their super aromatic Thai “Nak” coffee gives off hints of caramel, orange and tangerine. Golden Triangle Coffee works directly with cooperatives to import fresh beans, then locally roasts them in Montreal.
Price range: $
mushup.ca
Coffee enriched with mushrooms!? Hey—don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it! Montreal’s MushUp has found a way to bring together local micro-roasters and mycologists (that’s fungi experts) to create flavourful, complex coffee chockful of benefits like immune-boosting antioxidants. Count us in for a cup—or three!
Price range: $-$$
pilki.ca
Some of the most incredible tea you’ll ever taste is plucked straight from Quebec’s boreal forest. PilKi gathers a wide variety of wild ingredients—like Greenland ledon, basswood and wintergreen—to create aromatic and complex herbal blends. For the tea lover in your life, PilKi offers gift boxes bursting with boreal forest flavours.
Price range: $
roguewavecoffee.ca
Edmonton’s Rogue Wave Coffee not only roasts delicious, fresh and ethically sourced coffee, but they also supply all the gear needed (like, grinders, scales, etc.) to brew that perfect cuppa joe. You can also treat your coffee loving companion to one of Rogue Wave’s excellent monthly coffee subscriptions.
Price range: $-$$
northroast.ca
Hailing from picturesque Prince George, BC, North Roast Coffee has found a way to make the coffee buying experience that much fresher. How? By cutting out the middleman. There are no warehouses to be found here, and certainly no mystery beans. All their coffee is roasted to order – so you’re guaranteed nothing but the freshest, boldest blends!
Price range: $-$$
transcendcoffee.ca
Edmonton-based Transcend Coffee is all about making it easy to get a great-tasting cup o’ Joe. And they do so with bold, flavourful beans and by building sustainable relationships with coffee producers around the world. Check out their coffee subscriptions to have their fresh-roasted goodness delivered to your special someone’s door!
Price range: $ – $$
neighbourhoodcoffee.ca
Toronto-based Neighbourhood Coffee roasts small batches of their 100% arabica coffee beans in the pursuit of the perfect cup. They also offer a range of gift sets featuring their special blends and other local artisan products from around the Greater Toronto Area.
Price range: $ – $$
teaonthe45th.ca
Named for their latitude on the map—Bracebridge, Ontario’s Tea on the 45th boasts a carefully curated assortment of 100 blends, along with a line of sleek, modern tea ware.
Price range: $ – $$
eightouncecoffee.ca
Eight Ounce Coffee is Canada’s largest specialty coffee equipment distributor, which makes them a great source for everything you need to grind, brew and serve that perfect cup. They also offer a range of small-batch, fair-trade coffees from roasters across the globe.
Price range: $ – $$$
myteabox.ca
Treat the tea lovers in your life to a monthly subscription box from myteabox.ca. They can expect to receive three healthy, fresh and delicious loose leaf tea blends from a specially curated selection. It’s the ultimate way to steep!
Price range: $ – $$
yegcoffeeclub.ca
Have someone on your list that’s into trying new roasts? Set them up with a monthly subscription to YEG Coffee Club, and they’ll be treated to Edmonton-centric treats and coffee delivered to their door.
Price range: $$
lvcoffee.ca
This small, independent, Ottawa-based roaster is all about igniting people’s passion for coffee. Little Victories ethically source their beans and focus on creating complex, balanced roasts for all to enjoy. Have their coffee creations delivered directly to your doorstep via their monthly or pay-as-you-go subscriptions.
Price range: $ – $$$
Beer and cider
beaus.ca
Since 2006, Beau’s has been brewing their collection of complex, tasty beers—like their flagship Lug Treat Lagered Ale—with simple, natural ingredients and local spring water.
Price range: $ – $$
bretonbrewing.ca
Founded by a scrappy, entrepreneurial duo, Breton Brewing Co. offers a range of high-quality, flavourful and critically acclaimed beers, like their Black Angus IPA or Atlantic Canadian Pale Ale.
Price range: $
brothersbrewingcompany.ca
Founded by twin brothers Colton and Asa Proveau, Brothers Brewing Company is a brewery, bottle shop and community hub in the middle of downtown Guelph, Ontario. Be sure to browse their 12 house-brewed creations that include oatmeal stouts, fruity sour wheat beers and Belgian blonde ales.
Price range: $
dominioncity.ca
Dominion City Brewing Company’s beer reflects the local people and land that made it possible. They hand-select quality ingredients from local producers—and even forage their own wild yeast—to bring you unforgettable brews.
Price range: $
flyingmonkeys.ca
From the looks of their funky, colourful cans and off-the-wall names, you know you’re in for a weird, wonderful and unforgettable beer experience with Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery. They flip the script on traditional beers with bold, eccentric flavour combinations. See, for example, their pineapple-infused Grand Terrestrial Rhapsody Pineapple Double IPA.
Price range: $
leftfieldbrewery.ca
Batter up! Toronto’s Left Field Brewery produces baseball-inspired, unique, full-flavoured beers. Get started with their Moon Shot double IPA that features notes of white peach and cantaloupe.
Price range: $
quidividibrewery.ca
Named for their home village in St. John’s Newfoundland, Quidi Vidi Brewing Company produces 25 unique craft brews, including their Iceberg Beer made with 20,000-year-old water harvested from icebergs off the Newfoundland coast.
Price range: $
revelcider.ca
From Guelph, Ontario, Revel Cider combines farm-grown and foraged fruits with native yeast fermentations to produce small-batch ciders that are lively, distinctive and refreshing—with zero added sugar.
Price range: $
whitewaterbeer.ca
Located on the banks of the Ottawa River, Whitewater Brewing Co. sources all natural ingredients from the surrounding Ottawa Valley in creating their unique, hand-crafted beers. Speaking of which, Whitewater Beers produces four river and paddling-inspired brews, along with more “out-there”, limited edition seasonals you won’t want to miss.
Price range: $
Wine and spirits
sandhillwines.ca
What sets Sandhill apart is an emphasis on “single vineyard” winemaking. That means every bottle of Sandhill wine comes from one of their six BC vineyards nestled throughout the Okanagan Valley—each with their own growing environments that offer truly unique flavours! In other words, your special someone is guaranteed a one-of-a-kind glass of wine.
Price range: $ – $$
drinkmoremoonshine.ca
Now, this ain’t your typical, rough n’ ready back-country hooch. No siree! Nova Scotia’s Still Fired Distilleries is mighty proud of their premium, hand-crafted spirits. Check out their flavoured moonshines (apple pie moonshine, anyone?), Thai chili vodka and Fundy gin. Giddy up!
Price range: $$
labotaniquecocktail.ca
La Botanique Cocktail describes themselves as, “cocktail gastronomy delivered to your door.” Simply put, they supply high-quality, locally-sourced ingredients—coupled with some killer recipes drawn from years of mixology experience—in themed cocktail kit boxes guaranteed to help get the party started.
Price range: $
ginius.ca
Being a mere genius is so passe these days. Especially when you could be a “ginius” instead! Now, you can get your hands on all the tools and hand-picked ingredients you need to create totally unique homemade gin blends. A perfect treat for the budding master distiller or mixologist on your list.
Price range: $ – $$
domaineharrington.ca
Can a refreshing drink transport you to the heart of Northern Quebec’s boreal forest? Well, that’s exactly what Domaine Harrington is going for. They bring delicate, refined woodland flavours—think juniper berries, Nordic vanilla and more—to their line of natural sparkling waters. We’re told they’re brilliant on their own—or for kicking your cocktail game up a notch!
Price range: $ – $$
dillons.ca
Dillon’s handcrafts its lineup of simple, honest, small-batch spirits and bitters using traditional copper stills and the freshest local ingredients in the Niagara peninsula.
Price range: $ – $$
oghamcraftspirits.ca
This Ottawa micro-distillery produces artisanal, grain-to-glass spirits—including gin and Canadian whiskey—using all-natural ingredients and a traditional copper pot still.
Price range: $$
splittree.ca
The secret to great-tasting cocktails? Top-notch mixes. Split Tree Cocktail Co. offers a full lineup of mouthwatering cordials, tonics and other mixes made from all-natural ingredients. This season, set the mixologist on your list up with a Split Tree cocktail and soda mix kit.
Price range: $
smooth42.ca
Smooth 42 Craft Distillery set up shop after buying and renovating their town’s derelict curling rink. Today, the Brownlee, Saskatchewan duo handcraft their premium moonshine, liqueur and vodka with locally sourced, raw materials to ensure a smooth flavourful drinking experience.
Price range: $ – $$
kinsip.ca
Rooted in rural Prince Edward County, Kinsip House of Fine Sprits is a farm-based, grain-to-glass distillery. Every one of their spirits are fermented, distilled and aged on-site with care. For a unique flavour experience, check out their Woodland’s Whisper Vodka that’s triple distilled with Ontario wheat and pine needles.
Price range: $ – $$
Whew! After all that indulgence—ah—we mean, finding quality food and beverage gifts for your friends and loved ones… it’s nearly time to throw on your comfy pants and curl up somewhere. But before you do, be sure to check out the full CIRA .CA gift guide for tons of other excellent recommendations for house, fashion, kids and more!
