East Central Wisconsin offers an abundance of gift options for planners interested in sending attendees away with a souvenir of their visit, whether it’s a bottle of wine, a Green Bay Packers tchotchke or any of a variety of cherry goodies.
Read on for a number of winning ideas.
Appleton’s Kerrigan Brothers Winery (920.788.1423; www.kerriganbrothers.com), which specializes in fruit wines (blackberry, blueberry and lemon, to name a few flavors) is one of many vintners in the region. Kerrigan Brothers also assembles gift baskets, including the popular Wisconsin Classic, consisting of a bottle of cranberry wine, popcorn, cheese, sausage and a portable corkscrew. Also located in Appleton is Sunset Hill Stoneware (920.882.8732; www.shstoneware.com), a vendor of handmade pottery items that could include a corporate or association name, logo or slogan. Sometimes called earthenware, each piece features a customizable 3D medallion. All Sunset Hill Stoneware products are 100 percent lead-free, and oven-, microwave- and dishwasher-safe.
The Caramel Crisp & Cafe (920.231.4540) is a family-run business that’s been in Oshkosh for years. The cafe specializes in homemade popcorn blends, including “Oshkosh Style,” which includes a mix of cheese and caramel popcorn.
Door County is one of largest producers of cherries in the country. Decades ago, “Cherryland” was the nation’s No. 1 cherry producer, but today it’s ranked about No. 4 and sells cherry products year-round, from pies to chocolate-covered cherries, according to the Door County Visitor Bureau. Among the many area cherry purveyors are Forestville’s Country Ovens (920.856.6767; www.countryovens.com), which sells many items in bulk, including Cherry De-Lite Sprinkles for garnishing any food imaginable; Fish Creek’s Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery & Market (920.868.3479; www.orchardcountry.com), whose cherry jellies, jams and butter are all popular; and Sister Bay’s Seaquist Orchards Farm Market (920.854.4199; www.seaquistorchards.com), which produces wonderful cherry chutney and salsa.
Green Bay Packers items from the Packers Pro Shop (800.992.5750; www.packersproshop.com) are always a hit with groups, according to the Greater Green Bay CVB. Depending on the budget, planners can send delegates home with everything from Packers jerseys, baseball caps or T-shirts, to home office staples, such as mouse pads, pens or paper cubes.
The Door Peninsula Winery (920.743.7431; www.dcwine.com) is well known for its fruit wines, such as the award-winning Sweet Cherry, Razzle Dazzle Raspberry and Panacea Peach varietals. Wine enthusiasts are also becoming more familiar with Door Peninsula’s premium grape wine offerings, including cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay.
According to the Fond du Lac Area CVB, a popular gift option comes from Minong’s Jack Link’s Beef Jerky (715.466.2234; www.jacklinks.com). Jack Link’s products include original beef jerky, organic beef jerky, beef steak nuggets, maple and brown sugar tender cuts and Jack Pack combos, including beef sticks, pretzels and cheese sticks.
