Deck the Smalls: Tasty festive treats from small businesses
With more and more of the UK public choosing to shop small this Christmas, we’re decking the smalls and lighting up small businesses from across the country.
All of the businesses below have been supported by Virgin StartUp – either receiving a Start Up Loan or taking part in the Step Up programme. Virgin StartUp is Virgin’s entrepreneurial foundation that helps founders to start and scale their businesses.
Take a look at what tasty treats Virgin StartUp founders have to offer this Christmas…
Still on the hunt for the perfect present? Here’s a gift guide full of Virgin StartUp supported businesses.
HOP’T Sauce
Looking to spice things up this Christmas? Meet HOP’T Sauce. HOP'T Sauce is the hopped hot sauce for craft beer lovers everywhere. This holiday season, treat yourself or a loved one to the decadent festive-inspired maple syrup imperial stout sauce, "Naughty or Nice".
Get 15% off with the code VIRGINXMAS.
Sipful
Sipful produces delicious, sustainable and premium canned cocktails. The creations are a perfect stocking filler or under-the-tree gift for any grown-up in your life. For the festive season, check out their gift box of four, festive, limited-edition cocktails neatly packed in a box. The contents include a selection of Sipful products: the classic Mimosa, (often a traditional Christmas morning tipple), the Blood Orange Mimosa (to give you a little extra festive zing), the award-winning Peach Bellini (for a Christmas pudding pairing) and the Organic Bubbles (for raising a glass to celebrate).
Enjoy 15% off with VirginXmas15.
Mix & Rise
The perfect present for the foodie in your life, Mix & Rise is the place to go for vegan baking kits. From banana & coconut fudge muffins to festive gingerbread men, Mix and Rise’s plastic-free baking kits are an eco-friendly gift too. Choose from a range of baking kits and subscription plans to convert even the biggest butter lovers in your life
To make things even sweeter, use the code PLANTTREESNOTPLASTICS and 15% of the proceeds from your sale will be donated to Trees For Life – a present for the planet as well as your loved one.
Yan Tan Hard Seltzer
Yan Tan Hard Seltzer was founded by two brothers from the Yorkshire Dales, who set out to make the finest hard seltzer on the market, and bring people together while they are at it
Yan Tan has two flavours: elderflower and hawthorn for a floral bright and off-dry flavour, and damson and rhubarb for a round fruity and crisp finish. It’s the only premium hard seltzer in glass bottles and all the drinks are vegan, gluten-free and contain nothing artificial.
Yan Tan is offering 24% off cases of 12 with the discount code hollyjollyxmas.
The Proof
Don’t sweat the sweet stuff this year. East London bakery The Proof will deliver delicious desserts and tasty treats directly to your door instead.
Back by popular demand is The Proof’s unique, bigger and better than ever, Merry Proofmas Christmas Hamper. It’s packed to the brim with lots of Proof products and items from other amazing businesses, including: a yule log, mince pies, biscotti, macaroons, olives, crisps, chutney, crackers and so much more. La Dolce Vita, say no more!
Lucocoa
Lucocoa is London's first Bean to Bar chocolate maker, it looks at chocolate like wine or coffee – exploring different regions to create different flavours. This Christmas, Lucoca has got the whole family sorted with hampers containing some of Lucocoa’s favourite food businesses for foodies, half kilo blocks of chocolate for the chocoholics, and assorted chocolate bars for the secret Santa gift buyers. Plus this year, Lucocoa has listened to the calls for fruit and nut chocolate with the introduction of its chocolate bark.
Enjoy 8% off the website using the code VirginChristmas.
Northern Cure
Northern Cure is a high welfare charcuterie producer based in Manchester. It cures in batches, concentrating on the ethics of the meat used and is constantly looking to evolve and elevate its products to produce an even richer flavour.
This Christmas, Northern Cure is selling an extra special Christmas Charcuterie Hamper, all made in Manchester. This includes sliced Coppa, Lomo and Salami, Calabrese snack sticks, Nduja and Pancetta. All the products are made using locally sourced, high-welfare pork. Bonus, the products have a two-month shelf life so you’ll be snacking like a king well into the new year.
Get free UK delivery on orders over £45.
NICE Drinks
NICE, is a Future Wine Company and it makes Wine in Cans and Boxes – Sauvignon Blanc, Pale Rosé & Argentinian Malbec. The wines are all vegan, and the cans are 100% recyclable.
Want to take things up a notch by matching your winter outfit to your wine? Get your hands on the Beanie Bundle available on nice-drinks.co.uk this Christmas. Yes, they’ve really just solved secret Santa for you.
VIRGIN15 will give you 15% OFF all NICE products on the website.
[Insert your business here]
Fancy seeing your own start-up listed here next year? Virgin StartUp offers help, advice and funding to help businesses start and scale. If you’ve got a brilliant idea for a business, visit Virgin StartUp for Start Up Loans, advice and guidance – and you never know, you might find yourself featured on Virgin.com next year.
