Know someone who needs a pick-me-up? (Maybe it’s you!) Check out these great care packages from Melbourne makers
In a time when things are so up and down, getting a little surprise in the mail can mean the world to someone else. Whether there’s a birthday on the horizon or maybe you’ve noticed a friend has been feeling a little down, one of the below gift packages might be just the pick-me-up they need. And hey, there’s no one saying you can’t send one to yourself, too!
Need something exclusively with cheese? Here are the best cheese deliveries in Melbourne. And we’ve also got you for coffee deliveries, flower deliveries and booze deliveries.
Friends Hannah and Verity conceived online flower delivery company Lvly out of a shared passion for beautiful design and supporting local producers. Lvly offers same-day delivery all over Melbourne, Geelong and the Mornington Peninsula if you order before 1pm. In addition to flowers, the site offers gifts like tea and biscuits, body products, baby hampers, Espresso Martinis, succulents, food hampers and more.
Co-Lab Pantry is a gourmet online store featuring all Victorian producers. Founders Danielle Lebon, Natasha Buttigieg and Avin Chadee decided to launch the online store to bring together some of their favourite Victorian venues and brands in one place including Chotto Motto, Drumplings, Fancy Hank's, Gingerboy, Meatsmith, Messina, Piccolina, Four Pillars and the Everleigh. You can put together a killer package on the website here.
Hello Botanical may be known for its same-day delivery of plants, but now it's branching out to gift packages. Inside, there's a selection of locally sourced and sustainable gifts, everything from drinks, snacks, plant accessories and more. These care packages can be delivered across Melbourne and Geelong and start at $65. If you want to add in one of Hello Botanical's plants as well, you can for $20 off the advertised price. Browse the selection here.
Each Melbourne Box comes filled with entirely local products. You’ll get something to eat, to drink, something for your home, your body and some art. The specific items are randomly selected, although you do get to choose between tea or coffee because some divides are too deep to cross. Each box costs $50 and are hand-packed and delivered to your house. Find out more about them and buy your own on the Melbourne Box website.
Sometimes you just need a cookie to cheer yourself up. Even better when they’re delicious gingerbread cookies and vanilla shortbread cookies with hilarious quotes on them. Sweet Mickie even offers same-day delivery if you’re in need of cookies stat. Boxes start at $29.95. Check out the range here.
Nothing says "I care" more than a box of chocolate. We suggest trying Melbourne Cocoa's gift pack bundles which get you a wonderful selection of Aussie-made chocolate. Packs start at $45 and you can pick one up here.
With All For Her Gifts, you can build a bespoke gift box for a friend or loved one in your life. First, select the box you'd like the goodies to be packaged in and write up a message for the personalised card. Then comes the fun part — figuring out what you want to put in the box. You can choose from body scrubs, gorgeous vases, stationery, candles, drinks and glasses, baby clothes and more. You can build your own box here.
This boutique business delivers stylish gift packages filled with goodies by local artisans. Some of the most popular hampers are the 'Breakfast in Bed' package which includes honey roasted muesli, everything you need for a hot cup of tea and tasty strawberries and cream jam and the 'Bathroom Bliss' package which includes a candle, towels, hand wash and macadamia nut balm. There are Bindles for every occasion, including father's day, celebrating your partner or paying homage to your staff that are working from home. Boxes start at $50.
This gifting service was started by an indoor plant lover who loved the idea of how plants can grow and remain as a reminder of occasions long after the special day itself. Each plant comes in a ceramic pot and will be delivered (with zero contact) in Australian-designed, sustainably sourced wrapping paper. You can even add on extras to your plant like French chocolates or body scrubs. Check out the range here.
Good Day People is a gifting business that’s popped up during lockdown. The business has whipped together a series of great-looking packages that you can send to anyone over the country. There’s everything from booze to fancy chocolates, accessories and homewares. Prices start at $50 and there are several to choose from, depending on who you’re gifting to. You can check out the packs here.
Made in the Shade is all about the experience of a fine beverage. Founded by husband-and-wife-team Michael and Zara Madrusan, the group not only owns some of our favourite bars in Melbourne (Heartbreaker and the Everleigh are just a couple of the feathers in their cap), it also offers many of the Everleigh's best cocktails to go. Check them out on the website here.
Saying ‘I love you’ through cheese and cold meats is a superpower everyone should have. Luckily the crew at That’s Amore have a selection of delicious hampers filled to the brim with their award-winning cheese, and all the accoutrements you want for a chill night at home: wine, gin, biccies, olives and, oh yeah, so much more cheese. Shop the gift boxes here.
The small team behind Original Hamper Company decided they wanted to support small businesses in putting together their hampers. Everything in each box (and the box itself!) is made in Australia, and each box has a personality of its own. There's the 'Pawsome Dog Box', with a dog-friendly beer, dog snacks and a ball, the 'Badass Basic B*tch Box', comprising a spritz, clay mask, candle and chocolate, and the 'Caffeine Fiend Box', which includes coffee scrub, an Espresso Martini, cold brew coffee and a bar of chocolate.
Everything in our boxes are 100% made in Australia (even the box itself). We like to think each of our curated boxes have a personality of their own. We have a ‘Pawsome Dog Box’ which we personally think is barking awesome…okay 2 puns in one go…but you get the idea. We’re reowning the phrase
‘Basic B*tch’ with our ‘Badass Basic B*tch Box’ and adding fire to the Australian Caffeine addiction with our ‘Caffeine fiend box’.
Well, anyway, that’s a little about us and all of this to say that we would love any assistance you can offer in helping to promote our little venture and help us grow and expand.
Just Surprise Me is a gift-giving service that does exactly what it says. The Victorian business sells all kinds of mystery hampers, including goodies from places like Melbourne's Rooftop Honey, Cuvee chocolate on the Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne-based Crackle Popcorn (Eloise from Just Surprise Me loves the rosemary caramel), Melbourne-based Love Tea and Bramble and Hedge nougat, which is also Melbourne based. Check them out here.
Little Succers is a succulent delivery service for those of us who need some nature in our lives but are too incompetent to look after anything more than a plant designed to survive in the desert. The plants make great gifts and come with cute, raunchy gift cards, like "Happy succing birthday" and "Life would succ without you". Take a look here.
Gift hampers for all! These stylish gift hampers are a great gifting idea for anyone celebrating a birthday, an anniversary or really anything special right now. Someone had a baby? These adorable baby gifts are a nice present, too. There are even iso-themed hampers with a selection of food items or luxe spa products to send to someone to brighten their day. Find them here.
As Carlton's largest Italian deli and grocer, it is no surprise that King and Godfree's entire retail section is available for delivery. The formaggi section is limited to a tight selection that travels well (local and imported), but if you're smart about it, you can also add meals, smallgoods and wine to your order to live your best Italian life. Order here.
Know a mate who would love a home cocktail-making kit? Got an uncle who proudly displays booze brand paraphenalia around their house? Boozebud has got you covered with Australia-wide delivery (same day delivery is available in some areas) and a huge range of gift packs. Send some sparkles to a loved one with one of their Champage gift packs, inspire a budding mixologist with a DIY kit or impress a spirits aficionado with a rare bottle or two. Boozebud also offers personalised whisky gifts, you can get a custom label on a bottle of Glenfiddich or get extra fancy with an engraved message etched into a bottle of Gentlemen Jack or Woodford Reserve.
If you're looking for something a bit more out-of-the-box may we suggest a craft kit and virtual workshop from ClassBento? You can get one of these babies sent nationwide (there's even International shipping available) and give the gift of memorable activity and experience to your loved one. Select from fabulous activities like watercolour for beginners, clay bowl pottery, pasta making, terrarium creation and much more. ClassBento will send a craft kit with everything your recipient needs and a video to guide them along. Who knows? maybe they'll give you a beautiful painting or hand-sewn gown back one day.
Brewquets sends big, blooming bunches of booze all over the country. Take advantage of their beautifully-presented packages to show the savviest drinker you know that you have taste and a flair for the dramatic. Brewquets also specialise in big statement boxes of 12 or 24 beers and ciders with cheery messages in the lid. You can also lean further into the cheeky name with a "long stem" brews box, a romantic length of booze and snacks presented with an elegant red ribbon. Shop by occasion (there's a dedicated Father's Day section) or customise your own hamper. Prices start from around $35.
Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey – Dessert Boxes has got all your sugary bases covered. Send that someone special or treat yourself to an elaborate package bursting with lollies, doughnuts, brownies, cookies and cheeky gifts. You can shop by occasion or recipient and pick something spectacularly sweet from Dessert Boxes' range of curated confections. There's giant bouquets of doughnuts or boxes exploding with colourful themes (some of them are a bit, um, nudey rudey). Prices range from $30 to $229 for a heaving coffin-sized serving of desserts. Plus, Dessert Boxes deliver Australia-wide so you can send these beauties to friends in far places.
Save your thirstiest friends and fam from boredom with the cute cocktail kits from Mr Consistent. They'll receive a delicious bar-quality mixer, appropriately fancy glassware and colourful garnishes to add flourish at home. You can also gift multiple people at once with group packages or a supremely spesh picnic hamper that contains three cocktails and a wholesome basket cooler filled with cheese, fruit and snacks. For gift recipients who are serious cocktail fans you could spring for a monthly Mr Consistent subscription, they'll get delicious concoctions and recipe cards based on sweet, tangy or spicy flavour profiles every thirty days.
Who doesn't like flowers? Lvly has an edge on other purveyors of blooms though with their sweet reuseable flower jars, gift packages and ability to fling cheer all over the country with Australia-wide delivery. Select from classic bouquets, natives popping from personalised jars or bigger statement hampers that include themed bundles of items like scented candles, artisinal coffee, soothing hand creams, booze and more. Lvly really know how to celebrate or commiserate with curated selections that send your message across and customisable options all the way to checkout. Same day delivery is offered in most cities so you can shower someone in thoughtful pressies last-minute.
Melbourne’s had a hard run of it during 2020, going up and down on this coronacoaster that has seen us confined to our homes to assist in protecting the community. While there are many upsides to being at home more (you can walk around pantless and wake up five minutes before work) there’s no denying that many of us are missing being out and about in Melbourne. Hence we’ve gotten creative/stir-crazy and devised a series of extremely low budget ways that you can recreate some of the “most Melbourne” experiences at home.
