15 Little Food Treats You Can Mail to Yourself and Support a Small Business

We could all use a treat. If you have a little extra to spend this week on a delivery why not treat yourself and support a small food business while you’re at it? In addition to your favorite local restaurants, wine purveyors, bakeries, and coffee shops, there are tons of smaller grocery brands that will be directly impacted by the pause button that is the novel coronavirus.

We gathered some of our favorite small food businesses that we love and think you’ll love, too. From ice cream to spicy chai concentrate to huge, chewy cookies, here are 15 of our favorite treats that deliver by mail right now. And P.S. We’d love to hear about more businesses and treats delivering by mail in the comments, so weigh in below.

There are few treats better than ice cream — and Jeni’s artisanal ice cream pints rank pretty high on the list. With flavors like Skillet Cinnamon Roll, Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns, and Blackout Chocolate Cake, there’s plenty of sweetness to choose from. Order a box of pints (there’s a three-pint minimum) and have them delivered to you (because you deserve them) or to someone you love. Jeni’s delivers to all 50 states.

Buy: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, $12 per pint

Dona sells deliciously concocted and gorgeously packaged spice-based beverages included Masala Chai Concentrate, Turmeric Concentrate, and a Spice Soda collection made with juniper, peppercorn, and turmeric. The Brooklyn-based, female-founded company is currently offering free shipping for customers with the code: BEWELL.

Buy: Dona Masala Chai Concentrate, $24 for two 16-ounce bottles

Spice up your pantry (and all those chickpeas you’ve been eating) with small batch condiments and simmer sauces like Tomato Achaar, Roasted Garlic Achaar, Golden Coconut Curry, and Vegan Tikka Masala. All the recipes were developed by cookbook author and Indian home cooking expert Chitra Agrawal and are handmade in New York.

Buy: Tomato Achaar, $12 for 9 ounces

Our Senior Contributing Food Editor, Sheela Prakash, loves a glass of wine with dinner, but she also admits that the world of mocktails is ripe for exploration. Last summer, she familiarized herself with shrubs (aka drinking vinegars flavored with fruit and sugar) and says there’s no turning back. Where to begin? You can splash some into bubbly water for a non-alcoholic cocktail, put a little in salad dressing, marinate meats with it, or even drizzle it over ice cream. These beauties are made on Orcas Island, Washington with fruits grown from local orchards.

Buy: Girl Meets Dirt, $15 for 375 ml

Thanks to founder Aishwarya Iyer, you have a better option when it comes to olive oil. Brightland is traceable, high-quality olive oil made from single-estate grown olives in California. A brand new olive oil, Arise, just launched on the site this week.

Buy: The Duo, $74 for two 12.7-ounce bottles

These award-winning Toma Bloody Mary Mixers are made in upstate New York and the original formula definitely doesn’t skimp on the spice. There’s also a mild version, and one infused with horseradish. One 32-ounce bottle makes eight individual cocktails.

Buy: Toma Bloody Mary Mixer, $13 for 32 ounces

The founder of Diaspora Co. describes her company as a “queer, women of color-owned business that moves forth in the spirit of social justice” — a cause definitely worthy of supporting. The goal is to build a better spice trade and ensure that small, organic spice farmers have a hand in the success of their own labor. The single-origin Pragati Turmeric has become a far-and-away favorite of some of our favorite chefs (including Alison Roman).

Buy: Pragati Turmeric, $12 for 2.47 ounces

We can’t think of a better time to eat a pound of cheese … Can you? Luckily Oregon-based creamery co-op, Tillamook has been making these bricks available for more than 100 years. This Sharp Cheddar Loaf, which is aged for nine months, won “America’s Best” in the United States Championship Cheese Contest.

Buy: Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Loaf, $7.50 for one pound

We love tahini. Especially Seed + Mill tahini. The company, founded by three friends — Rachel Simons, Lisa Mendelson, and Monica Molenaar — have made it their mission to educate people on the many multitudes of tahini. While their Chelsea Market outpost is currently closed in New York City, they’ve vowed to continue to fulfill online orders, so you can ship some directly to your door. We’d like to recommend their halva, too.

Buy: Organic Tahini, $10 for 16 ounces

Our Lifestyle Director, Lisa Freedman, can’t get enough of these “Everything Sauces” from This Little Goat, specifically, This Little Goat went to Southeast Asia. The sauces were created and bottled by Chef Stephanie Izard, the founder of famed Chicago resto, The Girl and the Goat, by popular customer demand. One 13-ounce bottle costs $8 and you can get a set of all five for $40 which includes flavors of Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, Korea, Tokyo, and Yucatán. Says Lisa: “Get this bottle and then make these green beans, if you can find them in stores these days. You won’t regret it.”

Buy: Southeast Asia Sauce, $8 for 13 ounces

Okay, okay, we admit that we’re cheating a little bit here because these wood-fired bagels are shipped nationwide via Goldbelly, but we couldn’t bear to leave them off the list. Black Seed is the obvious choice when we have bagel Fridays in our office in New York City. Now that we’re not able to work together for the foreseeable future, we’re bringing Bagel Friday home to us. And you should too.

Buy: Black Seed Bagels, $25 for one dozen

Another pick from Sheela, who could go on and on and on about NYShuk’s Rosy Harissa. She says it’s “the $10 spice blend that makes everything fancier and more delicious.” The husband-and-wife-owned brand also makes other Middle Eastern pantry ingredients that you will covet.

Buy: Rosy Harissa Spice, $10 for 2 ounces

What we wouldn’t give for a warm, melty, gooey, giant Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie from Levain Bakery, the famed NYC outpost which always has a line snaked around the block no matter the weather or time of day. The next best thing? A Cookie Gift Box, which can be shipped to all 50 states. Pop your cookie in the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes and it’ll taste like you waited in line for it.

Buy: Signature Cookie Assortment, $27 for four

If you’re not familiar, Squirl is a cafe in Los Angeles that’s known for its, wait for it, toast. That’s right. And you can order their house-made jams (in flavors like Moro Blood Orange & Vanilla Bean Marmalade, Seascape Strawberry & Rose Geranium Jam, Strawberry Rhubarb, and more) and have the best breakfast while you check your email.

Buy: Sqirl Jam, $14 each

Olipop was founded by two best friends who wanted to make a better-for-you-soda. Enter: these prebiotic sparkling tonics in flavors like Root Beer, Strawberry Vanilla, Vintage, Cola, and Ginger Lemon. In addition to the fact that these tonics support digestive health, they also contain just 30 calories per can, and 9 grams of fiber. Oh, and we’re also obsessed with their packaging. You can make a one-time purchase or sign up for a subscription service (to save 10%). Right now, the company is offering free shipping on all orders through the end of March.

Buy: Olipop, $35 for 12

What small businesses are you supporting these days?