Tahoe Gifting Co grew from a garage operation to a nationwide gifting platform with clients like Intuit and Nissan within a year. Custom gifting can have a huge impact on your business relationships — read on to find out how to retain employees and keep clients coming back.
The power of personalized gifts
We’ll be honest: when we first moved to Lake Tahoe in 2020, we planned to be ski bums, not gift gurus.
Our co-founder and CFO, Matthew, retired from a fulfilling career in the Navy SEAL teams and looked forward to a new chapter of his life in the mountains. CEO and cofounder Darya decided she wanted to work for herself and left her job as a graphic designer for an international cosmetics company to join him. Moving to Lake Tahoe was a dream come true, but the timing made it difficult to get to know our neighbors and community on a more personal level.
Halfway through our first season in Tahoe, we were eager to get rooted in our new community, and wanted to do something to support it. The spark came from a “thank you” basket we put together for our realtor with a little something for everyone in his family: personalized purses for his two girls, a plant from a local florist for his wife, and, of course, a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue. We had so much fun curating gifts for each person, and the family was delighted by the personal touches and quality products.
A couple months later, we were making baskets filled with local goods for other realtors and their clients. Our neighbors were so excited to support small businesses and discover new, luxury products — and we knew we were on to something.
Tahoe Gifting Co quickly outgrew our garage. With our new retail shop and online store, we’re working hard and fast toward our goals: building out our team, providing more business for our vendors, and most of all, enabling individuals and organizations to show their sincere appreciation for each other.
How gifting creates community
So what does showing appreciation really mean? We think it starts with caring for the people closest to you: your family, your friends, and your community. Our mothers were diligent about sending “thank you” cards, and we both saw how a simple act of gratitude could make someone’s day.
We decided to practice what we preach and focus on our own North Lake Tahoe community. We’ll never forget the first condolence gift we delivered in town. Darya arrived at the door with basket in hand and a woman in mourning opened the door. As she left, she caught a glimpse of the woman opening the gift, and saw her face light up in a brief moment of joy. Darya’s did, too.
We started thinking bigger: how could we replicate that feeling — that personal connection, the joy of both giving and receiving?
Now, we like to think of Tahoe Gifting Co as a symbiotic relationship between us, our vendors and nonprofits, and our clients and gift recipients. Everyone benefits here: we feel great supporting local makers and donating a portion of proceeds to nonprofits; local artisans gain business and traction around the country; and recipients are surprised and delighted by such thoughtful gifts.
Why corporate gifting matters for your business
The corporate gifting industry has been growing since the pandemic, but it often seems like the real point of gifting gets lost along the way.
Take that old-fashioned “thank you” card: hand-written and tailored to one person, it requires a moment of pause and individual consideration. A big issue we’ve noticed is stale corporate gifting that strays from this timeless principle. We see a lot of wasteful packaging and impersonal products people don’t really want. Generic gifts can have the opposite of the intended effect: recipients just feel like another box to be checked off.
With employee turnover rates climbing above 20%, companies need to find ways to really connect with their workforce. Thoughtful custom gifts are an effective way to show your colleagues you recognize and appreciate them, which creates more job satisfaction and company loyalty. Working with Tahoe Gifting Co makes gifting sleek and simple: you can choose from hundreds of unique, curated products, customize your packaging and goods, and you never have to worry about storage or shipping.
Ready to up your gifting game? We handle all kinds of business gifts, from gifts for employees to creative client gifts. Check out our Corporate Gifting offerings to learn more about our approach to corporate work and explore some proven gift ideas.
Ways To Gift With Us
We specialize in fully custom artisan gifts for weddings, corporate gifting, and events. Our in-house design team will work hand-in-hand with you to create gifts that shine. Explore all our custom gifting options below.
Weddings
Show your wedding guests how much they mean to you with personalized bridesmaid gifts, wedding welcome bags, reception table gifts and more. We’ll collaborate on design and take care of venue coordination and delivery so you can focus on your celebration.
Corporate Gifting
Your employees and clients are all unique, and your corporate gifting should be, too. We’ll design your branded packaging in-house and curate collections your employees and clients will be amazed by. From design and assembly to venue coordination and delivery, we take pride in our ability to make your job easier and give your employees gifts they’ll remember.
Events & Milestones
Whether you’re celebrating an anniversary, honoring a graduation, or throwing a big birthday party, we’ll create custom gift sets tailored to the occasion. Commemorate your event with laser-engraved keepsakes, custom cards, and personalized packaging.
