2020 Rev Holiday Gift Guide

This holiday season, supporting local businesses is more important than ever before. If you’re looking to shop small this year, but aren’t sure where to begin, we’ve got you covered! From stocking stuffers to gifts that don’t stop giving, the 2020 Rev Holiday Gift Guide, features amazing products and services from Rev member startups that your friends and family are sure to love.

For your earthy and eco-friendly loved ones:

Many of our Rev members and partners pride themselves on their work toward a more sustainable future. Whether it be clean-energy technology or easy-to-use kitchen products, you too can be a part of the change by buying socially responsible gifts this year.

RealStraw, an alumni of Rev’s Prototype-to-Production hardware program, is selling packs of all-natural, gluten-free, eco-friendly drink straws and no-sip stir sticks. Produced in Western New York, these biodegradable straws are a great addition to any at-home bar, or for that friend who is committed to a plastic-free lifestyle. The straws and stir sticks come in various quantities and even have the option of being shipped in a deluxe wooden gift box!

If straws aren’t your thing, check out Rev member, Home Green Home, for all your other sustainable household needs. Offering organic bedding and furniture, yoga gear, kitchen supplies, houseplants, and more, this business is ready to help you cross items off your holiday shopping list. Plus, Home Green Home’s new location is part of a blossoming commercial hub on the Ithaca Commons. Now you can grab a latte at Nothing Nowhere, the in-store café, and easily move between the neighboring businesses without dealing with cars and traffic.

For friends who need a spa day (at home):

Wish you could pamper a friend with the gift of self-care, but COVID-19 restrictions are limiting your options? Rev members and local CBD suppliers Head and Heal and IthaCannabis are here to help you and your loved ones unwind. Both businesses offer a variety of CBD oils and tinctures to help customers find peace in an unprecedented year.

This holiday season, Head and Heal is offering a lovely Lavender CBD Holiday Bundle. The bundle includes two bath bombs, as well as CBD lotion, and balm, both infused with arnica, which is said to have soothing effects on muscles and skin. This bundle is a limited edition and selling fast—so don’t delay!

For the cheerful cider imbibers:

The Finger Lakes region is well-known for its robust cider scene. Among Rev’s member companies, are two leading local cideries: Finger Lakes Cider House and South Hill Cider. If you’re looking to give a gift, that keeps on giving, both cideries offer “Cider Club” memberships consisting of four shipments of three bottles a year, tasting discounts, and other membership perks.

Consider sending a taste of Ithaca to far away friends this holiday season. South Hill Cider is offering its annual Holiday Cider Box and includes shipping to 40 states. The box features a trio of delightful libations, including a bright and dry champagne-style cider, a fruity and floral sparkling cider, and a decadent pommeau (apple brandy).

For a glamourous (but safe) getaway:

“Glamping” trailblazer, Firelight Camps, is an excellent option for those looking to get away safely during the pandemic, or for locals in the area who wish to elevate their “staycations”. Firelight’s luxury campsite, located in Ithaca, offers upscale and fully furnished safari-style tents with access to beautiful hiking trails and outdoor views. Firelight Camps experienced a surge in business this summer and fall, as many people put their original travel plans on hold, and opted for outdoor getaways.

Firelight Camps offers gift certificates, so you can treat your friends and family to the promise of a dreamy destination when the snow melts. Until then, check out Feast by Firelight, a cookbook authored by Firelight Camps co-founder Emma Frisch helps readers experience the joy of campsite cookouts in the great outdoors.

For the plant-loving homebodies:

Rev member ShrubBucket delivers plants directly to your door, eliminating the need to leave home (or deal with unnecessary packaging). Due to the rising popularity of gardening during the pandemic, ShrubBucket experienced major growth in 2020, allowing it to greatly expand its delivery area—the startup now delivers to 15 states.

Additionally, ShrubBucket has launched a Holiday Shop offering holiday trees, wreaths, fresh cut greens for decorating doors, mantels, and planter boxes. Skip venturing out into the holiday hustle and bustle this year by having ShrubBucket deliver a tree right to your doorstep. While you’re at it, make your home pop with beautiful, evergreen trimmings, such as kissing balls.

For tech-lovers and remote learners:

Rev Member, Zynect Sensors, offers a suite of wireless sensors capable of measuring temperature and soil moisture that can easily be checked via a smartphone. It’s the perfect gift for monitoring greenhouses, laboratories, walk-in coolers, and other environments where temperature and moisture matter. The startup is also behind the Air Quality Egg—a sensor for monitoring air quality. This is the perfect gift for a teacher looking to spice up their virtual classroom, or for the citizen scientists learning from home.

Supplement learning from home with Rev nonprofit, Children’s Reading Connection and its community literacy initiatives. “Ask Amy” advice columnist, Amy Dickinson, backs the nonprofit and its Book on Every Bed initiative, which encourages people to give the gift of books this holiday season.

Dickinson suggests, “On Christmas morning or New Year’s Day (or whatever holiday you celebrate), make sure that each child in your household wakes up to a wrapped book at the foot of their bed. The gift could be a new book or an old favorite from your own childhood.” Another way to give the gift of reading is by donating to Children’s Reading Connection and its mission.

For the foodies in your life:

Many Rev member startups are committed to food and agriculture innovations. A pre-pandemic times favorite in the Rev office was Antithesis Foods’ Grabanzos, a delicious chocolate-covered chickpea snack that is a healthier alternative to other chocolate-covered snacks. The indulgent crunchy chocolate-covered bites make for a great stocking stuffer or gift basket treat.

Ag & Food Tech is focused on creating creamy food products using a Cornell-developed emulsion technology that replaces 75% of fats with water and protein, for healthier outcomes. AFT’s affiliate company, Indian Milk & Honey, is equally committed to creamy comfort foods, offering delicious lassi and ghee products for spicing up the kitchen.

Other Rev member companies offering local food and drinks include Dos Amigos, Ithaca’s favorite food truck turned brick-and-mortar—fuel up while holiday shopping with a festive burrito, or give the gift of coffee with a bag of beans from Copper Horse Coffee, a sustainably sourced roastery and tasting room with coffees from around the world. Simplify holiday shopping this year by using Rosie, a grocery delivery platform that allows users to shop online from their favorite independent grocers, including PC Fresh right here in Ithaca.

Visit the Rev Member page to learn more about these and other Rev member companies and have a safe and happy holiday season!