Village Candygram Holiday 2009 Edition

Candy By Any Other Name

Village Candy has an astounding collection of candy-themed accessories, including carry-all bags (great for laptops), keychains, lip balm, ear buds (see below), magnets, ornaments, signs, glass cases, and the largest assortment of pillows this side of, well, my bed! And don't miss the new ones from M&M...

Pack Them a Chocolate Collection
Some Truly World-Class Options
The chocolate buyers here at Village Candy (me) travel the world (k, the internet) taste-testing an abundance of worthy offerings (someone's gotta do it) in a never-ending effort to bring to you, our loyal customers, a good mix of artisan chocolatiers from all corners of the globe. A lofty goal, I might add. There's no better gift than a personally selected (that's where you come in, though we can guide) basket of the very finest in chocolate. Among your choices:

Perugina

An Italian confectionery company, Perugina was formed in 1907 in the charming and ancient Umbrian hill town of Perugia in central Italy. Perugina is one of the most successful confectioners in Italy, and was first introduced to the U.S. at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. They have since become known for fine chocolate the world over. We carry a full line of their bars to suit any taste.

e.Guittard

In the 1850's, Etienne Guittard traveled from France to America. During the California Gold Rush, while still in his twenties, Guittard, an experienced chocolate maker, brought delicious French chocolate to trade for mining supplies, and discovered that wealthy miners would pay premium prices for an elegant treat. Etienne sailed back to Tournus, France, where he worked in his uncle's chocolate factory until he could afford to buy his own chocolate making equipment. In 1868, he returned to San Francisco and opened Guittard Chocolate. We carry of full line of Guittard chocolate bars, and we've since added a variety of chocolate wafers for your Christmas baking or fruit dipping (or body painting - shh).

Chocolove
Chocolove is consistently one of our best-selling chocolates. Timothy Moley, Chocolove's founder, was chewing on some cocoa beans in a cocoa field in Indonesia, doing volunteer work for USAID, a government program that promotes agricultural and technical education in developing countries. An idea began to form - to create a premium chocolate bar, paired with the romance of love - and Chocolove was born. The idea was simple - a selection of distinctly flavored chocolate bars made with all-natural ingredients and the classic techniques of Europe's finest chocolatiers. The package design would resemble a love letter sent from a distant land, and inside each wrapper - a classic romantic poem. The cocoa content would be clearly indicated on the front of each wrapper, the tasting notes would be simple and approachable, and the price, affordable. Today, out of their Boulder, Colorado plant they produce 20 deliciously different bars.
Chocolove Gift Book Inside

Their elegant 9 bar gift box is a delicious treat for any chocolate lover, containing almost all of their flavors. And Chocolove's elegant Chocolove Chocolodor Gift Box

"smoke-free" Chocolador is the perfect gift - each box is made of gorgeous African Okoume and is filled with eight of their most popular bars. They also include tasting notes for a true connoisseur experience.

Vosges Haut- Chocolat

Owner/Chocolatier Katrina Markoff personally chooses every spice, flower and chocolate that is flown into Vosges Haut-Chocolat's Chicago kitchen. Markoff utilizes the original methods of French confectionery artistry which she learned while graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris with the Grand Dipl�me. Having worked extensively in France, Spain, Italy, Southeast Asia and Australia, her collections of haut-chocolats have great, worldly inspirations. The infusions of rare spices and flowers (and good ol' bacon, as in the Flying Pig pictured above) combined with premium chocolate give a delicate balance of flavor, leaving you with a layered and lingering sensation of spice and chocolate. Check out all their intriguing bars!

Taza Stone Ground Organic Chocolate

I'm a huge supporter of this fairly new artisan chocolate

manufacturer headquartered in Massachusetts. Having gotten used to the silky (almost artificially) smooth texture of European-style chocolate, I was pleasantly surprised by the more natural, less processed tongue-feel of Taza. Founded in 2006, Taza Chocolate was born out of a desire to combine the Mesoamerican tradition of chocolate with a modern, high-quality product manufactured in a socially responsible way. If you're used to eating European-style chocolate (and almost all Americans are), you'll be surprised by the simplicity of the Mexican-style treatment - minimal processing and traditional stone grinding. Taza Chocolate produces 100% stone ground, organic chocolate using only the best ingredients while being committed to social responsibility and compensating growers fairly for their work. Some of the best restaurants in the country use Taza Chocolate in their kitchens, and you can take their lead.

Authentic Limoges Boxes

Limoges, France, located approximately 200 miles southwest of Paris along the Limoges France

Vienne River, is world renowned for its famous porcelain. Limoges porcelain has been known since the 1770's as the finest porcelain on the market. At the beginning of the 19th century Limoges Hinged Boxes started to appear, and soon became collectible items for the world's aristocracy. At that time, nobles would buy and collect Limoges Boxes to store expensive diamonds, rings, gold, love letters and precious tobacco. They are more than just collectible hinged boxes - they represent romance, love and French style. We have a small collection of candy-themed Limoges Boxes in a display case on our front counter. As with any collectible artwork, they come at a price. But they make great gifts and a good hedge against inflation.

Brain, Heart & Courage In a Box

Just think of it - give two organs and a virtue in one package! Wizard of Oz Pez Set

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of this film classic, PEZ Candy Inc, has launched a limited edition Wizard of Oz collector's set. The numbered gift sets include eight dispensers featuring the most beloved characters in movie history: Dorothy, Toto, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Glinda the Good Witch, Cowardly Lion, Wicked Witch and the Wizard himself, and all characters are only available in this unique set. Other Pez sets we have include Winnie the Pooh, Batman, Star Trek and Orange County Choppers, and don't forget our large assortment of Giant Pez and over 10 different regular Pez series choices.

Snack Dispensers

Although there were vending machines for stick or block shaped gum as early as 1888, the first machines to carry actual gumballs were not seen until 1907 (probably released first by the Thomas Adams Gum Co. in the United States). Patented in 1923, the Norris Manufacturing Company produced their "Master" line of chrome gumball machines during the 1930s. Founded in 1934, the Ford Gum and Machine Company of Akron, New York was another early manufacturer of gum for gumball machines in the U.S. and they make the machines we carry today. Snack dispensers can hold a variety of items, such as Skittles, M&Ms, Jelly Bellys, Reese's Pieces, Peanuts, Raisinets or Rocky Mountain Oysters (ha!). We have a great selection, along with all the contents.

M&M Lunch Boxes M&M Lunchboxes

These recently arrived lunchboxes are perfect for stuffing full of their namesake candy, other Skittle-ish type things or, ahem, lunch. And because their sides are not rigid, you can even overstuff!

Christmas Boxed Collections

These timely Christmas collections are available in
Berry Christmas Box

two styles - Snowman Christmas Box

each in a different box and each beautifully arranged with a unique candy assortment. Just pick the one that seems right! Either way, the recipient can't lose - they're loaded with a variety of delicious treats, including peppermint bark, chocolate covered expresso beans, pralines, chocolate dipped pretzels, nonpareils and Christmas lollipops. How much easier can it get?

Candy Comfort Earbuds
These high-quality "candy" earbuds sound a lot better than the noise coming from your mouth if you tried to eat them. And they show off your candy allegiance, serving as the perfect

combination to that new iPod or Zune you're gifting (or the Kindle, if you're getting read to, ya big baby).

Hershey's Retro Chocolate Bars

This is one of the coolest things Hershey has done in quite some time. The chocolate king rewrapped four of its Hershey's Retro Bars

original bars in nostalgic packaging and put twenty in a nifty old-time box, perfect for gifting. Included are five each of the Hershey Chocolate Bar and Chocolate with Almonds, six Reese's Cups and four Mr. Goodbars.

Custom Mixed Six Empty Six Pack

What's this picture to the right? It's the first building block to a phenomenal gift. It'll reach it's full potential when you fill it with six personally selected pop bottles (by you) from our selection of over 140 individual bottled beverages. That's a customized mix from more than 25 root beers, 15 creams, 10 gingers, 10 colas, 5 birches, 5 sarsaparillas, and a partridge in a pear tree. Not to mention a bounty of fruit beverages of every type - some too exotic to even categorize. Whether you choose by genre or color, 'sall good. Wrap it all up with a ribbon or bow (take 10% off for six bottles or more) and your giftee will be blown away. How much more personal can you get? Rhetorical question!

And Remember Candy Cash Cards
Village Candy always offers Village Candy Gift Cards

Gift Cards in any denomination starting at $5. They're a delight for candy lovers of any age, and make great stocking stuffers. Give 'em to everyone in your extended family, your office, your company, or your town! Or just keep it if yourself, you friend-less loser...