Sweeten the Season

This season, sweeten your holiday with local Wisconsin gifts.

Support one of Wisconsin’s many beekeepers with the gift of locally sourced honey. In 2017, beekeepers in Wisconsin harvested 2.9 million pounds of honey. Honey is a completely natural sweetener; if the label on the bottle says “Pure Honey” you can be guaranteed that the only ingredient is what the bees have provided straight from the honeycomb. Interestingly, the color and flavor of honey differs depending on the bees’ nectar source (the blossoms) and can vary with the season. The most common flavors of honey in Wisconsin are buckwheat, clover, basswood, and wildflower.

Pick up your next jar of wildflower honey from Dancing Bear Apiary Honey. Their hives are located in woodland areas, so the bees collect nectar from naturally growing wildflowers. Their beekeeper, Kent Pegorsch, began caring for bees and collecting honey in 1976. Since then, they have been harvesting and bottling raw honey. At Dancing Bear Apiary, they handle their honey from hive to bottle, keeping a rich, fulfilling taste. Find the perfect jar at dancingbearhoney.com.

Handmade confections are sure to put a smile on faces of friends and family this holiday season. Shop for toffees, candies, fudge, and more at local sweet shops across our state. When you support local businesses, your dollars stay in our state and return to our communities.

Gifts from Cream City Caramels & Confections are perfect for friends and family with a sweet tooth. Their caramels are produced in small batches using plenty of local Wisconsin dairy products. Both sweet and salty, their caramels are available in a variety of flavors; and with a soft and creamy texture, they are sure to melt in your mouth! Look for unique varieties flavored with Berres Brothers Highlander Grogg coffee or Oasis Bee Company honey. Select a few bags of different varieties, or order a holiday box of salted vanilla caramels at creamcitycaramels.com.

Homemade cookies and brownies from Beans n Cream Bakehouse are sure to sweeten your holiday. Located in Sun Prairie, their bakery crafts all of their sweet treats from scratch. Plenty of Wisconsin butter and dairy are used in the process, supporting local farmers and processors here in our state. Stop by one of their stores to pick up a gingersnap, scone, muffin, or chocolate brownie for everyone on your list. And for the coffee-lover? Grab a bag of their locally-roasted coffee, available in holiday flavors like White Christmas and Silent Night.

Find more local sweets and treats produced by Wisconsin businesses at somethingspecialwi.com.